CAREER GUIDE

Career Opportunities in Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) Fields

Career Opportunities in Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) Fields

Fuzail Ahmad

The post liberalized and globalised Indian economy is witnessing shrinking role of
state and growing role of Corporate and Business in overall development of country.
Corporates with their wider reach, professionalism, innovation and wealth have the
ability to influence the pace of growth and development. In recent survey by TERI it
was found that the public expectations from corporate and business are growing.
Indians feel that business sector must play a wider and more expansive societal role.
In addition to providing good quality products at reasonable prices, companies should
strive to make their operations environmentally sound, adhere to high labour
standards, reduce human rights abuses and mitigate poverty.

What is CSR?

Corporate Social responsibility in the past few decades has intrigued not only the
scholars but the practioners as well. It is ?essentially a concept whereby companies
decide voluntarily to contribute to a better society and a cleaner environment?
(European Commission, 2001). Companies consider themselves as an integral part of
the society and act in a socially responsible way (EC, 2001). Till very recently it was
viewed as philanthropic activity indulged into only when the firms were in jeopardy.
But it is now viewed to be inclusive, broad and diverse. CSR is now viewed as
integral part of business strategy to minimize the business risks linked to uncertainty.
Though the critic are of the view, CSR is nothing but Corporate Conspiracy to Snatch
Resources (CSR), in the name of CSR.
Where are the jobs?
Most of the multinational Corporate have their CSR wing and Deptt exclusively
dedicated for doing community development and CSR activities directly or
indirectly in the vicinity of their operations. In other companies CSR is running
under HR or Environment Deptt.They recruit professionals from Social work,rural
development and other developmental fields to undertake and manage the CSR
activities of company. It is observed that companies whose operations directly
impact the nature like mining, manufacturing, power generations etc have CSR
wing quite active to tackle the grievances of nearby population and engage the
stakeholders. In green field projects we have seen corporate giant and Govt
struggling hard to get the land acquisitions and Resettlement and Rehabilitation
(R&R) issues solved, here also CSR professionals are in great demand.
Due to the diversity of this career area, opportunities exist within the private, public
and voluntary sectors. It is important to highlight that many CSR roles may not be
titled as such but their job content may reflect CSR activities.
Private Sector - Larger companies may have CSR departments or have CSR
functions located within particular areas including marketing, communications,
environmental management, public affairs, investor relations, finance, operations
and human resources. Opportunities are also opening up in the large accounting and
consulting firms, many of which are trying to compete with the niche CSR
consulting firms by offering their own CSR client services.
Public Sector - CSR career options can be found in national government agencies,
PSUs and international organizations.
Nonprofits and research - There are a wide variety of non-governmental
organizations (NGO?s), industry associations, think tanks and academic institutions
engaging in learning and/or advocacy within the CSR arena. Such groups promote
and examine the use of CSR concepts within the private and public spheres. For
example:
CSR ? still an emerging profession?
There is no such thing as a typical career path in CSR and there is no single
professional body at present that represents the needs and interests of all those
working in the field. This is due to the diverse disciplines involved and also the
complexity of the roles and responsibilities of a CSR practitioner. The process of
establishing and responding to the CSR agenda within an organization will require
specialists with specific CSR competencies.
What qualifications are needed for a CSR role?
There are no specific qualifications required for this field but there are an increasing
number of qualifications becoming available at Masters Level and as part of MBA
courses. The professional courses like Master of Social Works (MSW) MBA in
rural development and Post Graduate Diploma in Rural development offered by
different universities and reputed institution may be right option for career in CSR.
What skills or competencies would be required for a CSR role?
This is hard to clarify due to the diverse roles and range of disciplines involved.
Though the major skills required for successful CSR Professional are
<!--[if !supportLists]-->• <!--[endif]-->Business skills (including building
insight, communication skills, decision making, commercial awareness, IT,
innovation, strategic awareness, leadership, handling complexity and problem
solving)
<!--[if !supportLists]-->• <!--[endif]-->People skills (including adaptability and
empathy, developing others, influencing without power, open minded,
integrity, political awareness, self-development and learning, building
partnerships, team working and questioning "business as usual")
<!--[if !supportLists]-->• <!--[endif]-->Technical skills (including technical
expertise, understanding impacts, stakeholder dialogue, internal consultancy,
selling the business case, understanding human rights and understanding
sustainability).
From above three skills, following 6 core competencies are listed for
managers involved with CSR in organizations:
<!--[if !supportLists]-->• <!--[endif]-->Understanding society
<!--[if !supportLists]-->• <!--[endif]-->Building capacity
<!--[if !supportLists]-->• <!--[endif]-->Questioning business as usual
<!--[if !supportLists]-->• <!--[endif]-->Stakeholder relations
<!--[if !supportLists]-->• <!--[endif]-->Strategic view
<!--[if !supportLists]-->• <!--[endif]-->Harnessing diversity
How do I find out more about CSR roles?
<!--[if !supportLists]-->• <!--[endif]-->Browse relevant websites and job
listings - build up knowledge of what skills, qualifications and experience are
being asked for.
<!--[if !supportLists]-->• <!--[endif]-->Check out the following reference
books in the ?Getting Started? section of the Careers Information Room:
The Ethical Careers Guide - Business Ethics section
The Sustainable Careers Handbook
<!--[if !supportLists]-->• <!--[endif]-->Consider joining a CSR network
 <!--[if !supportLists]-->• <!--[endif]-->Organize an internship, work
experience or voluntary placement.
How do I find a job in CSR?
This very much depends on which area of CSR you are interested in and the type of
organization you want to work for. Many direct CSR roles require specialist
knowledge and business experience and therefore may not be open to those on
graduate programmes or just starting out with a company. You may have to take a
longer term strategy and build up your skills and experience in relevant areas first.
However, there are jobs out there so here are a few tips:
<!--[if !supportLists]-->• <!--[endif]-->Companies recruits professional both
fresher and experienced through advertising in media or internal sources.
<!--[if !supportLists]-->• <!--[endif]-->Search-out the
companies/foundations/trust of company owners doing CSR Works.
<!--[if !supportLists]-->• <!--[endif]-->Think hard about organizations you
admire and research their values and culture. What is their stance on CSR? Is
it embedded in their core values? Do they have opportunities for getting
involved with CSR activities? Search out their Websites and CSR Sections.
<!--[if !supportLists]-->• <!--[endif]-->Most of the CSR Jobs are done by
NGOs so search out the NGOs having linkages with big corporate.
<!--[if !supportLists]-->• <!--[endif]-->Some consultancies have CSR
departments and take on people in this area. For environmental consultancies
with a CSR interest check out these too.
<!--[if !supportLists]-->• <!--[endif]-->Get some CSR experience by securing
an internship, work placement or by volunteering to assist an organization
with their CSR project.
<!--[if !supportLists]-->• <!--[endif]-->Keep up to date with CSR
developments. Monitor CSR websites and newspaper articles.
<!--[if !supportLists]-->• <!--[endif]-->Consider further study. Some
consultancies for example, prefer graduates with business or NGO experience
and/or a Masters level qualification in a CSR related area.
<!--[if !supportLists]-->• <!--[endif]-->Monitor online job listings or register
with a recruitment agency that handles CSR vacancies .
Universities offering degree in Social work/Rural Development
The premier institutes offering degrees/diplomas in Social work and Rural
Development is as follows:
<!--[if !supportLists]--> <!--[endif]-->Master of Social Work (MSW)/MA
Social Work

