This past friday, 20th April 2012, I appeared for an interview. Oh no! Not a job interview but a U.S Visa interview. Don't forget there are interviews for marriages too. (stories for later)
My organisation arranged everything for me ranging from tickets to guest house accommodation. I had a very smooth trip. Employees at Bangalore need to travel to Chennai for the interview. Well, my application was for B1 and going by the rejection rates, there was nothing much to worry about but one may never know the surprising outcomes. I remember, me reading every possible article, questions related to the same, very seriously.
I was handed all the required documents. Finally arrived 19th April and I started my journey to Chennai in Shatabdi Express. I was astonished to see that passengers were treated like guests with boys serving snacks/ meals in every five minutes.
Guest house was cool if not awesome but a very reasonable place to stay for one night. And then arrived the dawn of 20th April. I remember, I woke up at 6:00 in the morning and thought of going for a morning walk but then I realized that I had not brought appropriate clothing for a walk. I had taken one formals for the interview and a night wear. Moreover, the climate was so different and actually horrendous for me that I decided to stay either in my A.C room ( at least I could feel it ) or leave for the interview.
Interview was scheduled for 12:30 hours. I had rehearsed well and also checked my documents a lot more times than required.
Questions like; where are you going, how long, why are you going etc. were rehearsed to an extent that I'd not forget the answers for the next few months. I have a genuine and true reason for travel, very much in the list of works that can be done with a B1 Visa. Finally, at 12:00 I was inside the U.S Consulate office and everything that I was said would happen inside the office came to reality, though it was a very speedy process for me to realize it there. I was asked to get a photo without spectacles. God, with the humidity at its best and me sweating badly with a sticky climate, I had an absolutely pathetic photo. I asked for a tissue to wipe my face and I was given a toilet tissue paper, very much acceptable for a face which had lost its original look.
I went to the second building where there were counters and people waiting for their turn of interview. My number flashed on one of the screens and I immediately went to the respective counter. As instructed in the articles I had read, I gave a smile and wished the interviewer. I am sure, my natural greetings to people are far better than the one I did there. I stood there and as expected first Q was: where are you going?
How long? Why? And then there was a pause. The guy was busy typing something. Standing there, my mind started bombarding the next Q interviewer would ask? All I could hear was..hmmmm...all right......and typing sound. Oh, at times mind gets very active when it's actually not very much needed.
In the meanwhile, interviewer from another counter came to my inteviewer and he said, 'I am actually not so sure about the person' and saw the other guy taking a pink slip, meaning more information required for Visa approval. Ouch! My eyes were fixed on the interviewer though, all these times. Hey, ask me Q's , I am prepared for many more!
Suddenly, he threw a Q on me and probably it did not match any of my existing Q's in mind and hence I missed what he asked. I replied 'Pardon'. This is considered negative in the interview process but could not do much there. However, reply I got was 'Doesn't matter'. I really want to understand that why do people say 'Doesn't matter' when asked to repeat or clarify the question. This has happened to me previously as well!
Finally, I was asked - How long? and even though I could perceive the question well, reply came out was a date and not a duration as I had prepared myself for dates and not duration. LOL!!!
The interviewer might have understood and then leaned towards the glass window separating both of us and said 'No mam, how long is the duration of the project'? Cool, I answered it correctly this time and he was relieved.
Finally, he bundled my passport and said 'Ok, all right, Visa approved, you will get passport back in five days! Woohooo!!!
I said 'Thank you' as per the norms and then another 'Thank you' from my original self.
Well, my objective was not to get rejected in an interview, for whatever purpose it might be. If I look back at my thought process, I was worried of being rejected in an interview more than anything else and that too when I had a very valid reason for applying a Visa. That made me rehearse and prepare myself too well.
Hope things move well in future too and no more rehearsals now, please!
My organisation arranged everything for me ranging from tickets to guest house accommodation. I had a very smooth trip. Employees at Bangalore need to travel to Chennai for the interview. Well, my application was for B1 and going by the rejection rates, there was nothing much to worry about but one may never know the surprising outcomes. I remember, me reading every possible article, questions related to the same, very seriously.
I was handed all the required documents. Finally arrived 19th April and I started my journey to Chennai in Shatabdi Express. I was astonished to see that passengers were treated like guests with boys serving snacks/ meals in every five minutes.
Guest house was cool if not awesome but a very reasonable place to stay for one night. And then arrived the dawn of 20th April. I remember, I woke up at 6:00 in the morning and thought of going for a morning walk but then I realized that I had not brought appropriate clothing for a walk. I had taken one formals for the interview and a night wear. Moreover, the climate was so different and actually horrendous for me that I decided to stay either in my A.C room ( at least I could feel it ) or leave for the interview.
Interview was scheduled for 12:30 hours. I had rehearsed well and also checked my documents a lot more times than required.
Questions like; where are you going, how long, why are you going etc. were rehearsed to an extent that I'd not forget the answers for the next few months. I have a genuine and true reason for travel, very much in the list of works that can be done with a B1 Visa. Finally, at 12:00 I was inside the U.S Consulate office and everything that I was said would happen inside the office came to reality, though it was a very speedy process for me to realize it there. I was asked to get a photo without spectacles. God, with the humidity at its best and me sweating badly with a sticky climate, I had an absolutely pathetic photo. I asked for a tissue to wipe my face and I was given a toilet tissue paper, very much acceptable for a face which had lost its original look.
I went to the second building where there were counters and people waiting for their turn of interview. My number flashed on one of the screens and I immediately went to the respective counter. As instructed in the articles I had read, I gave a smile and wished the interviewer. I am sure, my natural greetings to people are far better than the one I did there. I stood there and as expected first Q was: where are you going?
How long? Why? And then there was a pause. The guy was busy typing something. Standing there, my mind started bombarding the next Q interviewer would ask? All I could hear was..hmmmm...all right......and typing sound. Oh, at times mind gets very active when it's actually not very much needed.
In the meanwhile, interviewer from another counter came to my inteviewer and he said, 'I am actually not so sure about the person' and saw the other guy taking a pink slip, meaning more information required for Visa approval. Ouch! My eyes were fixed on the interviewer though, all these times. Hey, ask me Q's , I am prepared for many more!
Suddenly, he threw a Q on me and probably it did not match any of my existing Q's in mind and hence I missed what he asked. I replied 'Pardon'. This is considered negative in the interview process but could not do much there. However, reply I got was 'Doesn't matter'. I really want to understand that why do people say 'Doesn't matter' when asked to repeat or clarify the question. This has happened to me previously as well!
Finally, I was asked - How long? and even though I could perceive the question well, reply came out was a date and not a duration as I had prepared myself for dates and not duration. LOL!!!
The interviewer might have understood and then leaned towards the glass window separating both of us and said 'No mam, how long is the duration of the project'? Cool, I answered it correctly this time and he was relieved.
Finally, he bundled my passport and said 'Ok, all right, Visa approved, you will get passport back in five days! Woohooo!!!
I said 'Thank you' as per the norms and then another 'Thank you' from my original self.
Well, my objective was not to get rejected in an interview, for whatever purpose it might be. If I look back at my thought process, I was worried of being rejected in an interview more than anything else and that too when I had a very valid reason for applying a Visa. That made me rehearse and prepare myself too well.
Hope things move well in future too and no more rehearsals now, please!
I hope you get the chance to visit my country. If I can't be the tour guide, we will find someone to show you the sights.
ReplyDeleteI would make sure I visit only when you can be my guide at least for a short time :)
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