Patterns of Job Tests
December 22, 2007

Selection process of each recruiter differs from one another – some may include GD in the selection process while others not, some includes Managerial Interview in addition to Technical & HR interview while others may just go for HR interview alone.

The purpose of this post is just to give you a very brief overview of the different phases of a selection process without going into details (which are discussed in subsequent topics like Aptitude Test, Technical Test, Psychometric Test, Group Discussion, Interview).

All these exams invariably contains atleast one of above four test sections: General Awareness, General English, Quantitative Aptitude, Reasoning Ability. To illustrate this, I am showing below the written exam pattern of some popular exams below:

Pattern of SBI PO exam:

Pattern of SBI Clerical written exam:

Written test will consists of Objective type questions in following five papers:

1.0 General Awareness.

2.0 General English.

3.0 Quantitative Aptitude.

4.0 Reasoning Ability.

5.0 Marketing Aptitude / Computer Knowledge.

SSC CPO (Central Police Organisation) exam pattern:

Management Aptitude Test (MAT) exam pattern:

MAT is a 2hr-30min test with following five sections, each of 40 marks:

1. Language Comprehension: 40 Questions, 30 mins.

2. Mathematical Skills : 40 Questions, 40 mins.

3. Data Analysis and Sufficiency: 40 Questions, 35 mins.

4. Intelligence and Critical Reasoning: 40 Questions, 30 mins.

5. Indian and Global Environment: 40 Questions, 15 mins.

All the questions are multiple-choice objective type questions.

Selection processes of some major IT industries:

Job Tests Pattern of WIPRO:

Aptitude Test consisting of Verbal - 32Q, Quantitative- 38Q, Logical-4Q.

Followed by Technical & HR Interview.

Job Tests Pattern of ACCENTURE:
Aptitude Test consisting of Verbal - 20Q, Quantitative- 20Q, Logical-15Q, One Essay.
Followed by GD, Technical & HR Interview.

Capgemini:
Aptitude Test consisting of Verbal - 25Q, Quantitative- 25Q, Logical-30Q.
Followed by Technical & HR Interview.

Job Tests Pattern of TCS:
Aptitude Test consisting of Verbal - 35Q, Quantitative- 38Q, Logical-12Q.
Followed by Technical & HR Interview.

Job Tests Pattern of CMC:
Aptitude Test consisting of Verbal - 24Q, Quantitative- 40Q, Logical-23Q.
Technical Test consisting of 50Q.
Followed by Technical & HR Interview.

As you can see from above, the patterns which are being used by recruiters although differs from one another, all of them uses the same tools for screening candidates at different levels. So once if you prepare for one, you can as well appear in the job tests of other recruiter.

What are the questions asked and how to prepare for the same? We have discussed in detail in individual sections: For Aptitude tests in Aptitude Test, For Technical tests in Technical Test GD in Group Discussion, Technical, MR & HR Interview in Interview.

Job Channels
December 25, 2007

During my time of job-haunt, which is good 15 years back (I graduated in 1992), the channels through which job could be found was minimal. Job availability situations were available mainly in print media such as newspapers. Campus interview was rare and Internet was at its infancy.

You are however at the most fortunate time with evolved Internet with which you can haunt for jobs at the click of a button. There is more reason to be optimistic about finding the right job, as the economy of India is booming, creating more job opportunities.

If you ask me what channels are available to you for job-haunting, I would try to summarize as follows:
Age-Old Job Channels: Those that have been in existence even before Internet came.
1.0 Campus Interview Jobs.
2.0 Pool Campus Jobs.
3.0 Walk-in Jobs.
4.0 Common Recruitment Tests.
New Age Job Channels: Those that have come through Internet.
5.0 Job-site based Jobs.
6.0 Referral Jobs (Buddy Lao jobs).

The above list is indicative only and is categorized according to how the job selection process is organised by the recruiter. Let us go into details of these job-channels. Last two channels (Job-site based Jobs & Referral Jobs) would be discussed in my next post (New Age Job-Channels), while other channels are being discussed below.

1.0 Campus Interview Jobs:
If you are fortunate to belong to a very good institute (i.e. attractive in the eyes of a recruiter), than this channel is open before you when recruiters comes hunting for you in your own institute campus.
The Training & Placement cells of these institutes maintain very close relations with the recruiters, providing them with all required data on who would be attending the Campus Interview.

The selection process by the recruiter varies from recruiter to recruiter, but most recruiter goes through the usual round of Written Test -> Group Discussion -> Personal Interview, sometimes with Psychometric Tests.

