Checklist for Giving a Great Interview.

Hi there!

As promised, my very own personal checklist for ''Giving a memorable interview". Now although there are many other parameters which will decide how your interview goes when you go to interview, which can change from one person to the other, from one time to another, from one employer to another, I've carefully compiled some of the greatest hits, which ideally should give you a rough framework to give a good interview. For personal counselling & interview grooming, pls write to me, & we can take it from there, But for now, read on.

Pre Interview Preparation:

1> Fact Fishing!

Get all the facts you possibly can from the HR Representative/Consultant/Job description, etc whichever medium through which you came to know about the job opening. For eg: Everything the job includes (travel/field work/desk work/presentations/P & L accountability/team handling/training/factory visits/production/etc). This way, when the Interviewer asks you how good you are at that particular thing or how much of experience you've already had in that area, you won't be totally blindsided, and will actually have an intelligent answer which comes up confidently, well worded & genuine sounding. It saddens me that half the people who interview these days, don't know anymore than 25% of the job profile they're interviewing for. Also, the moment you don't know about something which is part of that job & you go, "Travel? Erm...ok. Well I recently got married, but that should be ok." Reject. Don't get me wrong, I'm all for spontaneity, but trust me when I say, a seasoned interviewer comes to know when you're faking it. :)

2> Research, Research, Research:

 I can never stress on this bit enough. Its always has been & continues to be one of the easiest & most important factors which give you brownie points with the Interviewer as well as help boost your own confidence while interviewing. And you know what, you lazy job seeker? You have the INTERNET!! Information Superhighway. Get on it, look up what just may be your future workplace, look up its employees on sites like Linkedin, see what they do..you have apps like Glassdoor, where employees rate the workplace, its still at a very nascent stage in India, like Linkedin was say, back in 2005-2007...but it might just give you an idea of what current employees are saying about their work places & help you decide, although ofcourse, as I always say, you should first try to get inside information from someone who you know works there, & can give you an unbiased, real picture. Look up the website, wikipedia article (surprisingly more informative than a company website in some cases), company news, etc. And while you're talking about yourself, you can definitely use the knowledge to your advantage & slip in a little bit here & there, for eg: about their LOBs, markets they function in, annual revenues, Mergers & Acquisitions, etc.

3> Go Pro:

Consulting with a well known, well informed, industry savvy, Recruitment Consultant who can groom you, tell you what to say, what preferably not to say, how to project your profile, how to handle your job jumps, reasons for quitting (surprisingly even people on a VP/AVP level sometimes fumble with these things..an outside perspective always helps. We always think we're right & might just say something that doesn't sound right to someone else.) But there is always a way to phrase things right. Reasons for various drawbacks on your cv (drawbacks like academic gaps, job jumps, short stints at consulting/or starting your own business which closed down, geographical relocation, change of industry &/or job function, bad blood with ex employers, unemployment for a substantial period of time, salary cuts, job cuts, etc etc) can be explained in a good light & don't necessarily have to always be deal breakers for you. Ofcourse, once again, your explanation & what a prospective employer ''Hears'' may be two different things without you even knowing that, so it helps to get a professional tip/counsel on handling these many, many minefields on your cv. Instead of being frivolous with your money in places which have no real value add, put your money into getting a professional opinion on your career, your interview possibilities (which in a time of slowdown are lesser, so why not give those few opportunities your very best..) I do around 50 interviews a week, of which more than 95% of the applicants make grave, near fatal mistakes & have to be corrected. We at HR Interface Corporate Services happen to have 9 out of our 10 candidates selected at job interviews because of pre interview counselling. I would say 10 but sometimes, even after getting the right grooming, some interviewees stay adamant & say things which get them rejected!

Pre Interview counselling & grooming can make a difference of 70 to 80% in whether or not you get that call back for a 2nd interview & subsequently that Offer Letter.

Interview TIPS:

1> On the clock: Being late is a complete no no. Aim to reach 30 minutes prior to the interview slot, so after the harried commute, you can visit the washroom, compose yourself, give yourself time to acclimatise to the new surroundings, go over your interview material one more time, etc. Plus you're already nervous whether or not you'll get selected, why add to it with the worry that you may be running late!

