Sarabjeet Sachar is a career development and leadership coach and the founder and CEO of Aspiration
Q You advise senior professionals how to handle “the interview”. Do you have any tips for those about to enter the job market?
There is one critical piece of advice I have for everyone, including freshers — do your homework. Go through the LinkedIn profile of the company, understand its mission and goals. Know for yourself: is it environment friendly, is it investing in research and so on. Once you have done this, you will know whether you can align your skills, passion and innate strength with the company’s mission. Next, try and understand what the position you are applying for entails. The third step would be to prepare yourself for mandatory questions such as — tell me something about yourself, why do you want to join this company, why should we hire you. If you just cram answers after watching somebody else’s video, that will never work. You have to find that connect with the recruiter.
Q You tell your older clients that storytelling is how one aces interviews. Would you give the same advice to freshers? What story do you think they would have to tell?
There is a tricky question that freshers are sometimes asked. Employers want to know — if you don’t have any experience, how will you add value to the company? There are two parts to this answer. The first part comprises your school and college projects and internships: what you’ve done, what have been your measurable achievements. Write down success stories in the CAR format. This is an acronym I developed: C for challenge, A for action and R for result. The second part is life experience. If you are a fresher seeking a job, you must be at least 20 years of age. That means 20 years of lived experience. Tap into all that. Today, transferable skills have become very important.
Q What exactly are transferable skills?
They could be communication skills, teamwork, collaborative skills, stakeholder management, presentation skills, problem solving and creative ability; basically life skills. So a fresher should confidently say, and that is what really cuts the ice, “I’ve got 20 years of experience.” These skills are extremely important because you might be the best, say, software engineer, but if you can’t collaborate and work with people, or if you don’t have good communication skills or the ability to present your idea, you’re still no good to anyone.
Q How do you think a CV should be structured? I mean, a fresher’s CV.
First, I would say don’t make it long. Today, with AI technology and all that, resumes are losing their importance. The people who will stand out will be those who do their homework. But you do need a resume or a CV to apply.
The structure has to be very clear and there should be a headline that clearly defines your domain interest. Suppose you were one of the top students in college in marketing, your headline should then read — “top marketing student aspiring for a marketing role”. If you don’t have something outstanding to say, write “aspiring marketing professional with innovative ideas”.
Also, put in a short descriptor of yourself. Include things that you are passionate about. If you have good analytical skills, say that. Focus on achievements that are measurable. So in college, if you were handling a project, mention the measurable outcome you delivered. If you don’t have an outcome that is quantifiable, mention it in percentage.
Q So, what are the skills you think freshers should work on developing?
There are a few skills that will always be in demand. One is learnability, you know, the ability to learn. Second would be problem solving. That would be something which will always remain in demand. Third would be collaborative skills because today you have to work with teams and you have to cater to stakeholders. Fourth will be your ability to think out of the box.
These are some of the skills that can always be developed if you keep challenging yourself.
