Sakshi Education
In the modern Interview process, JAM has become an inseparable part. When the candidates are many and the job openings are limited, the employer has to take only best of the pack. Thus in modern interview process, before short listing the candidates for HR round, the HR team is going for Just A Minute (JAM) round.
Before we get into nitty-gritty of the topic, first, let us think in the angle of the interviewer for a while.
The Organisation wants engineering graduates who have a project pertinent to their industry, with an aggregate of 70% and above. They are very particular - that the candidate should be good at C++ and Java and he/she must also minimum 1 year of work experience. There are only five openings and the candidates applied for them are around 50 and most of the applicants have aforestated credentials.
Now what differentiates the candidates? How can the HR get the best candidate? This is what HR’s prime concern, obviously.
When there is extra number of candidates with desired profile available, then the HR wants to test them for extra skills. The candidate with all the aforestated eligibility criteria PLUS excellent Communication Skills with a fantastic grip over English and presence of Mind will be the right choice. So that he can be a great team player, and can be a live wire into the organisation. He may come handy when the organisation needs to send one to overseas for a project at client place. Is there any such tool, which can discern the candidates with these extra abilities? Undoubtedly, JAM fits this bill.
Now let us see the plight of an engineering student Aruna. It was a black day for her. For the first time in her life, she faced a rejection. She just could not digest this fact for a long.
All these years, right from her LKG to Engineering, she never participated in any Elocution Competitions, Seminar Presentations and Debates or in any activities where she can get some exposure to put forward her ideas into speech.
She simply focused on getting good grades, ranks, percentages and marks. That’s it. Of course she had attended project reviews, gave the final seminar and faced viva voce of her labs and project during her engineering course. To be frank, it was a nightmarish experience to her on all those occasions. Since those were academic based situations, she could manage them with less difficulty. But, she never realized that it was the time for her to work on her “Weakness”.
It is time for us to work on our SWOT (Strengths, Weakness, Opportunities and Threats). Once we understand our Strengths and understand Weaknesses, the life is going to be easy. However, weakness remains a weakness, if we think, “I don’t know” or “It’s not my cup of tea.” But a weakness becomes an Area for improvement, if we start working on it and we are willing to face the Problem.
Aruna was fortunate enough to find a trainer who guided and mentored her to get the best out of a JAM session. She followed them and got selected in the next interview.
So, what did the trainer taught Aruna? Don’t you want to know them?
Let us also start learning these skills and let us get mastery. I am sure; you will not repent like Aruna once analyzed the ins and outs of a JAM.
By this JAM session, the interviewer tries to test the following skills of the candidate –
Before we get into nitty-gritty of the topic, first, let us think in the angle of the interviewer for a while.
The Organisation wants engineering graduates who have a project pertinent to their industry, with an aggregate of 70% and above. They are very particular - that the candidate should be good at C++ and Java and he/she must also minimum 1 year of work experience. There are only five openings and the candidates applied for them are around 50 and most of the applicants have aforestated credentials.
Now what differentiates the candidates? How can the HR get the best candidate? This is what HR’s prime concern, obviously.
When there is extra number of candidates with desired profile available, then the HR wants to test them for extra skills. The candidate with all the aforestated eligibility criteria PLUS excellent Communication Skills with a fantastic grip over English and presence of Mind will be the right choice. So that he can be a great team player, and can be a live wire into the organisation. He may come handy when the organisation needs to send one to overseas for a project at client place. Is there any such tool, which can discern the candidates with these extra abilities? Undoubtedly, JAM fits this bill.
Now let us see the plight of an engineering student Aruna. It was a black day for her. For the first time in her life, she faced a rejection. She just could not digest this fact for a long.
All these years, right from her LKG to Engineering, she never participated in any Elocution Competitions, Seminar Presentations and Debates or in any activities where she can get some exposure to put forward her ideas into speech.
She simply focused on getting good grades, ranks, percentages and marks. That’s it. Of course she had attended project reviews, gave the final seminar and faced viva voce of her labs and project during her engineering course. To be frank, it was a nightmarish experience to her on all those occasions. Since those were academic based situations, she could manage them with less difficulty. But, she never realized that it was the time for her to work on her “Weakness”.