2> Not so Hard to carry a Hardcopy!: Whether they have your cv already or not, softcopy or hardcopy, you always have/need to carry atleast 2 hardcopies of  your Resumé. I won't even explain it. Just do, ok? Says a lot about you. Your printer isn't working, cyber cafes aren't open, blah dee blah dee blah. No one cares. Carry a fricckin hardcopy. Its not rocket science.

3> Suit Up!: You may be going to interview for a copywriter or web designer or shark diver or flamenco dancer position, & these folks are known to dress in cool threads! Though..mainly non conforming attire... but YOU, you shall suit up. Ok lose the suit, but a well ironed pair of trousers, sharp looking formal shirt & a tie (for men) & Smart business formals for women (trousers/skirts, minimal jewellery & a perfume that isn't very loud, for that matter, pls keep makeup low key, fresh & in neutral shades too) you will be taken seriously. Men, please shave. Pretty please. It is not a western movie where a day or two day old stubble will make you look like the fastest gun in the west.

4> Greet before you take a seat: An inaudible "Hi..erm..hello...", is SO not happening. Are you talking to yourself? Loud & proud, pls say Good morning/Good Afternoon/Good Evening like you mean it! A nice smile goes miles with that greeting. Do look the interviewer/s in the eye while wishing them, a non dead fish, gentle yet not bone cracking handshake is appreciated. Say the perfect  handshake would be not too fast, not too slow, not sweaty, lingers for just a second & not more, just about a shade lesser than a palm squeeze should be perfect. Wow, I now intend to teach the subtle art of the Handshake at Harvard. But you get my gist. If you're a hand shaker, you have already communicated a lot non verbally, that says good things about you & at the same time establishes a interviewer-interviewee connection even before the interview has begun.

5> Prelude to a Magnum Opus: Sorry, in simple words, that means, your self introduction before you get into your Career profile in depth. I Love Being Dramatic.

Ok, your cv hardopy (I hope you brought one) is with the interviewer. Their first question will be, 'Please tell us about yourself' or 'Please run me through your profile/cv'. You WILL NOT, NOT, NOT, NOT just do a reading of your cv, Ok? They HAVE your cv! So rather, please make it sound interesting, lead it in a story format, don't be repetitive, talk about yourself/your jobs/ your family/hobbies, etc whatever, but make it sound interesting.

For eg: Rohit has a a basic lean cv. He has worked with 3 companies, done his MBA in Marketing, stays in Andheri, has 2 dogs, hobbies are cycling, reading & listening to music, his family has 4 members including himself.  Now he can either just read it out from his cv verbatim (Boring, & I am on my 8th interview for the day, so may not listen if he  talks like that) 

OR he can say the following, my thoughts in plain, Rohit's commentary in bold.

Rohit: "I thank you for this lovely opportunity to interview with ABN Corp. Its a company I deeply admire.  

Neha: (And you have a happy employer listening to you now) 

Rohit: I turned 30 last month, I have 8 years of experience working in various areas of marketing after I completed my graduation.

Neha: (Not necessary to state the year, I have your cv).

Rohit: My very first job was with SGD Advertising  in client servicing which I was very lucky to get albeit with a lower than expected salary, which I didn't mind because the role had so much of learning in it, which I don't believe a lot of fresh graduates get.

Neha: (Go in a chronological manner, its better to construct your profile in. Also now I've pegged you as better than average since you got a job not a lot of fresh grads get, positive because you appreciate what you got & saw its best side, also, it sounds like a story, & everyone likes a story :)] 

Rohit: "I worked with them for a good 2 years, post which I had to move because since I was a beginner's salary & couldn't really make ends meet, since I'm an independent individual and was saving up for my future studies at the time."  

