As someone with nearly a decade of professional experience spanning diverse industries such as sustainability, events, entertainment, media, and IT, I have given many interviews and conducted quite a few as well. During this, I have gained valuable insights that set the ideal candidate apart from other candidates.

Here are ten tips that can help you stand out in your job interviews: 

• Be Prepared 
  • Prepare answers to common interview questions and draft succinct responses. 
  • Find a friend, family member, stranger, or even a mirror to rehearse your answers. The more you rehearse, the less nervous you will be. 

• Be like a student 
  • Study the job description, thoroughly read the company’s website, review its social media presence, and read up about the company as much as possible. 
  • In-depth research will help you understand whether you genuinely want the job, will boost your confidence, and will demonstrate to the interviewer your genuine interest in the position. 

• Be Confident 
  • Invest in refining your communication skills, by this I do not just mean your spoken communication but also your body language. 
  • Cultivate confidence to convey a strong, assured presence during the interview. Whether you do this by giving yourself a pep-talk, watching a motivational video, or talking to someone who boosts you up, is up to you. 

• Be Well-Dressed 
  • Even in virtual settings, dressing professionally not only conveys sincerity, effort, and respect for the interview process but can also boost confidence and productivity. 
  • According to this Forbes article, “Dressing like a professional can help you make major strides toward landing partnerships that matter, getting new jobs or unlocking new opportunities.” 

• Be Tech-Ready 
  • In the era of virtual interviews, ensure you have downloaded the videoconferencing software to your computer in advance (if it is not one you have used before), and conduct pre-interview checks for video and audio quality. 
  • Ensure you have your resume and portfolio (needed for roles such as graphic designer, writer, etc.) handy in your computer to share during the interview if need be 
  • Make sure you place the screen in a way that you are visible from your head to your shoulders and that there is a two-finger headspace; if you do not have a clean background, you always have the option to choose a virtual background or blur your background. 
  • Find a quiet place for the interview where you can hear the interviewer and vice versa.
  • Preferably do the interview on your laptop rather than your phone, it will save you from distractions owing to notifications from multiple apps.
  • Have electricity and Wi-Fi backup, if your work will be remote this is non-negotiable. 

• Be On Time 
  • Whether it is an in-person or a virtual interview, being punctual gives a positive first impression. 
  • Being on time reflects that you respect both your time and that of the interviewer. 

• Be authentic 
  • Just because you want to impress the interviewer does not mean you should promise the stars and the moon when you cannot deliver them, either. 
  • Strive for ambition but not at the expense of coming across as phony. 

• Be curious 
  • Ask insightful questions about the role, the team, and the company. Before the interview, write down several questions you want to ask, and have them ready during the interview. 
  • Expressing genuine curiosity shows eagerness to contribute and be part of the company. 

• Be a good listener 
  • Make sure you allow the interviewer time to speak/finish asking their question before responding. 
  • It is good practice to answer questions thoughtfully rather than overwhelming the interviewer with excessive information that may have nothing to do with the question they posed. 

• Be positive 
  • According to this article, “Employers like employees with a positive attitude because they tend to be reliable, good problem solvers, strong self-managers, and pleasant to work with for managers and coworkers alike.” 
  • Your attitude is how you think, feel, and approach things. A positive attitude and outlook can take you a long way. 

These may feel like trivial things to do, but in the words of Vincent Van Gogh, “Great things are done by a series of small things brought together.” So, if you are in the process of interviewing for jobs, try to incorporate these strategies into your process. These strategies may not ensure that you get a call back from every job you interview for – that depends on many things that are beyond your control – but they will set you apart from others and could open doors for you through referrals or other future opportunities. Most importantly, make sure you incorporate these strategies in your everyday work life if you wish to continue to stand out as a professional.  

And, if you think you are the right fit for Fresh Gravity, please share your resumes at careers@freshgravity.com.  

The post 10 Tips to Stand Out in Your Job Interview  appeared first on Fresh Gravity.

We would also like to thank all our clients and partners for trusting us. Thank you for your spirit of collaboration and continued support.
To many more years of success and growth!

Here are some photos from the celebrations in our Pune office.

To stay up-to-date with our company updates, partner news, industry insights, event highlights, thought leadership perspectives, and more, follow us at Fresh Gravity’s LinkedIn Page.

The post Fresh Gravity Celebrates Nine Years of Success and Growth appeared first on Fresh Gravity.

I joined Fresh Gravity in September 2021, right in the middle of the 2nd wave of the pandemic. While I had been working as a freelancer for clients in the US and India for over a year, this was my first full-time job that was remote.  

