11/6/2010

Tringgggggggg!!!! Uh, both my Samsung and Sony Ericsson started yelling as if there was an alarm ringing competition going on. It was a cold Friday morning. I slowly opened my sleepy eyes and looked at my phones. Oh God its 6:30 am and I have to be there at college at 8am.mmm enough time is there. I slowly went to brush my teeth and turned my PC on. As usual I logged into my orkut profile. After checking scraps, community topics etc with half mind, I went to freshersworld.com and searched for the name IBM…yeah got it. Read about the company profile just like reading an essay 1 minute before entering the examination hall.

Yes, today is a special day; IBM is coming to our college as part of campus recruitement.About 7:30am I started searching for my dress from a heap of dresses. Finally I got the dress which I thought, was very unlucky for me. But there was no time left for me to search for another one. I got ready and recognized the fact that it was raining outside. I really love rain.But that day I was angry with rain since I had to commute by dad’s bike. Somehow, I reached my college at 8am.It was raining heavily at that time and LBS was looking gorgeous in that rain.Only a few were there at that time. Yeah that is LBTians, for someone to arrive at 9am you have to set the time as 8am.Some were studying and some others chatting with their friends.

I sat near Vidhuna and Shiny. As soon as she saw me, Vidhuna started narrating the dream she saw last night.The dream was funny as always, but luckily there was no Surya, Jothika or Karthi in that dream.It was something like rowdies chasing her while on her way to college. It was really funny. After that I waited for my remaining friends to arrive.82 students were about to attend the test.90% of the students there were already placed and the rest 10%, included me also.I was still very sleepy. I wanted to get knocked out of the test as always and go to home and have a sound sleep.

Since it was IBM, I had no hope and so studied nothing. Sofia, Sangeetha, Shiny and me sat together in a row.Finally some of the senior employees from IBM came.They started their presentation.The presentation was boring as usual.The sad part for me was that it was raining heavily outside and I was sitting below a fan which was running at its maximum speed.I heard nothing what they told and was shivering due to cold.As soon as the boring presentation was over their test started.

The test was well organized. Three questions inside one envelope was given to all of us. The test was just like doing some puzzles. Three sections were there like data matrix, number series and quantitative. We were asked to solve 20 questions in 4minutes and all. I did only 2 questions from quantitative but managed to do maximum from the other two sections. Finally the test was over. I spent half of the time looking at my watch.

The result for the test was about to announced within 40mins but it took 1.50 hours. We waited near the seminar hall. Finally the result was announced. I was shocked to hear my name because I didn’t expect that.Luckily 4 of us passed the test.The next phase was group discussion. There were 11 in each group.Sangeetha was the 1^st number in our group and me 2^nd.Two topics were given to our group and we were asked to select one. The topics were 33% reservation for women in parliament, whether you support or not? And money makes man irresponsible. We selected the 1^st topic.First of all he wanted all of us to speak about the topic for a minute.As I was the 2^nd number I was very tensed.Sangeetha as usual spoke really good.Next was my turn I started speaking with my shivering sound but later managed to speak well.After that he wanted us to have a real group discussion. Fortunately I got a chance to speak again in that discussion.

We waited for the group discussion result near the seminar hall eating milk bikies ;).Group discussion result was out and again 4 of us,me,sangu,shiny and sofi cleared the GD.They were already placed,but I was going to attend my 1^st job interview. I sat there wondering what was happening. We were given half an hour lunch break and also asked to take Photostat of id card.Within half an hour we managed to do many things. Had our lunch and again rushed back to seminar hall.We were shocked to hear that they were asking to write programs of pointers and all in C++. We managed to get our old C textbooks and scanned through the book. At that time poornima came and informed me that mine is the last number,ie 53.so I was a little relieved. Time passed just like that and finally 1 was remaining and that was me.

While standing near the door I don’t know what all things passed through my mind. Poornima stood near me and gave some interview tips.Finally I was called for the interview.The interviewer was a good and friendly person.The first question he shot at me was to introduce myself. I started introducing myself and I was shivering while telling the 1^st sentence. So after finishing the introduction he asked me whether I was tensed. I don’t know why on earth I told him that I was excited since it was my 1^st job interview and that I was not at all tensed :O.Hearing this statement he laughed which made me laugh with him. He again wanted me to accept the fact that I was tensed. But I repeated that it was due to excitement. Then he went through my resume and started asking me about my miniproject.

Now comes the funniest part of my interview. He asked a lot about my miniproject and I gave him answers which satisfied him but the answers all were my imaginations. Then he asked me why I had done my project in java? I answered him, “we did our project during our 6^th semester. At that time we had just started studying java and I WANTED TO LEARN MORE ABOUT JAVA, so I did it in java”. How come I told him that, that particular project was available only in java in the institution where I had done it? Instead I told him an answer which I had never imagined even in my dreams. He asked me to write some database query related to my project.Again I wrote some query and I wondered when he put a tick mark near it.

The final question was why I didn’t go for some other company. I replied that I had attended infosys test and I didn’t get through the test. Uh, then he wanted me to explain why I didn’t get through that test. I gave an answer which was horrible as far as my friends and I were concerned, but which impressed my interviewer. I replied,” That time I just went through some equations and without working out any problem I went for the test. So I was not able to manage time well.Later I worked out many problems, and prepared for this test and I was able to manage time well and got through the test”. But the truth was totally against this. I had prepared well for infy test and hadn’t prepared for IBM test.

It was 4:45 by that time. It was raining outside and we were asked to sit inside the seminar hall.The result was announced in alphabetical order.Sangeetha, Shiny and Sofia were announced. I held tightly the cross I had with me. And finally I heard Ramachandran sir announcing my name. Words can’t express the feelings I went through that time. I looked towards my interviewer and smiled. I am sorry sir but I was supposed to tell some lies, otherwise you wouldn’t have selected me :)

Me,sofi,sangu and shiny were one project group and now we 4 got the same job also. I’m happy that we are together. We got the IBM offer letter and that special moment is one of my most unforgettable moments. I always wanted to work as a govt employee and I hated software field. But I recognized the fact that whatever job u do, your 1st job is always special. And IBM is always special for me and the date 11/6/10 is always special which made me feel proud when I looked into my dad’s eyes and gave him my offer letter.