Neha: [Ok, Honest, Not really very money oriented enough for me to raise a red flag, because reasons stated were reasonable, independent, self sufficient, has a vision, stability decent, 2 years is acceptable for a 1st job]  

Rohit: "Post SGD I joined a Market Research Firm called XYZ Research & Analytics, since I also wanted to learn about the technicalities of Research in marketing, where I worked as an Analyst for 3 years 

Neha: [Ok, vision again, efforts to make a well rounded Marketing profile, testing new waters, stability again, 3 years is a good period before the next jump] 

Rohit: It had been 5 years since I started working & I felt it was the right time to also get some formal education in that area, & hence took the time to pursue an MBA from a good Tier 3 institute (State name of institute) majoring in International Business & Marketing, post which I got a great opportunity to work with a leading FMCG/Retail brand [State Name] in the Marketing function though, not via Campus placement, where I joined as Asst Manager - Marketing & have now grown to Manager Marketing within a year of joining, been there for 3 years now. Looking to move purely for growth, since I believe in not getting too comfortable, which is happening right now with my current employer. I do not want to slip into a comfort zone 

Neha: [MBA with relevant majors, check. Good planning on the education front, check. Good growth..check. Fair enough reason for moving on..I'm liking him this far]

Rohit: I'm health conscious & I bike everyday after work, I have 2 dogs I love very much & take care of. I currently live with both my parents & a younger brother. Some hobbies I give time to on weekends are gardening..given I have a green thumb :), listening to music, mostly Indian classical, I also love old hindi songs. And every now & then organizing get togethers for my friends, Where I end up cooking most of the times, which I also enjoy. 

Neha: [ Ok, overall a well rounded individual, health conscious that's good, because he won't be taking a lot of sick leaves, people's person as he organizes get togethers..]

So, Rohit managed to keep his profile interesting, precise, & still all inclusive. I didn't lose focus even for a moment since it was interesting. Now, pls compare this with you said at your last interview & see where you can tweak it. Keep it under 60 seconds, keep it crisp & interesting, in a chronological format which helps you not forget anything.

6> Look at the questions from an Employer Point of View: That is basically the secret recipe for getting your Interview replies right. If you're only thinking from your own point of view, many questions asked will get skewed replies from your side if you don't truly understand why the questions are being asked. For eg: Where do you see yourself in the next 5 years? Your answer: ''Ah, after 5 years, I see myself growing & earning more money since I would be getting married soon, & having kids. Possibly being a leader in the XYZ (a different line from what you're interviewing for) industry. And of course growing in the company, doing some further courses, etc.'' Now that brings up so many red flags that I can't even count them. Marriage & Kids is all fine, but that means you'll be taking holidays, for women..kids means you will take a larger leave of absence. RED FLAG. You're just interviewing & already seeing yourself in a different job/industry from the one you're interviewing for. Big Red Flag. So pls understand why a particular question is being asked, & how best to address it, simple tip. Imagine how you wouldd respond to it, if you were interviewing for your own company & someone said that to you.

6> Intelligent Follow up questions: Now your research beforehand will ensure you don't end up asking any questions to the interviewer which will make them question your pre interview prep. Instead, ask intelligent questions like company hierarchy, your reporting structure if you get selected, training programs employees go through, etc. which are not usually published on the internet. This also gives you an edge as having a relevant thought process.

7> Thank yous & Good byes : Once your interview is done, thank you person using a suitable prefix & a last name/first name if they prefer, & say you will look forward to hearing from them. One more customary hand shake. And you're out the door.

Happy Interviewing!

My Best as always, & Good luck on your job hunt!

Neha Asthana
Twitter: https://twitter.com/TheNehaAsthana
Email: careerconnect.neha@gmail.com
Mumbai | India

5 Things for Grads To Remember While Applying For Their Very First Jobs.

So you've recently graduated. Plans to study further are a bit far away, because you simply cannot look at another book or give another internal! Good choice. I happen to like work ex more than PGs & MBAs. 

