My Life's 1st Job Interview

“Okay here we go, the final list of selected candidates, the new Infoscions.” My heart went into a massive beat phase when the HR lead started announcing the names. I was measuring my pulse rate every 10 seconds…it was on an average 120 beats per minute. The names were being called out in a random order…with only 158 students on the list, the HR had 7 sheets with names on them. If your name was any of the sheet, you got lucky and selected, else, it’s a try again. It was 11 o’ clock in the night. We all were gathered in the auditorium of our Allahabad campus of our college. 7 sheets, and the HR was already through reading out the first 4, and they didn’t have my name on it. 3 more sheets, it’s now or never.

Rewind, 12 hours…Same place, the auditorium, during the pre-placement talk.
The led HR, Mr. Sudhir Mishra explained to us the benefits of being an Infoscion (i.e. working with Infosys) such as the purchasing power, ability to impress girls (:P), mental satisfaction, fame etc.
The man then showed us an inspirational video to motivate us, and it surely did help me to keep my morale up during the 70 minute written test.

The test consisted of 30 analytical questions and 40 verbal ability question, which had to be done in 70 minutes. Those, I swear, were my life’s fastest 70 minutes! I wasn’t sure whether I had managed to go across the cut-off or not.

Having nothing else to do, we all went and sat in the auditorium to wait for the results to be announced. The result came out at 4 in the evening. The results came in randomly and in a batch of 25 students. The interval between two results was around 20 minutes. I sat there in the hall for an hour before my name was called. To be honest I was highly nervous and was totally numb, finding it difficult to breathe. But when they called out my name, I rushed towards the interview chamber.

Now, this is funny. I went in the waiting chamber with my documents and a Neal caffrey type confident smile. But I was wearing a borrowed wrist watch, borrowed tie and even the belt! :P :P
I waited in for at least half an hour before my name was called for the interview. I went inside the room with shaky legs and reprimanded myself in my head “KANAV BE CONFIDENT YOU IDIOT!!!”

I went in the interview panel room and it went well. A senior HR member asked me a couple of techno-managerial questions and it took round 10 minutes. I was free of the tests and interview till 6 pm.

Now, I was feeling damn hungry, so I went back to the hostel and had my dinner and 10 cups of tea to ease the anxiety.

Now, fast forward 3 hours, Its 11 pm and I am sitting in the auditorium, with a fluctuating pulse rate varying from 120 bpm to 140 bpm.

The HR had already gone through the first 4 sheets and had almost finished the 5^th one, still no sign of my name. Heartbeat going up through the ceiling, anxiety and tension choking my throat, nervousness and fear gripping my spine and twisting my backbone.

Now, the sixth sheet, my pulse rate increased with every name he took that was not mine.

Suddenly, halfway through the sheet, he called out “KANAV GULATI”……

And I collapsed in my chair, heaving a huge sigh of relief, thanking the almighty and then calling all my friends and relatives, giving them the god news….

And that’s how, I became an Infoscion….