It is time for us to work on our SWOT (Strengths, Weakness, Opportunities and Threats). Once we understand our Strengths and understand Weaknesses, the life is going to be easy. However, weakness remains a weakness, if we think, “I don’t know” or “It’s not my cup of tea.” But a weakness becomes an Area for improvement, if we start working on it and we are willing to face the Problem.
Aruna was fortunate enough to find a trainer who guided and mentored her to get the best out of a JAM session. She followed them and got selected in the next interview.
So, what did the trainer taught Aruna? Don’t you want to know them?
Let us also start learning these skills and let us get mastery. I am sure; you will not repent like Aruna once analyzed the ins and outs of a JAM.
By this JAM session, the interviewer tries to test the following skills of the candidate –
- Self confidence,
- Communication skills,
- Spoken English & fluency,
- Flow of thoughts,
- Flow of speech,
- Coherence,
- Spontaneity & GK,
- Time management and
- Sense Of humor
- Smile! Be confident. Don’t be nervous.
- Begin with a thanking note.
- Define the topic in simple language.
- Give brief details- past/present/future
- Speak with Clear & audible voice
- Use correct grammar
- Comprehensive approach-related topics – SPELT Method (Social, Political, Economical, Legal/Language, Technical issues of the topic)
- “KISS” principle (Keep it Simple and Straight)
- Positive outlook.
- Conclude with a thanking note
Let us study the above steps a bit deeply.
Be Confident and Show Positive Attitude
Through your smile you can show that you are relaxed and you are pretty confident. Always greet the interviewers with a genuine smile. A smile speaks volumes about your confidence. However the smile should be genuine, I repeat. An artificial smile raises doubts about your integrity.
Why one should have positive Attitude?
The positive attitude is the quintessential prerequisite for a successful person. Especially a leader must always possess and demonstrate positive attitude. In any organisation, every employee looks forward to the members who are full of positive spirits and cooperative nature. Thus, JAM session gives the employer an opportunity to fish out the candidate with positive attitude.
But, talking good about anything and everything is not positive attitude. Many people make a mistake here.
Of late, there has been so much talk about positive attitude. Good amount of literature is available in the net, and many self-help books also focused on this theme. However, if you do not take the meaning of positive attitude in the right sense, you may face music.
For example, if the interviewer asks you talk about Ajmal Kasab, what should you talk?
Just have a glance at the following answer by a candidate. Indeed, it was an answer given by a B. Tech. student, during a recent Campus Interview!
“Ajmal Kasab is really very dedicated. He is so courageous, I just adore his grit. Moreover, he is very good at shooting, his aiming is very perfect. He is active and agile and Blah... Blah... Blah...”
You just do not agree with the above style of narration, right? So is the interviewer. I was one among the panel members. After the interview, out of curiosity I inquired the candidate why he did answer so. His reply gave us a bit of shock and a revelation for us; “my trainer suggested me to talk positive in the HR round of interview”.
So the point you need to take home is - being positive doesn’t necessarily mean “always talking good about everything and not being critical about anything.” We need to use our rationale, logic, discretion. In a nut shell, one needs to use Common Sense.
Let me give you a powerful tip now!
Mentioning negative points, problems during your presentation should be minimised. I repeat, you should talk less about the negative aspects, problems in your presentation. However, at times, the topic demands you talk critical or even negative. Then there is no other go. You need to raise the critical and negative points. However, you are strongly advised to give minimum two or many solutions to that particular problem so that you can present yourself to be a solution-oriented person, rather than a problem-obsessed one.
Let us take a topic “Traffic Snarls in Hyderabad”
Here obviously, you cannot talk positive about Traffic Jams in the city. If I start my presentation saying - “Traffic Jam is a beautiful experience, it is nice to get caught in a traffic jam…etc,” it does not show my positive attitude; it certainly shows that I do require some psychological counseling. Definitely this is not positive attitude.
Show your positive attitude by following the given steps -
Be Confident and Show Positive Attitude
Through your smile you can show that you are relaxed and you are pretty confident. Always greet the interviewers with a genuine smile. A smile speaks volumes about your confidence. However the smile should be genuine, I repeat. An artificial smile raises doubts about your integrity.
Why one should have positive Attitude?