In previous interactions with clients as a freelancer, the nature of the job was purely transactional. I would either get an email or we would connect over Zoom to discuss the scope of the work and that was that. There wasn’t anything personal and honestly, I felt zero sense of connection or allegiance towards them. In a rapidly changing world fueled by competition and filled with uncertainty, it is hard to build a sense of connection and that becomes 100 times harder when you are working remotely and have never entered the office space or met your manager and colleagues in person. 

I came to Fresh Gravity with the same mindset. Having zero expectations for it to be anything more than purely transactional. But, boy, was I wrong! 

Here is why: 

Made to feel valued – Within my first week of joining, I received a welcome basket. While you may think this is a no brainer and that a lot of firms today do this and there are statistics that indicate corporate gifting is on the rise¹, for me it was a first and it made me feel special and valued 

Appreciation from seniors – At Fresh Gravity, I have always been acknowledged for the work I do. I remember my first Zoom interaction with one of the leadership team members who told me that our CEO had spoken to him about me and was happy that I had joined the team. From then till now I have had multiple instances of being lauded for my work and work ethic and I genuinely believe that it is precisely this type of environment, leadership, and mentorship that drives me to do better 

“Social 5” – Sometimes, before starting an internal meeting, we take 5 minutes to check in and chat about our weekend plans or anything new happening in life. This is what I like to call “Social 5”. On days with excessive workload, this 5-minute conversation feels so refreshing

Tribes that align with your vibe – We have Slack groups for artists, foodies, fitness enthusiasts, personal finance and more – basically name a thing of interest outside of work, and you will probably find your niche tribe within the firm. These groups have given me (and I am sure others like me) a chance to connect with each other on a holistic level

Personalization – I attended my first off-site meeting in December 2022 where I met the people, I had been interacting with for over a year. Everyone got a Beats speaker and chocolates as gifts and since I am vegan, I gave my chocolates to another colleague. But one of my colleagues from HR had specially ordered vegan chocolates for me and had he not done that, it honestly would not have mattered but because he did, it really warmed the cockles of my heart and made me feel extremely grateful. So, what I am trying to say is that it really comes down to the little things

To me, loyalty is a two-way street where, as an employee, I have a genuine concern for the well-being of my colleagues and my company, and at the same time, my company fosters a supportive and rewarding environment for me and other employees. I believe Fresh Gravity has flawlessly exemplified this principle. Like Maya Angelou rightly said, “People will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel.”  I am grateful that at Fresh Gravity, I have always felt heard, seen, and made to believe that I am an integral part of our work family. 

If you’re someone who values loyalty and are looking to join a company that values its employees, send us your CVs @ careers@freshgravity.com  

¹https://www.offineeds.com/corporate-gifting-statistics/ 

The post Fostering Employee Loyalty in a Hybrid Work Environment – a POV appeared first on Fresh Gravity.

Diwali, the Hindu festival of lights, symbolizes the victory of light over darkness, good over evil, and knowledge over ignorance. While Diwali has a deep religious, social, and cultural significance, there are also precious lessons from the Diwali spirit that we can all learn as professionals.

Go Clean

Deep cleaning your home/physical spaces for Diwali is an age-old tradition. An annual cleaning exercise is done by the majority celebrating Diwali as cleanliness signifies letting go of what doesn’t work/serve you well and making space for the new.

Applying this thought to your professional work, think about what you can clean up from your career. This could be cleaning up the data in your phones, laptops, and other gadgets. This could also mean cleaning up your work profiles and resumes to represent the best of what you bring to the table in line with the promise of the future. You can also look at cleaning up your professional contacts/connections.

Let’s Upskill

As Diwali symbolizes knowledge over ignorance, this is a good time to invest in doing a critical skill audit of your work profile. Do take the time to look at what skills are relevant in the market based on your current profile and future aspirations. Next draw up a personal action plan for re-skilling or upskilling to be future-ready, have a competitive advantage, and ensure career advancement.

Say Yes to Networking

Diwali celebrations are about spending quality time with family and friends. Everyone makes the time to wish dear ones, catch up with close ones and re-connect with special people from the past.

Likewise, this is also a good time to build and nurture professional relationships. This can lead to new thinking and perspectives, access to valuable resources, career opportunities, and support systems that may help you navigate your professional journey better.

Dress to Impress

Another important aspect of Diwali is around dressing up. Typically, most people wear clean new and traditional attires. In addition, keeping up with the festive cheer, there is a lot of new age styling and experimentation in fashion!