Never had campus interview in the past, but would like to have one?
If there had never been a Campus Interview in your institute but you think that recruiters would find your students attractive to employ, than you need to chalk up a strategy as follows:
i) Form a Training & Placement Cell with concurrence from your institute authority. There must be at least a group of five/six active individuals, with an active faculty as a mentor.
Prepare an Institute Profile file (Name, Address, Branches, Qualifications awarded, Accreditation, Academic Calendar etc.), which is sought by the recruiters when you approach them for campus interview.
ii) Gather maximum data on your alumni: “Who is working in which organizations, in what capacity, which cities of which country”. More well placed are your alumni, more attractive the institute looks to a recruiter.
iii) The Institute Profile File and Alumni Profile becomes your sales brochure for the institute. With it, start approaching the recruiters through e-mail and phone. Where would you find these contact details? Use your contacts (Faculties, fellow friends from other institutes, alumnus) and of course Google to find the corporate websites!

Since the recruiters are always bombarded with requests for campus interview, it is unlikely that your requests would be accepted on your first request itself. Therefore you need to have patience for that first Campus Interview to occur for your institute. It may quite be possible that whatever you are doing. the fruits of it would be enjoyed by your junior students.

Also try to go in for good placement agencies first (rather than the employing organizations themselves), so that your students gets used to the whole idea of Campus Placement. Why? Because this way chances of conducting the first Campus interview is always better. Later you can go for employing organizations directly.

2.0 Pool Campus Jobs:
Very akin to the Campus Interview jobs, in Pool Campus Jobs, few institutes forms a pool and organizes the selection process in a common venue, mostly in one of the institutes having better infrastructure or better communication facilities.

The advantage for the recruiter is that they find students from all the institutes in a common place and thus do not have to visit the institutes individually. And hence more and better recruiter comes, which helps more students getting placed with better job offer.

North East Professional Institutes Forum (NEPIF) is one such forum which organizes Pool Campus Jobs for its member institutes of North East India. If your own institute belongs to North East India, you may wish to contact NEPIF to accept your institute as a member institute.

Also, your own institute can form such a partnership with other institutes offering similar courses and qualifications and together you can invite recruiters for Pool Campus Jobs.


3.0 Walk-in Jobs:
As the name suggests, these kinds of jobs are advertised by the recruiters in the electronic (Internet) and print media (newspapers) and you just have to walk-in to appear in the selection process.
In most cases, the written-test round is not conducted and candidates are required to appear in the GD/Interview rounds directly.

Walk-in Interviews are a little bit different than the normal interviews – since the interviewer may not have heard at all about the institute you passed out from. His perception on you would bank entirely on your resume. Therefore you need to prepare as good a resume as possible.

Following two items are must-carry items while going for a walk-in:
1. Few (2/3) hardcopy of your resume.
2. Few (2/3) passport size photographs.
Also, if you are an working individual, you need to carry photocopies of the last increment letter/offer letter, whichever is latest.

You can visit following internet sites to find walk-in job announcements:
http://search.clickjobs.com/js/search/jresult.php?walkin=yes
http://www.walkinsindia.com/
http://www.mywalkin.com/

Do you know of any better sites for walk-in jobs? Kindly send me the web site address at careerquips@gmail.com. We would acknowledge your contributions with sincere thanks.


4.0 Common Recruitment Tests:
This is the most formal out of all the job channels, which have been around for a long, long time. Used by all Government agencies (UPSC Exams – Civil Services, Defence, Railways etc.) and Public Sector industries (such as IOCL, NTPC, SAIL etc.), its advertisement are given elaborately in Print (newspapers) as well as in Electronic media (Internet). Not many Private Sector industries however conduct common recruitment tests.

The format of selection process is elaborate again: You need to apply in specified formats; you are called for written exams in selected centers after which GD & Interview is held.

Government jobs and Public Sector industries jobs are a happy hunting ground for freshers, since the intake is at entry-level, experience is not asked for.

Following links should help you getting these kinds of jobs:
http://www.employmentnews.gov.in/
www.yuvajobs.com/indian-govt-jobs.asp

Above rounds up the job channels which have been existing even before Internet came. Would you like to know the New Age Job Channels? Click here to find them.

Andhra Bank Recruitment 2012 PO & Specialist Officers
September 02, 2012

Andhra Bank recruitment notification 2012 has come out yesterday for 400 PO (Probationary Officers) & 70 Specialist Officers (IT/Rajbasha/HR/Law). This  Andhra Bank recruitment would be based on IBPS CWE PO 2011 & IBPS CWE Specialist Officers 2012 respectively.  As per the notification, online submission of form has started from 1st September and the last date to apply online for this Andhra Bank Recruitment 2012 is 15th September, 2012.

You can click here to download Andhra Bank PO & Specialist Officers Recruitment 2012 Notification.

This is the last of the notification to come out for recruitment of Probationary Officers through IBPS CWE (PO) 2011. Total number of PO vacancies through IBPS CWE 2011 (PO)  now stands as 19,648 as advertised by the nineteen PSU banks which had participated in IBPS CWE (Common Written Exam). You can find a detailed article on bank PO recruitment in my previous blog article titled: IBPS CWE Score Cut-off for PO Bank-wise: for all banks.