The positive attitude is the quintessential prerequisite for a successful person. Especially a leader must always possess and demonstrate positive attitude. In any organisation, every employee looks forward to the members who are full of positive spirits and cooperative nature. Thus, JAM session gives the employer an opportunity to fish out the candidate with positive attitude.
But, talking good about anything and everything is not positive attitude. Many people make a mistake here.
Of late, there has been so much talk about positive attitude. Good amount of literature is available in the net, and many self-help books also focused on this theme. However, if you do not take the meaning of positive attitude in the right sense, you may face music.
For example, if the interviewer asks you talk about Ajmal Kasab, what should you talk?
Just have a glance at the following answer by a candidate. Indeed, it was an answer given by a B. Tech. student, during a recent Campus Interview!
“Ajmal Kasab is really very dedicated. He is so courageous, I just adore his grit. Moreover, he is very good at shooting, his aiming is very perfect. He is active and agile and Blah... Blah... Blah...”
You just do not agree with the above style of narration, right? So is the interviewer. I was one among the panel members. After the interview, out of curiosity I inquired the candidate why he did answer so. His reply gave us a bit of shock and a revelation for us; “my trainer suggested me to talk positive in the HR round of interview”.
So the point you need to take home is - being positive doesn’t necessarily mean “always talking good about everything and not being critical about anything.” We need to use our rationale, logic, discretion. In a nut shell, one needs to use Common Sense.
Let me give you a powerful tip now!
Mentioning negative points, problems during your presentation should be minimised. I repeat, you should talk less about the negative aspects, problems in your presentation. However, at times, the topic demands you talk critical or even negative. Then there is no other go. You need to raise the critical and negative points. However, you are strongly advised to give minimum two or many solutions to that particular problem so that you can present yourself to be a solution-oriented person, rather than a problem-obsessed one.
Let us take a topic “Traffic Snarls in Hyderabad”
Here obviously, you cannot talk positive about Traffic Jams in the city. If I start my presentation saying - “Traffic Jam is a beautiful experience, it is nice to get caught in a traffic jam…etc,” it does not show my positive attitude; it certainly shows that I do require some psychological counseling. Definitely this is not positive attitude.
Show your positive attitude by following the given steps -
- Accept the problem. But do not be hyper critical. Bring it as a matter of fact.
- Then try to analyse the root cause behind the problem.
- Never criticize any one in particular, if you need to do so, empathize.
- Give the most suitable and practical solutions
- Give as many solutions as possible
- Try to think innovatively, cost-effectively.
- Be realistic and don’t go overboard and farfetched.
Let us consider one answer in the above lines -
“Thank you very much for giving me this opportunity sir. Hyderabad is a beautiful city. It is rated as the fast growing city. However, along with the growth of a city, people from various parts of the county do come here to make this city their second home.
When it comes to traffic snarls, Hyderabad is not the only city which is facing this menace. It is a common problem in all the booming cities across the world. Experts opined that, when compared with other major cities the traffic problems in Hyderabad are not that worst. However it is advised, in the interest of all, to nip the problem in the bud.
For this, we need to address the issue of widening the roads. The authorities should take strong steps to acquire the space on both sides of the existing roads and on a war footing they should widen the roads.
Focusing on Rapid Mass Transportation Systems like Metros, more number of city busses is the need of the hour. People also should co-operate with the traffic authorities by taking voluntary measures like car pooling etc.
With these measures, I feel the Traffic Snarls can be minimized to great extent.”
In this way we can always tailor our answer with a positive tone.
Let us come to Communication Skills.
Presenting all the aspects of Communication Skills in one article; however let us understand the essence of it first.
Beginning with thanking note and with a pleasant facial expressions show that you are a good communicator. A demonstrative person alone is welcomed by the industry.
“Thank you very much for giving me this opportunity sir. Hyderabad is a beautiful city. It is rated as the fast growing city. However, along with the growth of a city, people from various parts of the county do come here to make this city their second home.
When it comes to traffic snarls, Hyderabad is not the only city which is facing this menace. It is a common problem in all the booming cities across the world. Experts opined that, when compared with other major cities the traffic problems in Hyderabad are not that worst. However it is advised, in the interest of all, to nip the problem in the bud.
For this, we need to address the issue of widening the roads. The authorities should take strong steps to acquire the space on both sides of the existing roads and on a war footing they should widen the roads.