How to Plan your Career

By

Dr. S. S. Chadha

As soon as a young child comes out of school he is confronted with the problem of choosing
which is the most appropriate stream of studies for him to study further i.e. Humanities, Non-
Medical, Medical, Commerce, Arts, Agriculture, Vocational trades etc. This decision will set limit
for his future choice of career. Leaving aside some common overlapping fields of occupations he
is left with the option to make a choice of his career from the fields of occupations covered
under that stream of education only. Therefore, such choice of stream must be right one so that
he will not have to regret for a wrong choice later on. Thus, this exercise of choice has assumed
very great significance in his life.
Of course, you as a parent will pool your all resources to best guide your child in an effort to
make most suitable choice for him. You will also elicit the help of his teachers as well as known
persons and your relatives. Your combined efforts may lead to a realistic choice of course which
will ultimately take him to enter an occupation of that field but it is also possible that in absence
of most reliable scientific psychological data about your child, your child may make a decision
which may turn out to be an unrealistic one. If your child is very bright and his targeted career
is below his potentials it is termed as an unrealistic choice. Similarly, if your child has middle
level abilities but his choice of career needs higher level of abilities such a choice will also be
considered an unrealistic one. Hence, your child needs assistance of an expert to steer him out
of such problematic situations in order to make a right choice. In case, such help is not
forthcoming readily you may follow some of the suggestions listed below to arrive at an
appropriate choice of courses of further studies in order to make him an efficient employable
person in life.

