Interview – A Select/Delete button ?

Is the interview we face for any job recruitment a select or delete button or something more? In the present day, Employers are in high competition: they want people with great caliber to take up the tasks than people with mere academic qualifications. Though many employers train the candidates once they are recruited, many prefer people who can start working after a short induction and learn on the go. So, the process of recruitment looks for skilled people who can take up the task immediately as well as keep learning.

Fresh graduates remark, “everyone is asking for experience” and as they don’t have that experience, they put off their search or turn back disappointed. Beyond college degrees or grades, companies look for skills to match their work and environment; here comes the real challenge. The tasks in each job may be different, so work experience in one company may not match that of another. Employers mostly consider skills developed or acquired as a major part of the needed experience. If you can present yourself as a potential candidate with highly sought skills, then experience may not matter. Some ways of presenting yourself are your biodata and what you showcase online, which exhibit your skills. These days one can also do projects that can be displayed. If it matches with the job requirements, then they want to evaluate your attitude, and stock of skills communicated. This process is called a personal interview.

The Bible has a say on all walks of our life, and therefore, let us now, see what the Scripture tells us about doing a job or taking up a career. When God wanted to build his temple, He gave the details to Moses, and He also gave the persons to do the task with. God filled them with the Spirit of God, with wisdom, knowledge, understanding, and with all kinds of skills (Exodus 31: 2,3.). These are needed to do the job or career as per God’s standards (which is also required in the world). Knowledge is what you acquire through your education. If you study your curriculum thoroughly, then your knowledge will be more than what the employer needs. The other qualities are wisdom, understanding, and all kinds of skills. These are God’s gifts, which management gurus call intelligence or creativity, attitude, character, etc. The Bible says, “Behold Fear of the Lord that is wisdom and to depart from evil is understanding (Job 28: 28 NJKV). There are two ways of attaining wisdom: one is by learning (Proverb 6:6) and the other by asking from God (James 1: 5). God-given wisdom is liberating and without reproach. Now that you know where you are, start maximizing your knowledge, wisdom, understanding, and skills.

In one of my career guidance programs for young Christians, someone asked, ‘Why don’t we clear interviews?’ The answer I gave was based on Judges 7. There is a great interview or selection process. A call was given to do a task, 32000 people, who thought they were fit, came forward. As the management requirement number was low, they run the first test. ‘Who is fearful and afraid to take up the task may leave’, 22,000 men left and 10,000 remained! These are the people who have the fear, ‘not to fail’. Two out of three persons have this thought or internal fear. Leave all your fears and the correct fear (fear of the Lord) will lead to wisdom.

But the number was still too big from the job giver perspective, so the second test was given to 10000 persons. They were asked to do a simple task to drink water but in an unusual way. A simple one everybody thought. 9700 people failed in the task. They assumed for such a task they may need large numbers of people and their calculation failed. As some preferred to take an easy way, many would have followed. Normally in personal interviews, the candidates get misguided by hearing opinions from others.

The second category that got rejected was people not using God-inspired wisdom and understanding. A small number of 300 persons who are self-styled or
original in their approach got selected to do the task or they are the people who persevered till the end. If you make the mathematics only one in a hundred is fit for the specified task. (Lord’s kingdom ratio matches. Luke15:7). Supply outweighs the demand is a challenge always due to which interviews are creative to weed out those who are not adequately skilled.

So, the challenge is to measure yourself where you are missing to make yourself self-initiated personnel. Take stock of what is available and what is demanded and start making improvements. You can approach the interview, not as a Select or Delete button but as an Enter button. May God who is the source of all knowledge and understanding fill us with His spirit to do what He wants us to do in an exceedingly skilled way.

G. Thilaka Roy (Edited and Published with the Author’s Permission)

No Comments

Post A Comment