Also, if you have been following this blog closely, you must have come to know that sixteen of these PSU banks had issued recruitment notification in 2012 already for 20,720 clerical positions, as can be seen in the table at right. Only following three banks are yet to issue recruitment notification/advertisements for clerks: Punjab National Bank, Central Bank of India & Oriental Bank of Commerce. You can find details of the clerk recruitment in PSU banks in 2012 in my previous blog article titled: IBPS CWE Clerk Cut-Off Mark Bankwise State-wise, Category-wise.

The table above gives you the bank-wise number of clerk & PO recruitment through IBPS CWE 2011 so far.

This blog post summarizes the Andhra Bank PO & Specialist Officers Recruitment 2012  by quoting the eligibility as well as telling you how to apply online. It also tells you how to prepare for Andhra Bank PO & Specialist Officers GD/Interview towards the end of this article.

Andhra Bank PO & Specialist Officers Vacancy 2012:

There are 400 PO & 70 Specialist Officers vacancies in Andhra Bank as per the notification with post-wise, category-wise vacancies as given at right.

All these positions are for freshers except Law Officers in  MMGS-II scale, for which you will need 3 years work experience.

Andhra Bank PO & Specialist Officers Salary:

Salary offered by Andhra Bank for all the positions in JMGS-I  is in Pay scale of Rs.14500 – Rs.25700 (Approx salary: Rs.26,450 per month).
For the MMGS-II (i.e. Law Officers), the pay scale is Rs.19400 – Rs.28100. (Approx salary: Rs.35,230 per month).

Andhra Bank Eligibility for PO:

Age Eligibility (as on 01.07.2011): Min 20 yrs, Max 30 yrs. (Relaxations exists as per Govt rule).

Educational Qualification Eligibility: Graduate degree in any discipline from a recognized university.

IBPS CWE Cut-Off  for Andhra Bank PO:

IBPS Score cut-off for each individual tests:
For Unreserved: 24
For SC/ST/OBC/PWD: 21

IBPS TWSS Score cut-off:
For Unreserved/OBC: 151
For SC/ST/PWD: 141

Andhra Bank Eligibility for Specialist Officers:

Age Eligibility (as on 01.12.11):
For all except Law Officers: Min 20 yrs, Max 35 yrs.
For all Law Officers: Min 21 yrs, Max 40 yrs.
(Relaxations exists as per Govt rule).

Educational Qualification Eligibility:
IT Officers: Degree/PG in CS/CA/IT/EC/ Instrumentation OR Degree with DOEACC ‘B’ level.

Rajbasha Officers: PG Degree in Hindi with English as a subject at degree level OR PG Degree in Sanskrit with English and Hindi as subjects at Degree level.

HR Officers: Degree + PG Degree or Diploma in Personnel Management / IR / HRD social work /Labour Law OR Degree /Diploma in Business Administration / Management with specialization in HRD.

Law Officers: Degree in Law (LLB) + 3 years experience of practice at Bar or Judicial service and/or Law Officer in legal department of a reputed Bank or the Central /State Govt. or PSU

IBPS CWE Cut-Off  for Andhra Bank Specialist Officers:

IBPS Score cut-off for each individual tests:
For Unreserved: 24
For SC/ST/OBC/PWD: 21
You can find IBPS TWSS Score cut-off post-wise category-wise in the table at right.

Selection Process for Andhra Bank PO & Specialist Officers:

Based on the CWE scores of the applicants received by Andhra Bank, it is going to shortlist the candidates for GD & personal interview.

There are 35 marks for Interview. Interview cut-off mark is 40% for General/OBC category candidates and 35%  SC/ST/PWD categories.

Andhra Bank PO & Specialist Officers Recruitment 2012 Online Form:

You can apply for Andhra Bank PO & Specialist Officers Recruitment 2012 only online, There is no offline form. The online form is available from 1st to 15th September, 2012.

Click here for Andhra Bank PO Recruitment 2012 Online Form.
Click here for Andhra Bank Specialist Officers Recruitment 2012 Online Form.

How to apply online has been given in detail in section-"11. How to Apply” in page-4 of the Notification. Also you will need this Cash Voucher if you want to pay the application fee  off-line at any branch of Andhra Bank.

Andhra Bank PO & Specialist Officers Interview Question:

This blog has excellent materials to help you prepare for the Andhra Bank Interview with a list of Interview questions  click here to visit this article, which tells you what are the requirements an interviewer looks for in you. It also gives you an interesting YouTube video telling you how you can also analyze an interviewer and hence be prepared for it. And than it gives you a list of 99 interview questions, which are most repeated in every other interview! These questions helps you prepare yourself.