Are you aware about the correct usage of the term career which is being discussed here? If you
already know, it is fine, but some of you may still desire to know it. Let it be defined first of all
as this term is interchanged with terms like job, occupation, calling and vocation. Let us start
with clear understanding of the term “CAREER”.

Occupational psychology defines career as a ladder of occupations showing your upward

mobility (in certain cases downward mobility). After completion of targeted education you will
join an initial occupation and will go on further through out your working life passing through
one occupation to another. This process is termed as your ‘career’.

What is Career Planning?

Career planning is a process of deciding your ideal and an appropriate career based upon your
course of studies, which rightly commensurate with your basic aptitudes, work preferences;
Need to Achieve (n Ach), personality traits and work style based on your acquired skills, self
confidence, attitudes, adjustment level and emotional intelligence levels etc.

What does Career Planning Process Constitute?

1. The first step in career planning is to gain a better understanding of your basic aptitudes,
intrinsic interests (work prefereances) , n ‘ach (need achievement), personality and its traits,
self confidence, adjustment status and psychological hurdles affecting careers. You will benefit
by using testing batteries of these factors. So apply different types of Career Inventories, also
known as Tests to assist you.

Hence you have to:

a. Find out your career related aptitudes.

b. Sort out matching fields of course of future studies, which commensurate with your
aptitudes.
c. On the basis of your aptitudes’ results discover occupations that match your courses of
studies and other competencies.
d. Try to know how you will adjust:-
to people working in such careers;
i. related circumstances and demands of your aptitudes to execute it;
ii.work preferences in such occupation;
iii.personality traits which facilitate in such occupation;
iv.other competencies needed in your work environments;
v.and visualize whether these adjustments will result in ‘stresses or satisfaction’.
e. Work out transferable skills as well and accomplishments so that alternative line can be
taken in case of readjustment to changing situations.
f. Know your emotional intelligence levels as it is an indicator of success in your career.

2. The second step involves the analysis of collected and compiled occupational information
about occupational options suggested by the results of your test results. This step will cover:-

1. Working environment and conditions.

2. Training, other qualifications.
3. Advancement opportunities.
4. Employment trends.
5. Future job outlook.
 6. Compensation and related occupations.
7. Other incentives.

3. The third step involves decision making. You have to develop a career plan in consultation
with Career Counsellor keeping in mind the data so far collected. Take the assistance of
experienced Career Counsellor.

4. The fourth step is to execute the career plan by undergoing the course of studies related to
your choice. Take effective steps if any readjustment is warranted to carry out your Career
Planning. There are significant factors which play prominent role in career development. The
details about some of such important factors needs clarifications to understand their roles
properly which are listed to update your understanding. Role of Aptitudes, Need to Achieve (n
‘Ach), Personality, Self-confidence, Adjustment, Emotional Intelligence, Work Preferences and
Psychological Hurdles in career development.

Aptitudes: Your aptitudes are pointer to your symptomatic future performances. They determine
the attainment levels as well as types of activities you are capable of doing. The modern
research studies have established that there are nine independent basic aptitudes which are
needed in execution of every occupation. Of course, every occupation requires different levels of
these nine aptitudes. Their determination is finalized through multiple cut off technique.
Researches have also determined the levels of aptitudes needed for almost every occupation.
Career Counsellors have to find out the levels of these aptitudes of the individuals and match
them with those of various occupations to find most suitable careers for them. Out of which they
can exercise their final choices keeping in mind their individual preferences as well as market
trends concerning such career. The nine basic aptitudes which are tested on General Aptitude
Testing Battery are Intelligence coded as ‘G’, Verbal Aptitude coded as ‘V’, Numerical Aptitude
coded as ‘N’, Spatial Aptitude coded as ‘S’, Form Perception coded as ’P’, Clerical Perception
coded as ‘P’, Motor Co-Ordination coded as ‘K’, Finger Dexterity coded as ‘F’ and Manual
Dexterity coded as ‘M’. Need to Achieve (n ‘Ach) contribution in career development is very
paramount. In its measurement the following three aspects are covered using projective
techniques:

To succeed in competition with some standard of excellence (example: I am preparing for

i. examination and hope to stand first in it).

Unique achievement (example: Ram is busy in bringing out the details of production of
ii. nuclear energy and has succeeded in inventing a new machine).
Long term involvement (example: I am preparing for pre-medical classes and I want to
ii. become a very good doctor).

Personality and personality traits: Your personality patterns will also be a deciding factor in
selection of your choice. Whether you are emotionally liable or a balanced person will go a long
way in deciding the career matching your personality. Extrovert persons are preferred in careers
involving people interactions. Introverts are considered more suitable where fewer interactions
with people are required. Neurotic patterns of personality are generally more suitable where
quick actions are needed. These are prominent dimensions of your personality will make career
a success if it matches with requirements of a given occupation otherwise may lead to problems
in its execution. Now-a-days personality make up carries considerable weight in selection
process. Personality measurement is done through Personality Inventories as well as through
projective techniques.

Self-Confidence: It has been observed that lack of self-confidence is prominent cause of failures
even though you are able and shining in the academic world. The quality of mind or spirit will
enable you to face difficulties is indicator of your level of self-confidence. Generally lack of
competence, secret-maintaining, physical disabilities, guilt and inferiority feelings as well as
negative attitudes are responsible for low confidence. Overcome these weaknesses to built-up
your self-confidence.

Adjustment: Good, very good, excellent or poor adjustment status in areas of emotional, social
and educational field will smoothen or hinder your success in educational attainments as well as
in social and career developments. It will go long way if you make better adjustment in your
emotional, social and educational areas of life. Consult a counsellor in case you need
improvement in any of these areas of life for promotion or success.

Emotional intelligence covers:

Your self-awareness.

a.Management of your emotions.

b.Your Self Motivation .
c.Recognizing emotions in other persons.
d.Handling relations competencies.
e.The recent studies have pointed out that emotional competencies were twice as important in
contributing “EXCELLENCE” in you as were your pure “INTELLECT” and expertise. In contribution
to excellence of a person it has been pointed by studies that cognitive (intellectual) capacities
were about 27% more frequent on outstanding stars (persons) than average persons while
greater strengths in emotional competencies’ were 53% more frequent in them.

The above reference will clear your understanding that emotional intelligence (E.Q.) is of
paramount importance in giving better performances in your lives hence, while career planning
get assessed your E.Q. to evaluate your chances of success in your career.

Work Preferences: The work preferences are associated with occupations. The most preferred
work preferences for different occupations have been worked out for the available occupations.
The aptitude levels and work preferences are taken into consideration for deciding suitable
occupations you are capable of doing through multi cut off procedure.

Psychological Hurdles: During the long period of career counseling I have observed that young
people suffer from different types of psychological hurdles. Prominent among them are ‘lack of
knowledge of aptitudes and related fields of careers’, ‘lack of concentration’, ‘feelings of
depressions’ as a result of stresses and strains they have to face constantly, ‘lack of self-
confidence and motivation’, ‘uncontrolled temper’, ’ nervousness’, ‘sexual conflicts’, ‘inferiority
feelings’ ‘fears and worries about financial support’, and ‘parental indifference and lack of
rapport with them’ as well as problem of ‘how to study properly’ were found to be very common.
Such hurdles contribute negatively in educational achievements which effect in their admissions
to courses for which they will be otherwise suitable. It will be in their interest to take any step to
minimize them in case they are victim to any of such psychological hurdles.

