How to stay confident when you are in an interview room?

Interview - What a turning point in one's life. An educated person is supposed to face this game. The interview. How the person is selected in the interview doesn't matter. After getting selected or rejected in the interview, the candidate is judged by many people around. The interviewer, the parents, the friends, the professors, and most important, we judge ourselves based on all these so called comments and compliments. We miss out to inter-view ourselves. Lets consider the different scenarios of interviews happen around us.

I recently happened to watch an IAS interview. The IAS interview questions are really so thought provoking. The candidate is such a balanced one, every question in the interview room asked was answered with great confidence. I understood, personal analysis and the content is very much the key to answer the IAS interview questions. The interviewer is checking on the candidate's knowledge, analysis and expression. Most importantly, what is checked in the interview is the importance of the candidate in the role of civil services, that is, how much the candidate can contribute to the order of the country. It was such a pleasure to watch an inexperienced civil servant or aspiring civil servant answer with such balance and passion.

Well, during campus placements, the questions asked to the interviewee are mostly on the subject and company's development oriented. However, the questions also include a bit of thought, though not as much as an IAS interview one. Usually, the interviewer is an experienced one and expects a bit of practical answer from the candidate who is just out from a fancy world. All that the interviewer checks is not for the right answer, but a good balanced attempt to answer the question. 

Actually, when a teacher asks a question, the student closes the eyes and answers. Similarly,when we are asked a deep question, we close our eyes to answer. Can we answer by keeping our eyes open? Yes, we can, but if we want to give the right answer, automatically, we close our eyes, and our thought process activates and makes us talk clearly. Or it happens that we look down and or we move our eyes towards either side and then answer. Why do we do this. What happens when we are trying to answer by closing our eyes. I think, we get the mind under our control and ask it to concentrate and answer the question correctly. 

Well, Krishna also says in Bhagavad Gita chapter 6 Shloka 26. 

यतो यतो निश्चरति मनश्चञ्चलमस्थिरम्।

ततस्ततो नियम्यैतदात्मन्येव वशं नयेत्।।6.26।।

yatō yatō niścarati manaścañcalamasthiram.

tatastatō niyamyaitadātmanyēva vaśaṅ nayēt৷৷6.26৷৷

Meaning - From wherever the mind is wandering, bring the mind back from all those places, moments, and from everywhere and make yourself concentrate on your own self. 

But, in an interview room, we cannot close our eyes and answer. We cannot look on either side and answer. That too a fresher, from however big institute the candidate is, the expectation stays same, the candidate should give a good balanced try with no pressure and no stress feeling. Is it possible for the candidate who comes from a fairy land (college) to answer in a balanced way? Isn't it impractical? 

Arjuna also asks the same question to Krishna when Krishna explains about the balance of mind and concentration on self to Arjuna.

अर्जुन उवाच

योऽयं योगस्त्वया प्रोक्तः साम्येन मधुसूदन।

एतस्याहं न पश्यामि चञ्चलत्वात् स्थितिं स्थिराम्।।6.33।।

arjuna uvāca

yō.yaṅ yōgastvayā prōktaḥ sāmyēna madhusūdana.

ētasyāhaṅ na paśyāmi cañcalatvāt sthitiṅ sthirām৷৷6.33৷৷

Meaning - Arjuna said, " whatever you are telling about balance of mind and body (yoga), is it possible Madhusudhana? I never see it to be stable and steady."

चञ्चलं हि मनः कृष्ण प्रमाथि बलवद्दृढम्।

तस्याहं निग्रहं मन्ये वायोरिव सुदुष्करम्।।6.34।।

cañcalaṅ hi manaḥ kṛṣṇa pramāthi balavaddṛḍham.

tasyāhaṅ nigrahaṅ manyē vāyōriva suduṣkaram৷৷6.34৷৷

Meaning - (Chanchalam hi manas krishna) Krishna, mind is unstable, stubborn and strong. (nigraham) To keep a check on mind or to control the mind is like controlling the wind, which is difficult and impractical.

On another day, I also happened to observe successful people's interviews, not the job interviews, but the interviews on AIR, interviews on television, interviews on podcasts of very known people or rather say active people in all walks of life. Many sounded very thoughtful and they talk technical and they look very balanced. Is it because they are experienced? What is experience?

After Arjuna says it is impossible to keep a check on mind, Krishna has an answer. Let's check Krishna's immediate reply to Arjuna. Krishna, the great listener and effective communicator, first praises and agrees to what  Arjuna says and then tells Arjuna about His knowledge and His thought.

श्री भगवानुवाच

असंशयं महाबाहो मनो दुर्निग्रहं चलं।

अभ्यासेन तु कौन्तेय वैराग्येण च गृह्यते।।6.35।।

śrī bhagavānuvāca

asaṅśayaṅ mahābāhō manō durnigrahaṅ calaṅ.

abhyāsēna tu kauntēya vairāgyēṇa ca gṛhyatē৷৷6.35৷৷

Meaning - Krishna says, "(Asamshayam) There is no doubt (Mahabaho) Arjuna, it is difficult to keep the mind under control. But balance of mind and body is achieved (grhyate) through practice (Abhyasena). 

असंयतात्मना योगो दुष्प्राप इति मे मतिः।

वश्यात्मना तु यतता शक्योऽवाप्तुमुपायतः।।6.36।।

asaṅyatātmanā yōgō duṣprāpa iti mē matiḥ.

vaśyātmanā tu yatatā śakyō.vāptumupāyataḥ৷৷6.36৷৷

Meaning - "(Me Matih) I think, to attain balance of mind and body, it is not possible for the uncontrolled one, but it is possible for the controlled one, the striving one by the right means." 

So, attaining balance of mind is not an overnight transformation. Definitely, successful people, passionate aspiring IAS candidates, could exhibit balance of mind and body through their talks only after a lot of practice.

Krishna makes it simple, it is so very possible for everyone to be a balanced one if practised in the right means. Balance of mind and body in our everyday life is required, to either crack the interview or to answer our boss or give a spontaneous patient reply to the customer.

Let's all practise to be that controlled one and practise balance of mind and body along our path as we strive to become what we want in our lives. After all, balance of mind helps you stay confident.

---Keerthi Peratla