You should also be ready to face questions on "What is Andhra Bank", as the interviewer would want to know how much interested you are for this job. So go through this About us page of Andhra Bank.

You can also buy the following book for bank interview questions. This book can be found in most of the good books stores. But however, if you do not find them, you can order them online from Flipkart.com by clicking the links below. Flipkart offers huge discounts (up to 20%) apart from free home delivery if the order exceeds Rs. 300/= In addition, it also offers Cash-On-Delivery (i.e. pay only after it is delivered at your doorstep):

Guide To Bank Interviews (2011-12) By M. B. Sivaramakrishnan
List Price: Rs.150; Offer Price: Rs.120; Discount: Rs. 30 (20%)

How To Face Bank Interviews? By N.S. Toor Publisher: Skylark
Cover Price: Rs.200; Offer Price: Rs.160; Discount: Rs.40/= (20%)

For GD, click here to visit this article, which tells you what are the essential qualities you need to have and how you can prepare for the same, along with a YouTube video of a mock-GD. Further this article tells you what are the different types of GD, along with example of GD topics.

Book for  Group Discussion:

Group Discussion by Manju Gupta, Prem Kant Jha; Publisher:Mahaveer

Price: Rs. 99

Group Discussion and Interview Skills (With CD) by Priyadarshi Patnaik; Publisher: Foundation Books
Cover Price: Rs.200; Offer Price: Rs.150; Discount: Rs.50/=  (25%);
Group Discussions and Interviews by R. Guptas Publisher: RPH
Cover Price: Rs.130; Offer Price: Rs.98; Discount: Rs.32/=  (25%)

Hope with above information on Andhra Bank PO & Specialist Officers recruitment you can not only apply with ease but also get that coveted Andhra Bank job easily. Best wishes!

---

Note for Freshers
January 01, 2008

Quest for the first job always bogs down a student even before the student appears in his/her final examination. And most of the time, that most-in-demand first job is always elusive. Fear of becoming an unemployed haunts majority of students.

Are you one of them?
Than you are in the right place! Through this blog, we are trying to take you through a guided tour to tell you various ways of getting that first job – in text as well as through pictures and videos.

How would we go about it?
We are doing it through two sections of this blog:

For absolute beginners: Section-Freshers Job Tools
This section tells a novice what channels of jobs are available to him/her, how to make that first resume, the patterns of various job tests, what is a psychometric test, how to appear in a Group Discussion and Interview as well as the Post selection processes that a selected student goes through.

For experienced ones : Section-Discover yourself
This section tells an experienced one (or the one who has already gone through the section "1-2-3 Are you ready?") about the various resources that are available in Internet to hone their skills to perfection.

In addition to above two sections, we are publishing here spotlights on specific areas from time to time on our continued posts.


Would you be successful in getting the first job after going through the contents of this blog?
The answer lies in your hand. No amount of teaching can get you the first job, until and unless you try for it yourselves.

For this you must:
1.0 Try to attempt as many “Written Test” questions from the resources given in this blog as well as from other career related books/web-sites.
2.0 Improve your communication-skills(the required lingua-franca being English always!) to shine in following two areas:
i) Group Discussion.
ii) Interview.

You must conduct as many mock-GD & mock-Interview sessions among your friends as possible so that you are confident of yourself well-ahead of the real time. Also you must be familiar with Psychometric Tests, Resume-making etc.

Be positive about yourself... Yes, you are going to get that job! Best wishes for the job-haunt..