Chance Factors: You must not ignore the chance factors in your career plan. The best career
plan sometimes may not meet its desired goals owing to factors beyond your control like war-
breakouts, natural calamities in addition to dynamic technological developments. Such
eventualities will result in creation of new avenue and at the same time restrict expansion in
existing career fields. It does not mean that you just leave your career plan to chance but plan
your career in more dynamic style to the best possible way while keeping all suggestions
described so far in mind.

To Sum up it is useful to analyze yourself in the process of career planning before hand. After
having made a study of the occupations you are endowed to carry out, you would like to make a
thorough study of your own self i.e. your mental and physical abilities, work preferences
(interests), personality make- up, aptitudes, attitudes, emotional intelligence/emotional
awareness, other relevant traits and aspirations keeping your family financial background in
view. All such factors will determine your capacity to pursue a particular course of studies, your
success in it and happiness in the chosen career. Your abilities set limit to your success, which
you will attain in the initial occupation as well as in your entire career thereafter. It will be in
order to know that some occupations demand special types of physical abilities i.e., abilities to
undertake hazardous work or long rounds of walking active movements of limbs, physical
clearness, co-ordination of eye and hands etc. Hence, it is suggested that you must be aware of
your physical strengths and weaknesses in case you want to avoid wastage of energy in un-
necessary pursuits.

During my career counseling work during the last about forty years it has been observed that
several young men and women after several years of hard labour find themselves medically
unfit to enter into their targeted occupation. You can well imagine the quantum of wastage of
time, energies, and financial resources of such persons. It is advisable to get yourself medical
examined and match your medical data with that of targeted occupation if it is essential to pass
the medically standard attach to such occupations.

Who knows what great opportunities you might miss because of your graduating late on account
of faulty career planning? What is the appropriate way to avoid such eventualities? Of course,
you would conclude that had I planned my career at the proper time and in the right way I could
have possibly avoided such unpleasant situations. It will be convenient for you to plan your
career in consultation with an experienced counsellor.
About Author:
Dr. S. S. Chadha (M.A. (Psychology), Dip. In Edu. Voc. Guidance had done doctorate work in the
field of ‘Career Aspirations’. He has more than 40 years of experience in career counseling field.
At present he is running Career Counseling Centre at # 2083, Sector 15-C, Chandigarh-160015

CAREER GUIDE
KEY TO ACHIEVE SUCCESS IN TELEPHONIC
INTERVIEWS
By

GAURAV KUMAR ANU SUNEJA

Sr. Lecturer
Department of Computer Applications
Chitkara Institute of Engineering and
Technology, Rajpura, Punjab
E-mail: kumargaurav.in@gmail.com
Lecturer
Department of Computer Applications
Maharshi Markandeshwar University, Mullana,
Haryana
E-mail: suneja.anu@gmail.com

With the revolution of communication technology and mobile equipments, many activities are
executed from remote location. Now is the time when we monitor and control various business
activities and professional tasks by holding a mobile handset only.

This era of information and communication technology has also influenced the current job
market which includes sending interview call letters by SMS, schedule a telephonic interview
and even intimation of final result on a ten digit mobile number. Now the Human Resource
(H.R.) Department of many organizations is shortlisting and calling the candidates by telephonic
conversations. The time is left far behind when there was long wait for the interview call letter
to be delivered by the postman. Now, almost every organization believes in the screening the
candidates by telephonic interviews rather than sending sealed envelopes with postage stamps.
There are many reasons due to which telephonic interviews are planned.

Telephonic interviews are scheduled to determine whether the candidate is competent to face
the personal interview or not. Basically, a telephonic interview is the first contact, the candidate
establish with the company. Such interviews are often used for shortlisting the candidates in
order to narrow the crowd of applicants who will be invited for face-to-face interviews.
Moreover, telephonic interviews minimize the expenses involved in interviewing distant
candidates. In many cases, candidates belong to remote area and cost of traveling and
accommodation is to be reduced by conducting a telephonic interview to save too much time,
money and cost. Obviously, in telephonic interviews, no time is spent in railway stations, bus
stands, airports or on the highway. Also there is no expenditure on flights, hotels and meals.
Candidate can appear in the telephonic interviews while sitting at their home or any other place
of convenience.