Professionally, this can be an opportunity to re-look at your wardrobe and possibly invest in good business wear. This could be in terms of buying new clothes and styling existing clothes to make the right impression in work settings. While the definition of business attire can vary depending on the industry, company, and its culture, its significance is multifold –

• Confidence: Dressing professionally can boost self-confidence. When you feel good about how you look, you are likely to feel more self-assured, which can positively impact your performance.
• Productivity: Wearing appropriate professional attire can help you get into a professional mindset. If you stay in your pajamas all day, you are likely to feel lazy, similarly if you dress professionally, you’re likely to feel professional which might help you focus on your tasks more.
• Professional Growth: In many industries, dressing professionally is a part of the overall grooming and presentation that is expected for career growth. It can open doors to promotions and new opportunities. (The movie ‘The Devil Wears Prada’ is a great example of this.)

Exchange gifts 

Gifting is another important aspect of Diwali. As per tradition, it is customary to exchange sweets, dry fruits and/or home décor gifts to near and dear ones. This is a symbol of gratitude, love and appreciation for their presence and significance in your life.

In the work context, if you are wondering what to gift to your work colleagues, here are a few suggestions. You can gift a compliment to someone for work well done, gift a Thank you to someone for helping you, gift your time to someone who needs an ear to listen to their ideas/problems or stories, or even gift an online course to someone for their professional learning and development.

On that note, wishing you and your loved ones a very HAPPY DIWALI. We hope this Diwali you take the time to celebrate with family and friends as well as set aside some time to think about how you can sparkle your career with the festive cheer of Diwali!

The post Diwali Spirit To Light Up Your Career appeared first on Fresh Gravity.

“Your brand is what people say about you when you are not in the room.” – Jeff Bezos 

Last week I had the privilege to moderate a company-wide session on ‘Personal Branding’ with my esteemed colleague, Nischala Murthy Kaushik. Nischala is not only the Chief Marketing Officer (CMO) at Fresh Gravity, but she is also among the Top 20 voices in India on LinkedIn, a content creator (writer, speaker {industry, academia}, podcaster), a mother, and an Indian Insitute of Management (IIM) alum. She is someone who has successfully built a personal brand for herself. 

The session revolved around Nischala’s journey in building her personal brand, the benefits of having a strong personal brand, and some key tips to keep in mind while building a personal brand. 

Here are my key takeaways from the session:  

• Know your why 

Before you even begin building your personal brand, you should answer the question why you want to build a personal brand. Is it to attract the right kind of employers, or express your thoughts and ideas, create a legacy or a network, or pay it forward? What do you want the outcome to be? The clearer your why is, the easier it will be for you to achieve your goal.  

• Know your who 

What kind of audience do you want to target? It will be easier to answer this question if you are clear about your why. 

• Begin with the end in mind  

Ask yourself what you would like to be known for in the next 12-18 months (about 1 and a half years) and walk backward from there. Think about the future, not the past.

Create a comprehensive plan to authentically share your ideas, insights, and experiences in channels that are relevant to your brand creation. For example, if you work in the technology sector and aspire to be known as a thought leader, your plan can encompass publishing content (blogs, infographics, points of view, videos, etc.), speaking at events, open source contributions, filing for patents and contributing towards the technology community. 

• Put in the effort 

As per the plan you have outlined, work on developing your own insights and content to create and strengthen your personal brand. Earmarking time on a regular basis to work on your plan will be critical. If you do fall off course, nudge yourself to get back on track. 

• Give it time  

Like most things, building a strong personal brand takes time. To paraphrase from the documentary on the book, ‘The Secret’, we often stop watering a plant just before it is about to germinate thinking that nothing is happening, when in fact, it is just on the brink of growth. Don’t do that to the seed that is your personal brand. Be patient.  

• Consistency is key 

In the beginning, you may feel like Sisyphus*, wherein carrying forward this task of building your personal brand, without seeing many results, may seem meaningless and futile but if you stick with it and are consistent in your practice, it is bound to bring you desired results.  

Bonus tip: Make sure you track your progress every few months to see if your strategy is working or not. Then, continue doing the things that work and replace the things that don’t work with something different.  

While you may contemplate whether personal branding is for you or not, the benefits of building a strong personal brand for professionals in this day and age cannot be disputed. 

Personal branding, if done right, can open many doors such as – 

• Building a strong professional network  
• Opportunities to speak at events 
• Invitations to industry events as a jury member 
• Awards, recognition, and exclusive memberships 
• Newer career prospects 

What are your thoughts on personal branding? Share with us in the comments section below.  

Stay up to date with updates from Fresh Gravity by following us on LinkedIn. 

*According to the Greek myth, Sisyphus, a mythological hero, was condemned for eternity to roll a rock up to the top of a mountain, only to have the rock roll back down to the bottom every time he reached the top, leaving Sisyphus to start over. Albert Camus, a French philosopher, suggests that Sisyphus’ ceaseless and futile labor is a hideous punishment.  

[Src. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Myth_of_Sisyphus/] 

The post Personal Branding – The Door that Opens Many Doors appeared first on Fresh Gravity.