Prai Questiions

Answer following questions as : i)Yes, ii)No, or iii) Can't say.
1. You start to work on a project with great deal of enthusiasm.
2. You would rather plan an activity than take part in it.
3. You have more than once taken lead in organizing project or a group of some kind.
4. You like to entertain guests.
5. Your interests change quickly from one thing to another.
6. When you eat a meal with others, you are usually one of the last to finish.
7. You believe in the idea that we should " eat, drink and be merry, for tomorrow we die."
8. When you find that something you have bought is defective, you hesitate to demand an exchange or a refund.
9. You find it easy to find new acquaintances.
10. You are sometimes bubbling over with energy and sometimes very sluggish.
11. You are happiest when you get involved in some projects that calls for rapid action.
12. Other people think of you as being very serious minded.
13. In being thrown by chance with a stranger, you wait for the person to introduce himself or herself.
14. You like to take part in many social activities.
15. You sometimes feel "just miserable" for no good reason at all.
16. You are often so much " on the go" that sooner or later you may wear yourself out.
17. You like parties you attend to be lively.
18. If you hold an opinion that is radically different that expressed by a lecturer, you are likely to tell the person about it either during or after the lecture.
19. It is difficult for you to chat about things in general with people.
20. You give little thought to your failures after they are passed.
21. You often wonder where others get all the excess energy they seem to have.
22. You are inclined to stop to think things over before you act.
23. You avoid arguing over a price with a clerk or sales person.
24. You would dislike very much to work alone in some alone place.
25. You often find it difficult to go to sleep at night because you keep thinking of what happened during the day.
26. You find yourself hurrying to get to places even when there is plenty of time.
27. You like work that requires considerable attention to details.
28. You are satisfied to let some one else take the lead in group activities.
29. You enjoy getting acquainted with people.
30. It takes a lot to get you emotionally stirred up or excited.
31. You work more slowly and deliberately than most people of your sex and age.
32. You are a carefree individual.
33. When people do not play fair you hesitate to say anything about it to them.
34. It bothers you to have people watch you at your work.
35. You have usually been optimistic about your future.
36. You like to have plenty of time to stop and rest.
37. You take life very seriously.
38. You enjoy applying for a job in person.
39. You would like to be a host or hostess for parties at club.
40. You often feel uncomfortable or uneasy.
41. You are the kind of person who is "on the go" all the time.
42. You often crave excitement.
43. The thought of making a speech frightens you.
44. You find it easy to start conversation with strangers.
45. You often feel guilty without a very good reason for it.
46. People think you are a very energetic person.
47. You sometimes make quick decisions that you later wish you hadn't made.
48. You find it difficult to ask people for money or other donations, even for a cause in which you are interested.
49. You are so naturally friendly that people immediately feel at ease with you.
50. You daydream a great deal.
51. You are quick in your actions.
52. You have a habit of starting things and then losing interest in them.
53. When you were a child many of your playmates naturally expected you to be the leader.
54. You sometimes avoid social contacts for fear of doing or saying the wrong thing.
55. You have frequent ups and downs in mood, sometimes with and sometimes without apparent cause.
56. You always seem to have plenty of vigour and vitality.
57. It is difficult for you to understand people who get very concerned about things.
58. When a clerk in a store waits on others who come after you, you call his or her attention to the fact.
59. You would be very unhappy if you were prevented from making numerous social contacts.
60. There are times when your future looks very dark.
61. You sometimes wish that people would slow down a bit and give you a chance to catch up.
62. Many of your friends think you take your work too seriously.
63. You hesitate to walk into a meeting when you know that everyone's eye will be upon you.
64. You limit your friendships mostly to members of your own sex.
65. You almost always feel well and strong.
66. You seem to lack the drive necessary to get as much as other people do.
67. You make decisions on the spur of the moment.
68. You are rather good at bluffing when you find yourself in difficulty.
69. After being introduced to someone , you just cannot think of things to say to make good conversation.
70. You feel lonesome even when with other people.
71. You are able to work for unusually long hours without feeling tired.
72. You often act on the first thought that comes into your head.
73. At the scene of an accident, you take an active part in helping out.
74. You have difficulty in making new friends.
75. Your mood often changes from happiness to sadness or vice versa without knowing why.
76. You talk more slowly than most people.
77. You like to play practical jokes upon others.
78. You take the lead in putting life into a dull party.
79. You would like to belong to as many clubs and social organizations as possible.
80. There are times when your mind seems to work very slowly and other times when it works very rapidly.
81. You like to do things slowly and deliberately.
82. You are a happy-go-lucky individual.
83. When you are served stale or inferior food in a restaurant, you say nothing about it.
84. You would rather apply for a job by writing a letter than by going through with a personal interview.
85. You are often in low spirits.
86. You are inclined to rush from one activity to another without pausing enough for rest.
87. You are so concerned about the future that you do not get as much fun out of the present as you might.
88. When you are attracted to a person whom you have not met earlier you make an active attempt to get
acquainted even though it may be quite difficult.
89. You are inclined to limit your acquaintances to select few
90. you seldom give your past mistakes a second thought.
91. You are less energetic than many people you know.
92. You often stop to analyzed your thoughts and feelings.
93. You speak out in meetings to oppose those whom you feel sure are wrong.
94. You are so shy it bothers you.
95. You are sometimes bothered by having a useless thought come into your mind over and over.
96. You get things in hurry.
97. It is difficult for you to understand how some people can be so unconcerned about the future.
98. You lie to sell things (i.e. to act as a sales person)
99. You are often "Life of the Party".
100. You find daydreaming very enjoyable.
101. At work or at play other people find it hard to keep up with the pace you set.
102. You can listen to a lecture without feeling restless.
103. You would rather work for a good boss than for yourself.
104. You can express yourself more easily in speech than in writing.
105. You keep in fairly uniform spirits.
106. You dislike to be hurried in your work.
107. You sometimes find yourself "crossing bridges before you come to them".
108. You find it somewhat difficult to say "no" to a sales person who tries to sell you something you do not really want.
109. There are only a few friends with whom you can relax and have a good time.
110. You usually keep cheerful in spite of trouble.
111. People sometimes tell you to "slow down" or "take it easy".
112. You are one of those who drink or smoke more than they know they should.
113. When you think you recognize people you see in a public place, you ask them whether you have met them before.
114. You prefer to work alone.
115. Disappointment affect you so little that you seldom think about them twice.
116. You are slow and deliberate in movements.
117. You like wild enthusiasm, sometimes to a point bordering on rowdyism at a football or baseball game.
118. You feel self conscious in the presence of important people.
119. People think of you as being a very social type of person.
120. You have often lost sleep over your worries.
121. You can turn out a large amount of work in a short time.
122. You keep at a task until it is done, even after nearly everyone else has given up.
123. You can think of a good excuse when you need one.
124. Other people say that it is difficult to get to know you well.
125. You daydreams are often about things that can never come true.
126. You often run upstairs taking two steps at a time.
127. You seldom let your responsibility interfere with your having a good time.
128. You like to take on important responsibilities such as organizing a new business.
129. You have hesitated to make or to accept "dates" because of shyness.
130. Your mood is very easily influenced by people around you.
131. Others are often amazed by the amount of work you turn out.
132. You generally feel as though you haven't a care in the world.
133. You find it difficult to get rid of sales person whom you do not care to listen or give your time.
134. You are a listener rather than a talker in a social conversation.
135. You almost always feel that life is very much worth living.
136. It irritates you to have to wait at a crossing for a long freight train to pass.
137. You usually say what you feel like saying at the moment.
138. You like to speak in public.
139. You like to be with people.
140. You generally keep cool and think clearly in exciting situations.
141. Other people regard you as a lively individual.
142. When you get angry, if you let yourself go, you feel better.
143. You seek to avoid all trouble with other people.
144. People seem to enjoy being with you.
145. You sometimes feel listless and tired for no good reason.
146. It is hard to understand why many people are so slow and get so little done.
147. You are fond of betting on horse races and games, whether you can afford it or not.
148. If someone you know has been spreading untrue and bad stories about you, you see the person as soon as possible and have a talk about it.
149. Shyness keep you from being as popular as you should be.
150. You are generally free from worry about possible misfortunes.