Freshers, pls get out your notepads. [Hah, you thought you were done taking notes? College was just practice. :) ]

My Take on these points:

1> Unpreparedness:
Somehow the gap in relevance of learning material in our schools & colleges & the learnings required at the actual work place haven't yet been bridged effectively [I may choose to leave Finance & IT out of this, as the technical learnings at the college & Masters levels are what's usually required at the workplace]. So in conclusion, you may have just graduated, but you're already behind in terms of what is actually required of you at your new workplace. So it would atleast be wise to prepare yourself completely on some aspects like
i] Company history & LOBs (Lines of Businesses)
ii] Background of people working at the company [Linkedin mostly has 60 to 75% of working professionals today in India I'm assuming, so mostly you will successfully find atleast 3-4 people from the company you're interviewing with, check their job profiles as they've mentioned it on their profiles, their academic backgrounds, etc. It might help you speak more with more relevance & nothing pleases a prospective employer more than you 'Being on the same page as them'
iii] The complete Job description of the job you are applying for. Duh.
iv] Possibly the profiles of people interviewing you if you know who is. 

2> Be the Professional:
If I were interviewing you & you handed me your cv, & I notice your email address is jumpingmonkey@yahoo.in or siddharthroxx@gmail.com or sweetangelpriyanka@hotmail.com or basically any email that would make me question your credibility or seriousness, I would red flag it for sure. Minus 10 points. Try making email addresses for these purposes that are more or less your name.your last name@gmail/outlook/hotmail/yahoo.com type emails. Whatever you choose, pls do not make me imagine you jumping from tree to tree while I'm trying to be serious in interviewing you. :)

3> Expectation Setting:
Ah. My favourite. Yes, you graduated. Yes, you have big dreams. And you know what, I'm sure you'll achieve them & make India/Your parents/Us proud. But dude. You need to not expect the hiring company to serve you all that right away on a golden platter. It takes time, carefully planned & scripted careers, well positioned academics, hopefully no breaks or bad job jumps, etc to get you growing & at a decent pay package. I cannot give you enough examples of how many candidates I've interviewed who have left brilliant opportunities because of inflated expectations & chose rather to take up glamourous sounding jobs with slightly higher salaries that eventually closed down or didn't suit their actual career path, or chose to rather sit at home! Pl let the employer decide what you're worth at the start atleast, you will catch up soon.

4> Attitude:
This post I've just lifted from my previous blog post, because I can't stress on it enough.
The difference between a candidate who gets selected & who gets rejected isn't ever the same. See, it always depends on who is hiring, and what you represent, & most importantly how you represent. For me, I know within the first 5-10 minutes of an interview whether this candidate will get selected or rejected by my client companies. Its not very complicated. Most times, the winning attribute is a winning attitude. Many applicant's breeze into my office thinking the world of themselves & leave with rejection & bruised egos. Some of the best candidates I've come across were the most humble, realistic, accommodating & with complete knowledge of their pluses & minuses. What I do of course, is to help them project it right. But its got to be there for me to even think of helping you. Can't make castles out of thin air now, can we? So, keeping the right attitude, very important.
 
5> Internships are valuable:
Most graduates or fresh Post Graduates tend to get intimidated of the entire hiring process and corporate work environments...things they haven't been exposed to previously as they were only studying. Interning experience in your college vacations can be such a boost to a person's profile that it may help them get jobs which graduate/PG freshers don't usually get, plus you fit right in! 
P.S [Pls do not contact me for internships, I only hire for full time employees for my clients.] :) 

I am now taking calls/emails for career counselling, career scripting & other allied job advice since I've been getting atleast 8 to 10 enquiries a day. Pls email me to find out charges & fees for the same.

My Best as always, & Good luck on your job hunt!

Neha Asthana
Twitter: https://twitter.com/TheNehaAsthana
Email: careerconnect.neha@gmail.com
Mumbai | India

How I Hire.

I remember it was a good 6 years ago, on a sweltering hot May day, that I started a recruitment firm, HR Interface I chose to call it, based in the beautiful, glass & green environs of the smartly planned IT/BPO Hub of the Western suburbs, Mindspace, Malad (West) in Mumbai, back in early 2007. I had just turned 24 a few months ago, & had discovered a new found love of all things Recruitment..having started my career before this venture with a well known Recruiting Consultancy Firm, EmmayHR.