As you are also searching for the jobs enthusiastically, so be prepared to attend a phone call
which may be your initial step to move inside your new office. So, the candidate should always
be prepared for a telephonic interview. Therefore, it is suggested not to switch-off the mobile
phone because the first call of interviewer can arrive at any time or any occasions. Many
candidates underestimate the importance of a telephone interview and talk in casual way. This
is the biggest mistake because that is the first impression and interviewer may not call the
candidate again. Some candidates believe that a telephone interview is just a formality and
consider it a ceremony before a face-to-face meeting. But it is not true. So, candidates are
advised to behave in a gentle and sincere manner while receiving the call.

CHALLENGES IN TELEPHONIC INTERVIEWS

However there are many advantages of telephonic interviews but there are some complexities
and challenges associated with it.

• The candidate can't see the interviewer face-to-face, and therefore their body language
 can’t be analyzed. Here, the concept of seeing into their eyes and gesticulation is
nowhere. In telephonic interviews, candidates cannot show the confidence in terms of
greeting smile and sitting style.

• Every person is not gifted with the attractive Anchor-Like Voice. Sometimes, the
candidate is very good in personality and knowledge, but voice is not very impressive.
Moreover, pronunciation and dialect of every person is different depending upon the
region which is one of the obstacles in effective communication. In this case, telephonic
interviews are not successful.

TIPS TO SUCCEED IN THE TELEPHONIC INTERVIEWS

Here are some tips which should be followed in the telephonic interviews so that the candidates
can be called for the personal face-to-face interview or getting appointment letter in hands. Just
as you would prepare yourself for the face-to-face/personal interview, devote some time for
planning and preparing for such interviews.

DO NOT SWITCH-OFF YOUR PHONE

The candidates should keep their mobile phone always ON because the phone call can ring
anytime. The battery of mobile phone should be fully charged. In case of meeting or other
official appointments, the phone may be placed in vibration or silent mode rather than switched-
off. It leaves very bad impression on employer if the phone of candidate is in switched-off mode
or giving message that the number is out of service due to low balance.

ATTEND CALL AT QUIET ROOM

Select a quiet, private room with a cell phone in good working condition. Make sure that you do
not receive other phone calls if you know the time of telephonic interview.

KEEP IMPORTANT DOCUMENTS READY

Keep yourself free atleast at the time of interview and make sure that that there is no
background noises to disturb and hinder the interview process. You should be having the copy
of your Resume (Professional Profile/CV) that was sent to the company. It will give you the
information which information you have sent to the company. You should have a Pen and Paper
to note the points. The candidate should keep a calculator and a calendar ready so that any
schedule can be fixed or to perform some calculations.

AVOID RESCHEDULING OF THE INTERVIEW

If you want to change the interview time due to busy schedule, don’t reschedule the interview
again and again. It will give bad impression of non-seriousness to the interviewers. Try to
reschedule the interview only once if unavoidable. You should not reschedule the interview
because of not being prepared. Try to have all the certificates and testimonials with you so that
you are ready to give any information on demand.

RESPOND WITHIN SECONDS RATHER THAN MINUTES

In telephonic interview, the candidate should respond to questions within 1 minute. In case you
are thinking for the answers, the first response should be delivered within 10 seconds otherwise
simply say sorry. Candidates should avoid lengthy responses because the interviewer expects
short answers on phone rather than long stories.

AVOID ANSWERS IN “YES, NO, YA” LIKE WORDS

The candidate should avoid answers in “Yes”, “No” or “Ya” words. The response delivered by the
candidate should be well explained so that it is understood by the interviewer. The candidate
should keep the voice clear, conversant and non confusing.

JUSTIFY YOURSELF
The candidate should be well prepared to justify his/her performance in last few years. It will
leave a very good impression on the employer regarding your current status and performance
evaluation. Moreover, there is an impression of being confident to the interviewer. The
candidate should be able to describe the goals and objectives of professional life. Here, the
interviewee should not give more attention of salary and promotion.

STAY ALONE DURING THE INTERVIEW

Sometimes, the candidates take help of friends during the interview. It is not advisable. You
should be alone while appearing for a telephonic interview rather than friends or kids around
you. The candidate should thank the interviewer for spending the valuable time and considering
you atleast for the telephonic interview. The candidates are not advised to smoke, chew gum,
eat or drink anything when the interview is going on. It gives the caller a feeling that you are
trying to steal some time before answering.