Psychometric Test for Jobs
December 10, 2007

Do Psychometric tests sound to you as a new type of test, which you have never heard before? But actually it is not that new and incase you have appeared in the "Aptitude Tests" commonly called as "Written Tests", than you have already taken part in one form of the Psychometric Tests called as “Aptitude & Ability Tests”, as the figure at right would show.

What you may not have come across is the other form of the Psychometric tests, called “Personality & Interest Tests” or commonly called by recruiters as “Personality Profiling”. It is increasingly being used by recruiters in their selection processes and this is what we are discussing in this post.

These tests provide a potential employer with insights into how well you work with other people, how well you handle stress, and whether you will be able to cope with the intellectual demands of the job.

Do not be so much worried about the sucess in these tests! One of my recruiter friend told me that no one would fail, untill and unless he/she wants to fail himself/herself! It is infact not a part of those elimination rounds, but is a measure to size you up before issuing the offer letter.

What is the format of Psychometric tests? Psychometric tests are conducted by recruiters almost always towards the end of the selection tests i.e. after the “Written Aptitude Tests” and mostly after your GD is over. It is also held mostly held over internet, where you are asked to visit the website specified by the particular recruiter and answer the questions online.

You are asked about 150 Questions, which needs to be answered in 30 minutes. The questions are very simple, asking very basic questions about your liking & disliking and hence time availability is sufficient.

What the questions tests is your personality, by repeating similar question more than once, with different words and ways. In all such similar questions your answer is expected to be same.
To give you some example, note following two questions :

Q1:When you meet a stranger, you wait for the stranger to introduce himself/herself.
(a) Yes (b) No (c) ?

Q2:It is difficult for you to chat about things in general with people.
(a) Yes (b) No (c) ?

These two questions have similar meanings. If you answer Q1 as "YES" and Q2 as ''NO", i.e. if you differ in your answers to similar questions, you express contradictory statement about yourself.