I started hiring for BPOs, Banks & Call centers for Customer Care Executives, Sales Reps, Operations guys, etc. It was a difficult job, competition was rife.. luring candidates in the streets (literally), while I sat in my office, making phone calls to reach this very exotic species. The Call Centre Employee.

Now, in my eyes, this wonderful species of employees were definitely one of the most challenging to work with, to recruit, & to manage to keep in a job for more than 3-4 months since they were serial job jumpers. 

Though some of them have been long term contacts, & even friends of mine now, I would be lying if I said some of the others couldn't put a Hollywood Star to shame with their acting skills. So this is where I perfected getting to know the average employee in the big city, their travails & troubles, mock accents & perfected lies in well rehearsed interviews..

It became more than just numbers soon, not just a target to be reached & excelled at, but careers to be built, lives to be saved. And I started taking more of an interest in the lives of these amazing people who worked US shifts, waking up when the rest of the city slept, sporting on smiles bigger than ones on a Dentist's brochure, dressed in some of the coolest threads, sporting shiny bikes & cars & went about their work, a Nikhil Desai donning avatars of the many Steves, Garys, Seans & Gregs & a Rachana Sharma of Michelles, Rachels & Tiffanys any given work day, for some of the Biggest companies in the world.

Ofc ourse...many more learnings came in, & the knowledge kept evolving, but I'll never forget where I started, in the deep & treacherous, multi faceted, the sometimes obnoxious & equally refreshing trenches of BPO Voice...& how it helped me to form a base of my own Recruitment Mantra & learn how to 'Hire Right' & never get cocky about it.

How I Hire

1> Hello Hello. 

The Beatles made popular a song called "Hello Goodbye" back in 1967. Little did they know, its almost a regular catchphrase in Recruitment. I say Hello, You say something ridiculous, I say Goodbye. Ok, those are my lyrics not Paul McCartney's. In this case the 'You' would be the many, many applicants I speak to daily for different job openings. My first impression, as ingrained into me deeply in my years of BPO Hiring, is to look for factors like Communication prowess, Tone, overall language, usage, ability to comprehend what I am asking & answer in context, ability to ask intelligent questions themselves, a sunny & enthusiastic disposition that would wake up any interviewer out of a day long reverie & sit up & take notice of this candidate. [I no longer judge people by their callertunes alone.] 

2> You've got E-Mail.

Now, I have a habit of sending detailed emails when I wish to speak to someone about a job opening I have. In my experience, sometimes even a phone call doesn't do, what a detailed email does. It has all the necessary details the applicant would need to decide to apply or pass on the opportunity. Now, at the very end of this email, I always have a particular format in which I want the applicant to send me their cv in, which also is properly spelt out. My first impression of the applicant is based on whether they succeed in applying in the format requested or not. I mean come on. Its just fill in the blanks. You can't do this much, you're not interested in your own career enough.

3> Winning attribute.

The difference between a candidate who gets selected & who gets rejected isn't ever the same. See, it always depends on who is hiring, and what you represent, & most importantly how you represent. For me, I know within the first 5-10 minutes of an interview whether this candidate will get selected or rejected by my client companies. Its not very complicated. Most times, the winning attribute is a winning attitude. Many applicant's breeze into my office thinking the world of themselves & leave with rejection & bruised egos. Some of the best candidates I've come across were the most humble, realistic, accommodating & with complete knowledge of their pluses & minuses. What I do of course, is to help them project it right. But its got to be there for me to even think of helping you. Can't make castles out of thin air now, can we? So, keeping the right attitude, very important.

4> Job Prescription!

The difference between a doctor & a Recruitment consultant is, the doc will tell you what you need, & a Recruiter [Me] will tell you what you can get. So pls, read the job description well, & apply if you fit, not if you think you'd like that job regardless of whether you fit. I do judge people if they apply for jobs they don't fit, dont have the skills for, & are completely mismatched at the very outset! I may not take their future emails seriously! Don't blame me, you're the one who cried 'Wolf'.

