How should I prepare for my first interview?

I find the best way to effectively prep for an interview is to have answers to the below five questions. Having good answers to these questions will ensure that you have done your research adequately.

1. "Walk me through your resume."

Have a succinct answer to this (2-3 minutes). You can start with the "headline". e.g., "If you look at my experiences to date, you'll see that I'm very focused on building exciting, user-focused products in a scalable way."  Make sure your answer has some interesting stories.

2. "Why do you want this job?"

A good way to structure this answer is to answer in two parts. "So first let me talk about why I am passionate about [company] and then I'll explain why I think [role] is an ideal gig to set me up to make a massibecinrricutiom."

Major point of advice:  Do NOT play too-cool-for-school. be passionate about the company. I've seen a lot of talented friends get dinged by not showing a sincere level of enthusiasm. Why is this so important to get right? First, it's flattering to the interviewer (who already works there). Second, it is absolutely going to be a check mark in the process. It doesn't matter if the company is pursuing you every step of the way, you need the interviewer to like you and most often the person interviewing you won't know all that context.

3. Why should we hire you?

Once again, they won't ask you this, but helps you tell your story. With examples.

One effective structure for an answer goes something like this: "From what I understand about the company and role, it seems you are looking for someone with x, y, z. If you look at my experience and interests, I think you'll find strengths in all three of these areas. For example..."

4. Give me some example of when you have done [exactly the skill they are looking for] in the past.

People are so skewed to wanting someone who has done this before. Like exactly this. It hugely decreases the time you'll need to get up to speed, and decreases the chance that you'll completely suck.

Prepare 2 or 3 interesting stories about when you've demonstrated a similar  project in the past. Make sure they are interesting. People see past success as a huge indicator.

5. How would you go about doing [thing you need to do]?

Eg for a PM: tell me some product ideas? How would you change feature x?) (eg 2 for a Brand Marketer: "how would you write a creative brief?") (eg 3 for BD;: What's the most impactful BD we can do next year? How would you get it done?"

5. Do you have any questions for me?

If you haven't already, get the interviewers background. Have two or three insightful questions about the company, which demonstrate why you are passionate about the place. Then end with one of these "what are you most proud of since you've started working here?", "where do you see this team/company in 5 years", or the best: "how would you describe the ideal candidate for this position?" (if they remotely like you they will describe you.)

The Night Before

Listen to 2-3 videos of the CEO talk about the company. You'll pick up verbiage unique to the company (for example- do they call the people who use their service users? Customers? Riders? Pinners?) which will make you seem like you speak their language. Subtle but powerful.

How to Dress?

Dress comfortable and when in doubt look at the executives on the about me page. Dress like that.

Things to remember (before, after, and during the interview):
- Be passionate about the company. This is so important. Resist the urge to be aloof and cool.
- Be interested in the interviewer.
- Be positive.
- Be honest. (I've often asked candidates for BD: "I noticed you were CEO of [blank], but did you actually do deals?" "Yes, definitely." "So you drove the deal and signed if?" "Yes." "What's an indemnity?" "[stunned silence]"
- Relax and have fun.
- Be thankful for people's time.

- Write thank you notes. I know, I hate those too. Most people don't care, but 1/10 is offended. Not worth it, just write it. That night or <23 hours.
- Remember that all you can do is give it 100%. If you try as hard as you can and still don't get the offer, that's life.

What is the interview process phone and in-house ?

Your first contact will be one or two phone interviews. A member of the team you’re interviewing with will contact you. Phone interviews last around 30 minutes and include questions about your experience and domain knowledge. Engineering interviews include technical questions about data structures, algorithms, and software engineering.

If the phone interviews go well, it's time to come to Palo Alto to meet our team. Interviews are generally on Mondays and Fridays. If you're a fly-in candidate, no worries—-we’ll handle all of the logistics.

We're a laid-back company and Palo Alto is warm and sunny, so leave the suit and tie in your closet and wear something comfortable. We focus on you, not your dress.  

Expect to interview with up to five people on-site. Interviews can include whiteboard coding, more technical questions, and use of our products. Be prepared! If we’re sold on you, you have one final step—-the founders. We still hire like a small startup, so all potential hires talk to a founder for at least a few minutes.

Treats of childhood past

How an engineer, craving the candy of his childhood, gave up his job to make high-quality kadalai mittai. Stalin set up a unit at Kariapatti near Madurai in 2015. Today, his brand, called MotherWay Karuppati Kadalai Mittai, is available at 160 organic shops in the State, including Chennai, Madurai, and Coimbatore, besides Bengaluru and Hyderabad.

He has a team of six people working at his unit, and the entire process, right from frying the peanuts, to mixing, cutting, and packing, is done by hand. “We use a clay oven,” explains Stalin.

Karupatti peanut candy has the right amount of sweetness, and is a shade darker than the regular variety. Recently, Stalin launched a line of sweet balls, including peanut, white and black sesame seeds, and coconut, and a multi-grain version made of cashews, fried gram, and peanuts.

“Customers are even suggesting that I make lollipops for their toddlers,” he says. His candies are gaining popularity, and Stalin sees it as his bit for healthy snacks for today’s children. “It’s the Cuckoo Movement for Children (a Tiruvannamalai-based organisation that works with children) that got me thinking on these lines,” he says.

Now based in Madurai — where his wife Gowthami runs the packaging and despatch unit — Stalin markets through his Facebook page and also takes orders online.

He recently posted a photo of a wizened lady sieving sesame seeds. “She’s my grandmother Ilanji Ammal who’s 97 years old,” he says. “She wanted to give me a hand.”

For details, visit www.facebook.com/KaruppatiKadalaiMittai, or call 9994846491.