List of Questions for mock-Interviews:1).Tell me about yourself.
2).Have you brought your resume?
3).What do you know about our organization?
4).What experience do you have?
5).According to your definition of success, how successful have you been so far?
6).What are your most significant accomplishments in your life so far?
7).Would you describe a few situations in which your work was criticized?
8).How would you describe your personality?
9).What are your strong points?
10).What are your weak points?
11).How did you do in school?
12).What do you look for in a job?
13).How long would it take you to make a meaningful contribution to our firm?
14).How long would you stay with us?
15).Describe what would be an ideal working environment?
16).Do you prefer working with figures, or with words?
17).What kinds of people do you find difficult to work with?
18).If you had your choice of jobs and companies, where would you go?
19).Why do you want to work for us?
20).What was the last book you read? Movie you saw? Sporting event you attended?
21).What are you doing, or what have you done to reach your career objectives?
22).What kind of hours are you used to working?
23).What would you do for us?
24).Describe some situations in which you have worked under pressure or met deadlines?
25).How do you handle rejection?
26).Give an example of your creativity.
27).Give examples of your leadership abilities.
28).What are your career goals?
29).What position do you expect to have in two years?
30).What are your objectives?
31).Why should we hire you?
32).You may be over-qualified or too experienced for the position we have to offer.
33).Why haven’t you found a new position before now?
34).If you could start again, what would you do differently?
35).Describe your ideal career?
36).How did you apply for the job?
37).Why do you want to work here?
38).Don't you think that you are over qualified for this job?
39).What competition do you see if you take up this job?
40).What would you do if our competitor offer you a job?
41).What salary do you expect?
42).What interests you most about the job?
43).What is your dream job?
44).Why should we take you?
45).How is your experience relevant to this job?
46).How do you manage stress in your daily work?
47).Describe a professional skill you have developed in you?
48).How do you manage your work to meet dead lines
49).What can motivate you?
50).Whom do you choose as your reference and why?
51).Can we call all your references?
52).Do you have any questions?
53).How do you handle criticism
54).How do you handle tension?
55).Describe a typical work week.
56).How many hours do you normally work?
57).How would you describe the pace at which you work?
58).What motivates you?
59).What do you find are the most difficult decisions to make?
60).If the people who know you were asked why you should be hired, what would they say?
61).Do you prefer to work independently or on a team?
62).Give some examples of team work
63).What type of work environment do you prefer?
64).Describe a difficult work situation / project and how you overcame it.
65).How do you evaluate success?
66).What interests you about this job?
67).Why do you want this job?
68).What applicable attributes / experience do you have?
69).Are you overqualified for this job?
70).What can you do for this company?
71).Why should we hire you?
72).Why are you the best person for the job?
73).Why do you want to work for this organization?
74).What challenges are you looking for in a position?
75).What can you contribute to this company?
76).Are you willing to travel?
77).Is there anything I haven't told you about the job or company that you would like to know?
78).Describe a situation in which you were able to use persuasion to successfully convince someone to see things your way
79).Describe a time when you were faced with a stressful situation that demonstrated your coping skills
80).Give me a specific example of a time when you used good judgment and logic in solving a problem
81).Give me an example of a time when you set a goal and were able to meet or achieve it
82).Tell me about a time when you had to use your presentation skills to influence someone's opinion
83).Give me a specific example of a time when you had to conform to a policy with which you did not agree
84).Please discuss an important written document you were required to complete
85).Tell me about a time when you had to go above and beyond the call of duty in order to get a job done
86).Tell me about a time when you had too many things to do and you were required to prioritize your tasks
87).Give me an example of a time when you had to make a split second decision
88).What is your typical way of dealing with conflict? Give me an example
89).Tell me about a time you were able to successfully deal with another person even when that individual may not have personally liked you (or vice versa)
90).Tell me about a difficult decision you've made in the last year
91).Give me an example of a time when something you tried to accomplish and failed
92).Give me an example of when you showed initiative and took the lead
93).Tell me about a recent situation in which you had to deal with a very upset customer or co-worker
94).Give me an example of a time when you motivated others
95).Tell me about a time when you delegated a project effectively
96).Give me an example of a time when you used your fact-finding skills to solve a problem
97).Tell me about a time when you missed an obvious solution to a problem
98).Describe a time when you anticipated potential problems and developed preventive measures
99).Tell me about a time when you were forced to make an unpopular decision.

Interview for Jobs
December 04, 2007

An Interview is a two-way communication process between the Interviewer and the candidate. In a recruitment process, an interview is often the last stage of selection, held after Written Test, Group Discussions etc.
But there are also situations, when only Interview is conducted, when hiring managers believes with your resume content that you can be a good match for the job they are offering e.g. in Walk-in Interview.
Also there are interviews in which Interviewer and the candidate do not sits in front of one another across a table but conducts the interview over phone – in Telephonic Interview. But for a fresher a Telephonic Interview is rare.

An Interview is conducted by the Interviewer so as to fill their need of the right employee – so when you are called for an interview, Interviewer is not doing you exactly a favour – just as you need the job, they also needs you, provided you can satisfy their requirement.

What are these requirements?
An honest, intelligent, hardworking and loyal individual, who has the knowledge (or have the aptitude to acquire the knowledge) for the job on offer and who would love to work with the existing employees of the organization as a team for the growth of the organization.

As summarized above therefore, it is not very difficult for you to satisfy the requirements of the Interviewer, provided you prepare for the interview: know about the organization by visiting their website or through other sources, try as much as possible to find the job content of the job on offer and try to match that with your knowledge and experience.