A quick checklist I use to hire:

• Location [Local is always preferred by clients, relocation takes time, costs & the salary isn't always enough to cover relocation costs, if in the same city, often selection is slightly to the advantage of those staying closer to the work place, studies show if your workplace is closer to your house, you may be more stable as compared to people who travel from afar.]
• Age [Many employers today prefer applicants to be younger as the work pressures have leap frogged, frequent travel is a feature of most jobs, and the workforce is becoming younger as an overall trend. Ofcourse senior management & decision makers don't always belong to this category as leadership often depends on longer years of work experience]
• Relevant Work Experience [Many job seekers have diverse profiles, different companies, industries & even different job profiles. Salaries various companies offer are often almost dependent on relevant work experience & not over all experience. Obvious, right?]
• Personal Grooming [Studies show, people..men, women both, who pay good attention to how they look, being well groomed & highly presentable are often popular choices with employers too, as personal grooming is often an indicator of better rapport building skills amongst peers, colleagues & clients. I am always in favour of skills first, but if this is a factor, why ignore it?
• Sticking to Schedules [Cancellations or running late for Interviews, I can tell you now, are taken very seriously by Potential Interviewers. One of the cardinal sins is cancelling an interview appointment without  informing the interviewer well in advance. If you have taken the pain to apply for a job, do it professionally. I usually don't interview someone again in the future who may have behaved unprofessionally in the past.]

You're on my list of favourite candidates if:

• You have a stable cv with relevant experience for the job I have advertised or spoken to you about. Doesn't matter if the companies you've worked with are big or small.
• You have a good understanding of the job you're applying for & know that you have the required experience I need, & don't apply for jobs at your own whims & fancies. You respect the process.
• You don't jump jobs every year.
• You write to me with all the details that are requested of you.
• You don't throw a temper tantrum if you aren't selected. [I've seen some of them. Seriously? Get emotional with a therapist not with someone who may get you a great job!]
• You follow up, but not on a daily minute to minute basis. Believe me when I say, if the client tells me what they thought of you, I will call/email you. What would I do hoarding that information?

My Best as always, & Good luck on your job hunt!

Neha Asthana
Twitter: https://twitter.com/TheNehaAsthana
Email: careerconnect.neha@gmail.com
Mumbai | India

Planning to quit your job?

                           

Hello!

If you were actually planning on quitting today & my post popped up, PLEASE DO NOT take it as a sign & go put your papers down even before taking the time to read the complete blog post! :)

Sorry, just had to say that. Some people really believe in Signs. 

Ok. So today the day began as usual, with 10-15 interviews [Mid-Senior Level, Mumbai], first thing in the morning, and there was a constant irking feeling that I had during the entire 3 hours that I was interviewing. WHY ARE THESE PEOPLE QUITTING THEIR JOBS? 

Well, don't get me wrong, the companies I was interviewing them for, are all Biggies, really well known, Great Places to work, with excellent salaries & growth prospects, etc..so it wasn't really a WHY, WHY, WHYYYYY are you quitting your current jobs kind of a WHY. 

It was more like: [Secret thoughts in my head, while interviewing]

1> Hmmmm. This guy's tie is smashing! Why is he quitting his job? [Ha-Ha. I like good ties!]

2> Hmmmmmm, 2nd job in 1.5 years, that will raise a few eyebrows.

3> Hmmmmmmmm. 4 job jumps in 3 years, no relieving documents for one of those 4 places, 2 industry changes. Wow, this dude needs a serious career intervention now. Oh wait, he's interviewing for another industry change. WOW.

4> Hmmm, interesting lady, smart, talented, well educated. Pervert of a Boss harassing her everyday. Can't stay back there, and quitting this job would mean starting from scratch in a new company, where as she's so close to growth in her current company. Would it help if I got her Boss out of that company to someplace else...

5> Relocation case, got married. Has to quit. Ok, not really her fault.

6> 6 years at the job, stable, smart no growth at all in salary? Woah, that sucks. He needs to get out of that company.