A hunt for the not-so-sweet

jigarthandato black ricehalwa; the bylanes of George Town house desserts meant for every palate one corner of Krishnan Koil street, stands a shop that sells onlyjigarthanda . Milkrim Jigarthanda is barely a few months old, but already prides itself on the texture and thickness of their drink, which has generous dollops of home-made malai and homemade ice cream spooned in.

halwa in different colours ‘majestically’ displayed behind the glass. A customer, waiting for his order of sweets to be packed, proudly informs us that Majestic Sweets has been around for at least fifty years. Clearly, it has built for itself quite a loyal following. Along with the regular suspects on display, are trays of black rice halwa (or kavuni arisi halwa ) and dum root halwa . We try out both, and it’s easy to tell why this outlet is reputed for the former. Perfectly set, with a gelatin-smooth texture, the black rice halwa wins you over with just the right hint of sweetness. So subtle is the taste, that it barely qualifies as sweet, but is delicious nevertheless.

The dum root halwa next door, however, wins over this one — which is saying a lot, since you can literally see the light strands of saffron peeking out from Majestic’s silky-smooth offering. Firdous is another of the family run businesses with multiple outlets in this area, bustling with customers at that time of evening. Their halwa has a more generous dose of ghee than most, and is topped with almond slices instead of pumpkin roots. Deliberately grainy, this dum root halwa is certainly not for the light-hearted, but is perfect if you want to treat yourself on a budget.

With inputs from Krishin Somasekhar, blogger, Madras Eats. Krishin can be contacted at madraseats@gmail.com.

Frequent flier pickle jars

These courier companies pack and send freshly made masala powders, mango pickle and even pulikkachal to homesick Indians in the US, Europe, Australia and Middle East

Yash Courier Express. “My first customer was from Kotturpuram,” he says, “He sent home-made goodies to his daughter in the US.” More orders followed and over the two-decades he has been in business, he has sent countless packages of mom-made powders, snacks, and pickles to Indian students and immigrants in the US, Europe, Australia and Middle Eastern countries .

Meanwhile in West Mambalam, Sikkandhar Basha of Deluxe Abroad Packers says he started out when a customer wanted to sent some food along with her child, who was going abroad. “I helped pack it in food-grade plastic carry bags. From there, shipping was but a small step,” he says. Since then, his food-packs have been opened in student-dorms and shared apartments across the globe.

But food is only part of his business. At his busy office, ready-to-go cardboard boxes contain everything from books to jewellery, handloom towels to incense sticks — everything that a student needs to feel at home under a foreign sky. Or anything the diaspora wants for their Indian lifestyle. “Decorations for pujaidols/rooms and puja material are regular inventory,” says Senthil Kumaran. So are kolu dolls, brass figurines, hand-made pottery. “We help with transporting everything except pure oil and raw khus-khus ,” he adds. “I have even carted awaydharpai and poonul for Aavani-avittam and glass bangles for valaikappu .”

He says business has expanded thanks to better packing methods, materials and machines. Boxes carry nitrogen packs to keep food items fresh, humidity-free. “Packing is my USP,” says Sikkandhar, giving a demo. He covers a clay Ganesha idol with thick foam bits, showers it with shredded paper, blankets the whole thing with foam sheets and then in bubble wrap.

NP Uma, a 77 year old, first-time customer from Anna Nagar has brought Sikkandhar a year’s supply of loosely-packed powders for sambar, rasam, curry, gojju, and chutney — and two tubs of aavakkai that smells delicious and drips with oil. It is for her son in Hong Kong. Sikkandhar transfers the pickle into carry bags, then heat-seals them in three parallel lines. He collects it all into a recycled cardboard box, tapes the surface and sticks the printed address on the sides. “Ours is an unbroken-so-far promise of ‘no-damage, no-break, no-leak,’ whether it’s maavadu , aavakkai or pulikkachal ,” he brags. Then adds, that medicines can also be sent, if the prescription and purchase bill are attached.

Admittedly, these services are not cheap. To send a parcel to the US, for example, it costs between Rs. 550 and Rs. 600 per kilo, packaging included. Senthil Kumaran says, “Airlines bill us airport-to-airport (Rs. 450 a kilo) and goods travel through several airports.” Packages reach within two or three days, subject to unexpected hurdles.

Speed Post, on the other hand, takes 12 to15 days, and you have to pack in front of the dispatchers. “Our charges — same as Speed Post’s — include pick-up from home, packing and prompt delivery,” he says.

Business has spurted since Australia lifted the ban on processed food a few months ago and the US raised the duty-free limit for personal products to 800 USD. “Satisfaction is shipping sets of seer murukku (given as return gifts at functions) of nine rounds each — without cracks,” says Senthil Kumaran. “Remember Hurricane Harvey? Around the time, a customer had booked a large consignment for a family wedding. Agents in Houston warned me about the storm. I got USPS to send me hourly storm alerts, and delivered the items during a buffer-time.”

WhatsApp adds a new dimension to this business. When Deepa V from California ordered bags, jewellery and garments online, she mailed the pictures to Sikkandhar. Could he please receive, pack and ship them? He agreed, sent her pictures of the goods, forwarded a scanned bill and once the payment was through, despatched them.

R Hema has been shipping kolu dolls to her daughter-in-law Shyamala Ramesh who lives in New Jersey for years. “I now put up a 7-step kolu thanks to the courier,” smiles Shyamala on a visit to Chennai. Meanwhile, Sikkandhar’s busy working on his next consignment. He plops a loose zip-locked packet of wetnarthangai pickle on the table for packing, then grins and shrugs, “No problem!”

In theHarry Potterbooks, owls were used to carry messages and even parcels.