You must also display your honesty, intelligence, loyalty and hardworking capacity when Interviewer poses questions to you. There are some questions, which are almost always asked, list of which you can find at the end of this article. To prepare for the interview, it would be a god idea if 3 to 4 of your friend’s get-together and conduct mock interviews with the questions in this list.

In one of the interactive sessions with students, the VP of a very reputed company remarked: “What hiring manager’s loves to see is hunger in your eyes to get the job on offer”. You should take note of this very good piece of advice and use it when a chance is presented before you.

If you are a fresher and have never faced an interview before, may be you would love this post of mine on Job interview preparation materials - Interview Tips, which is a collection of youtube videos on Interview Preparedness by "Denham Resources".

Following Video by Frank Furness - international speaker and trainer gives you an interesting way to look at interview: He divides types of interviewer into four different categories as below and tells you what short of questions you can expect from them:
1). Gut Instinct Interviewers.
2). Personal and Feeling Interviewers.
3). Conversational Interviewers.
4). Behavious based Interviewers.
Naturally if you can satisfy what they are looking for, you get the job… simple, is not it

EC   |   CS   |   EE   |   ME   |   CE   |   IN   |   PY

COMPUTER SCIENCE & INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY - CS

ENGINEERING MATHEMATICS

Mathematical Logic: Propositional Logic; First Order Logic.

Probability: Conditional Probability; Mean, Median, Mode and Standard Deviation; Random Variables; Distributions; uniform, normal, exponential, Poisson, Binomial.

Set Theory & Algebra: Sets; Relations; Functions; Groups; Partial Orders; Lattice; Boolean Algebra.

Combinatorics: Permutations; Combinations; Counting; Summation; generating functions; recurrence relations; asymptotics.

Graph Theory: Connectivity; spanning trees; Cut vertices & edges; covering; matching; independent sets; Colouring; Planarity; Isomorphism.

Linear Algebra: Algebra of matrices, determinants, systems of linear equations, Eigen values and Eigen vectors.

Numerical Methods: LU decomposition for systems of linear equations; numerical solutions of non-linear algebraic equations by Secant, Bisection and Newton-Raphson Methods; Numerical integration by trapezoidal and Simpsons rules.

Calculus: Limit, Continuity & differentiability, Mean value Theorems, Theorems of integral calculus, evaluation of definite & improper integrals, Partial derivatives, Total derivatives, maxima & minima.

COMPUTER SCIENCE AND INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY

Digital Logic: Logic functions, Minimization, Design and synthesis of combinational and sequential circuits; Number representation and computer arithmetic (fixed and floating point).

Computer Organization and Architecture: Machine instructions and addressing modes, ALU and data-path, CPU control design, Memory interface, I/O interface (Interrupt and DMA mode), Instruction pipelining, Cache and main memory, Secondary storage.

Programming and Data Structures: Programming in C; Functions, Recursion, Parameter passing, Scope, Binding; Abstract data types, Arrays, Stacks, Queues, Linked Lists, Trees, Binary search trees, Binary heaps.

Algorithms: Analysis, Asymptotic notation, Notions of space and time complexity, Worst and average case analysis; Design: Greedy approach, Dynamic programming, Divide-and-conquer; Tree and graph traversals, Connected components, Spanning trees, Shortest paths; Hashing, Sorting, Searching. Asymptotic analysis (best, worst, average cases) of time and space, upper and lower bounds, Basic concepts of complexity classes - P, NP, NP-hard, NP-complete.

Theory of Computation: Regular languages and finite automata, Context free languages and Push-down automata, Recursively enumerable sets and Turing machines, Undecidability.

Compiler Design: Lexical analysis, Parsing, Syntax directed translation, Runtime environments, Intermediate and target code generation, Basics of code optimization.

Operating System: Processes, Threads, Inter-process communication, Concurrency, Synchronization, Deadlock, CPU scheduling, Memory management and virtual memory, File systems, I/O systems, Protection and security.

Databases: ER-model, Relational model (relational algebra, tuple calculus), Database design (integrity constraints, normal forms), Query languages (SQL), File structures (sequential files, indexing, B and B+ trees), Transactions and concurrency control.

Information Systems and Software Engineering: information gathering, requirement and feasibility analysis, data flow diagrams, process specifications, input/output design, process life cycle, planning and managing the project, design, coding, testing, implementation, maintenance.

Computer Networks: ISO/OSI stack, LAN technologies (Ethernet, Token ring), Flow and error control techniques, Routing algorithms, Congestion control, TCP/UDP and sockets, IP(v4), Application layer protocols (icmp, dns, smtp, pop, ftp, http); Basic concepts of hubs, switches, gateways, and routers. Network security  basic concepts of public key and private key cryptography, digital signature, firewalls.

Web technologies: HTML, XML, basic concepts of client-server computing.