And about another 4 more. Which basically were all similar in the sense that they wanted to quit. Not so similar in intentions & motivation behind those moves.

Ok, lets do the Bullet points

I] We will first start with Reasons for wanting to quit [Legit & Acceptable to most Employers.]

1>Reasonable Tenure:  

While job jumps of less than a year or even upto a year & a few months are frowned upon, if you've been with your current employer for a decent number of years [I'd say anywhere between 2.5 years to 5 years], it is acceptable that you look to move on. If there are any previous jobs on your cv, they too have been mostly stable (3-5 years each), then you belong to this category. You are now looking for a more challenging role, better salary hike, bigger brand, more reportees, newer teams, & basically so you don't get into a comfort zone with your old company.
Employers Love You the most.

2> Company is Downsizing or Shutting Operations: 

Factors for leaving an employer which are beyond an employee's control, are often acceptable, especially when the company is completely shutting operations or moving to a new geographical location, the employee cannot relocate to. However, downsizing is further introspected as sometimes companies let go of the dead weight or non performers in the company while cutting costs. Who would let go of high performers at such a crucial time? However, that is not always the case, & sometimes indeed, its just bad luck or bad timing. 
Employers do a reference check here sometimes, but generally may be ok hiring you.

3> Sabbatical Due To Health Issues/  Maternity Leave/Family emergency/Legal Issues: 

I repeat, factors for leaving an employer which are beyond an employee's control, are often acceptable, when put in the right context & are not on a recurrent/continual nature. So your own health, a family member's health, legal issues that need your attention & time both, maternity leave for women, & any miscellaneous family emergencies which take you away from the place of work & which can be explained later to a new employer. However, having such reasons repeat on your cv, might cause credibility issues for you. So pls try your best to ensure if you can handle the situation without quitting your job. Employers may either take it or leave it.

4> Better Work-Life Balance: 

Now this one is slightly controversial because employers generally don't always have the bandwidth for it. However, if your work life is stepping on your personal life's toes, one too many times, where your work hours are extreme & going into late evenings, or night shifts, 14 hour work days & no offs, coupled with travelling, little or no benefits provided by the company, etc etc..they may eventually lead to disruptions as I believe everything is like a domino effect here, health fails, work will eventually fail. Personal life & your work life need to be balanced perfectly. You may be able to successfully use it as a legit reason for looking for another job. But pls don't use this one & say, ''My employer only gives me a 45 min Lunch hour!'' :) Even I don't get that much of time for lunch. 
If the facts are verifiable, & the applicant is strong (skills, experience, academics), Employers may agree provided their own work culture isn't the same as your previous company's. So investigate before quoting this.

II] Reasons to quit that will almost always get you an immediate rejection

1> "I've completed 6 months at my job & they still haven't given me any growth"
Author's Note: It takes atleast 2 years to grow substantially in most cases. Wanting to quit after 6 months shows immaturity, impatience, and unreal expectations. Almost no company would want to be associated with such an employee.

2> "I'm pursuing further studies & need to leave early from work every alternate day"
Author's Note: I think this one is self explanatory. In today's day & age, almost every employee sits back atleast an hour or two after their usual work day ends, wanting to leave early, that too every alternate day? Next!

3> "I'd like to quit my job as I am looking for a higher paying job, so I can invest my earnings into a business sometime in the future"
Author's Note: As lovely as that would sound to any employer, that you only wish to work there for just a little while, make a lot of money, & possibly leave with/without company data to start your own company, most Employers would say, "No, Thank you!" 

4> "I'm looking to quit my current company because the work there doesn't interest me, I'm not a 100% sure of what I want to do."
Author's Note: That guy you should be saying this to is called a career counsellor, not a prospective Employer! Employers look for applicants who have a clear thought process & will be stable at their company for a decent number of years. If you don't know what you want to do, pls ensure you do first, & then interview.

Coming Next: Checklist for Giving a Great Interview.

Regards,

Neha Asthana
Twitter: https://twitter.com/TheNehaAsthana
Email: careerconnect.neha@gmail.com
Mumbai | India