DELIVER HONEST AND TRUE INFORMATION

One of the important points the candidate should remember is not to give any manipulated or
false information while answering the Tell Me about Yourself Interview question. Now days, the
organizations are taking help of detective agencies to keep track of candidates’ personal and
professional background. Such checks have become very important and strict today. The
employer may dismiss the person even after years of working, on the basis of some false
information provided during the initial phase of interview.

COMMONLY ASKED TELEPHONIC

INTERVIEW QUESTIONS AND
SUGGESTED ANSWERS
There is a series of common questions which are asked during a telephonic interview. These
questions are generally asked in almost every interview. Following are the questions and
suggested answers -

1. WHY DID YOU LEAVE THE PREVIOUS JOB ?

This is one of the tough interview questions in which the candidate should answer in calm and
honest way. While answering such question, the candidate should not blame their internal
politics in ex colleagues or ex boss. It creates very negative idea about your professional
approach. In this case, the candidate can give reasons including career growth, scope to explore
the skills and learning environment. The candidates should avoid giving reason that the new
organization was giving more salary. In such answer, the employer relates the loyalty of
candidate with the salary and monetary benefits.

2. WHAT IS YOUR POSITION IN CURRENT ORGANIZATION ?

Here, the candidate should not boast of his/her position and power in the organization. The
candidate is expected to just give a general idea about work profile and experience in the
organization.

3. WHEN YOU WILL BE ABLE TO JOIN THE ORGANIZATION ?

Answer of this question should be ready with the candidate once he/she applies for the job. The
candidate is advised to have an idea of joining the new organization keeping in view the
schedule and appointments. If the candidate fumble or gets confused to answer this question,
the employer may think that the candidate is not sure whether to change the current job or not.
So be clear about your decision. There is no need to give exact date and time, but the candidate
should be able to give the basic idea of month of joining.

ANSWER TO FREQUENTLY ASKED

QUESTION “TELL ME ABOUT
YOURSELF”
This is the first and very basic question
which is asked everywhere the
candidate joins or going to join.
Actually, there are many flavors to
answers this question, but it requires
 some basic components to be told to
the interviewer.
BRIEF SUMMARY OF PERSONAL PROFILE - It includes the name of candidate and the place
where he/she belongs to. The profession of parents and family members can also be narrated
by the candidate. In telephonic interviews, the candidate should avoid telling the hobbies like
fishing, making friends etc.

PROFESSIONAL AND ACADEMIC QUALIFICATIONS - The candidate is required to tell about

educational qualifications alongwith the division and distinctions achieved. However, the marks
in each degree, certificate course is not mandatory to tell. In case, the marks or grade is asked,
the candidate should have a copy of all the documents to avoid any mismatch in future.

PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE AND COMPANY PROFILE – Here, the candidate should

describe the professional experience with the name of organization worked with. There is no
need to tell the exact salary until it is asked. The nature of job and company profile can be told
to enable the employer know the current organization, where working.

WEAKNESSES AND STRENGTHS – This is another very common question which is asked in
almost every interview. Therefore, it is advised to prepare the answer of this question very
carefully. Many candidates tell their strength as weakness to attract the interviewer but the
employer is not fool. Be honest while answering this question. The candidate may discuss one or
two weaknesses like getting nervous in some situations, lacking in some skills, emotional,
sensitive etc. Avoid telling weaknesses like short-tempered, sleeping, laziness and related
terms.
Moreover, the candidate should not boast on strengths. Strengths should be told in the honest
and calm manner so that it marks a positive impact on professional capabilities.
The candidate can point out the strengths like

• Positive Attitude with Hard Work

• Punctual and Determined
• Self-Confidence
• Ability to face the failures and recover with confidence
• Learn from Mistakes
• Quick Learner
• Full commitment to work
• Highly Energetic
• Willing to learn New Things
• Good Interpersonal Skills
• Well Organizer and Manager
• Good Helping Hand
• Team Player
• Communication Skills

• Problem-Solving Ability