Focusing on Rapid Mass Transportation Systems like Metros, more number of city busses is the need of the hour. People also should co-operate with the traffic authorities by taking voluntary measures like car pooling etc.
With these measures, I feel the Traffic Snarls can be minimized to great extent.”
In this way we can always tailor our answer with a positive tone.
Let us come to Communication Skills.
Presenting all the aspects of Communication Skills in one article; however let us understand the essence of it first.
Beginning with thanking note and with a pleasant facial expressions show that you are a good communicator. A demonstrative person alone is welcomed by the industry.
- Be open
- Be pleasant
- Have a great self-esteem; feel happy with your disposition (your natural tendency).
“Good morning sir, my name is Bhashyam Aruna Devi, you can call me Aruna”, this beginning gives a good impression and it establishes the fact that you are a good communicator and a natural speaker.
A good communicator is always happy with him/herself (Self esteem) and he/she is equally happy with the surroundings (positive attitude and inclusive approach).
A good communicator is always happy with him/herself (Self esteem) and he/she is equally happy with the surroundings (positive attitude and inclusive approach).
- If you make your presentation with good grammar and apt words, it shows your language skills
- If it reaches others ears, it is communication. (Transmission of ideas)
- If others understand it and agree with you and feel OK with your thoughts, it is an indicator of your Effective Communication Skills
The essence is that, if you have to say anything, your objective should be to make other to think in your shoes. If your words, ideas, talk reach others ears, well that is good, but your objective should be to make them convinced about what you have said. Precisely this is the difference between, mere communication and Communication Skills. Your target should be, to get mastery over communication skills. The other person should listen, empathize and agree with your views.
Let us suppose, you have to say that; “Anand, your shirt is not good”. Well, if you say so, it reaches me, I get your communication. However, there is no guarantee that I readily agree with you. After all I wear a shirt only if I like it, right?
An effective communicator tries this way, “Anand, this white shirt is really good. But, I remember the dark coloured shirt that you wore yesterday. Personally, I feel dark suits you better. This shirt is good, but why don’t you try going for dark coloured shirts more.”
Here the message is the same, however the chances are high, that the listener gets convinced with your thoughts in this manner. This is the way you can master the communication Skills.
Let us know Spoken English and Fluency
When you follow the above techniques viz. – define the topic, few lines about past, present and future, and then SPELT Method, all these things help you in two ways:
Let us suppose, you have to say that; “Anand, your shirt is not good”. Well, if you say so, it reaches me, I get your communication. However, there is no guarantee that I readily agree with you. After all I wear a shirt only if I like it, right?
An effective communicator tries this way, “Anand, this white shirt is really good. But, I remember the dark coloured shirt that you wore yesterday. Personally, I feel dark suits you better. This shirt is good, but why don’t you try going for dark coloured shirts more.”
Here the message is the same, however the chances are high, that the listener gets convinced with your thoughts in this manner. This is the way you can master the communication Skills.
Let us know Spoken English and Fluency
When you follow the above techniques viz. – define the topic, few lines about past, present and future, and then SPELT Method, all these things help you in two ways:
- You will be in a position to give a picture that you have good thought process and there is no dearth of ideas and thoughts about any given topic,
- You can establish that you have got a great grip over Grammar.
Here is a small word of advice. You should never falter with grammar. It is high time get your Spoken English polished.
Also remember that concluding with a thanking note shows that you are comfortable and not tensed.
Thus JAM session may be a hurdle for others, but not for you. If you just follow the above techniques, for sure you are going to come out with flying colours from a JAM session.
All the best.
Please go through the previous article on JAM at the link below, for better understand of the process:
sakshieducation.com/ENGGGStory.aspx?nid=62205&cid=12&sid=75&chid=41&tid=320
Also remember that concluding with a thanking note shows that you are comfortable and not tensed.
Thus JAM session may be a hurdle for others, but not for you. If you just follow the above techniques, for sure you are going to come out with flying colours from a JAM session.
All the best.
Please go through the previous article on JAM at the link below, for better understand of the process:
sakshieducation.com/ENGGGStory.aspx?nid=62205&cid=12&sid=75&chid=41&tid=320
Published date : 25 Nov 2013 05:41PM
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