My first job interview

This is my first post :) While thinking about what to write, I decided to write something about what’s going on mostly in my life lately – interviews. It’s my first job interview experience I am sharing with you. It was for NDA :)

My childhood dream was to be a defense officer. In my 12th, I appeared for NDA written exam and I actually cleared it. I got a call for SSB (Service Selection Board) interview. I had never travelled beyond Pune at that time, and never ever travelled by train. So I was very nervous about going Allahabad for interview, but later on everything worked out fine and I went there.

SSB interview pattern at that time was like, on the day of candidate’s arrival, they were given their travelling expenses and then chest numbers for their identity. On next day, there used to be elimination round where most of times 90% people were sent back. And those who remain after elimination, they remain there for next five days for rest of the interview process.

Next day, for the test, we were shown a picture and we had to imagine a story for it and then discuss about it in groups. My story theme later on in group discussion was considered best and people improved it. Even though it was my story I could not talk much about it as I am very bad at English and Hindi both. My bad communication skills had failed me there and I was out in elimination. :(

Among the eliminated candidates we people travelling back to Pune formed a group there. We were 9 people from Pune. After collecting ticket to Pune, we had 8-9 hrs in hand before our train time. Train was at 1.30 in midnight and it was only 2 in afternoon. So we decided to see Allahabad.

Travelling Allahabad was fun. We saw Pandit Neharu’s home ‘Anand Bhavan’, we spent most of the evening there only. In night at 8.30 we went triveni sangam. As it was late, guard there at first won’t let us go in water but we convinced him that we won’t go in deep and we got in water. We all collected holy water in mineral water bottles we had with us. One guy there told us the story about triveni sangam - The Sangam in Allahabad is a confluence of 3 rivers, the Ganga, Yamuna, and Saraswati. Of these three, the river Saraswati is invisible and is said to flow underground and join the other two rivers from below.

In night we caught train and we all returned back from there. After getting home I gave some of holy water to all my close relatives. They all blessed me for that. My father and his friends asked me about interview and I told them about what happened.

Now, after 8 years of it, if people ask me why I was to Allahabad, to most of them, I just say - I was there to see Allahabad city. I was just kid back then and was not so serious about my career. At that time, a single thought didn’t even come in my mind about if I had prepared well for interview, it could have changed my life.