Death Interview

After a long hiatus, I am back.

Twitter takes up most of my time. In between reading and absorbing all the information posted on Twitter, I am left with no time to write on the blog. Well, a lot has happened since I last wrote. Um..let's start with a very interesting interview I had in March. After pursuing my dream company (and dream job!) since 2008, I finally got an opportunity to interview with IDEO mid-March.

I absolutely hate phone interviews, because I never do well for some reason! It is a fact. I would rather drive for 2 hours and meet up with people for 15 minutes, rather than talk on the phone. And, I do like to put faces behind people's names. Till date, out of 5 phone interviews that I have had in my entire life, 1 has converted into an offer.

Around the 1st week of March, I was scheduled to speak with two very bright business design minds from IDEO. I wish I could have met up with them instead. But, alas! one of them lives in Boston and the other in New York City. I wouldn't have been able to speak with both of them at the same time. In retrospect, perhaps, I should have suggested that I'd rather fly over to to NYC and Boston :(

I prepared so much for the interview, because my career was hanging on this one interview. I was extremely nervous as well, which is strange since rarely get nervous in my interviews (I guess because they are in person!). I guess you can not be prepared for everything in life, because it did not work out for me. On a lighter note, and in retrospect, IDEO's interview sure gave me some laughs and future learnings. I realized that interviewers tricks to make the candidates nervous can actually work very well in some cases.

The interview started with one of the interviewers telling me," Shalu, this is called a death interview!"

He repeated that twice so I understood it correctly. As you can imagine, I was so god damn nervous, starting at that point!

When it was my turn to ask questions, they answered one of my questions about the culture at IDEO,"We throw you in the deep end of the pool, and you make your way from there".

Wow! What if someone does not know how to swim? Literally!

I think both the interviewers knew how to swim. You know it sounds as if you'd need to make your own way through the culture of the company and have an entrepreneurial spirit if you get hired, but let me give you a little context about what I heard:

I started to learn swimming in 2008 in Toronto. Yes! In 2008, I would be considered in my late twenties. I want to Surf in Costa Rica in 2010. And, therefore, all this planning. I digress...

Well, so here is what happened to me in late 2008. After level 2 lessons, on the very last day, our instructor asked the class to jump in the deep end of the pool. One by one, everyone jumped and came back up. I jumped, and I started to come up, but only to go down again! And, boy! those 3-4 seconds were the most scary seconds of my life. I tried to reach out with my hand, my breathing stopped, and then I closed my eyes (obviously, thinking that I was going to die)

People who know how to swim will definitely not understand this (I have been laughed at before by my friends who know how to swim), but people who do not, can probably imagine the trauma that I felt at that time. My life flashed before me in those 3-4 seconds.

Back to IDEO's analogy...when I heard that comment, I flipped out. Not because I could not have handled the culture of the company, but because I remembered those 3-4 seconds of my pool's deep end traumatic experience. It is amazing how I let my past experience flash before my eyes in a very important interview of my life :(
It just goes on to say that we should tackle what we are afraid of sooner than later, and not let those experiences haunt us.

Well, I did learn how to swim in 2010. I can swim and do all sorts of tricks in the deep end.

Regardless, I had a good conversation with some very bright folks. I hope our paths cross again. Also, I wonder, could they have meant "depth interview", instead of "death interview" eh?

How Can We Design A Space...

...where everyone feels comfortable interacting with autistic people?

I live in San Francisco city and often take the public transit. Lately, on three different occasions, I noticed strange interactions (or, rather lack of) with autistic people. The moment an autistic person boarded the Muni (San Francisco's public transit), passengers stared at him or her and then uncomfortably looked away.

About three weeks back, a 45 year old man boarded the Muni, along with his 20+ year old friend, who was clearly Autistic. Everyone stared at him for a minute and then ignored him. I usually smile at people when I make an eye contact. And, usually, when you smile at someone, you get a nod, or a smile. Sometimes, you can initiate a conversation. In this case, my usual approach was not optimal since my smile was not acknowledged.

Throughout the Muni journey, I wondered how to engage in a conversation with the 20+ year old. Also, the experience made me wonder whether there is an opportunity to design a space, or a space within our usual spaces (cars, buses, trains, etc), where socializing with autistic people can be made easier for everyone involved in the process?

A Glimpse Into the Future

Early January, I visited my dentist for a semi-annual cleaning. Due to an urgent patient situation, I had to wait for over one hour, which is not the norm at my dentist's. He was so apologetic. He stressed on the fact that he had to do something for me, in spite of my several,"do not worry about it(s)". He thought I was a great candidate for a teeth whitening exercise. Not because I had yellow teeth (I swear I do not!), but because my teeth were perfect - no cavities and an infectious smile (I like to think that!).

The trainees took impressions of my dentures and made a cast. I was told that the cast should fit like a glove. I was asked to come back after a few days and when I did, I was explained how to use the teeth whitening material.

Process: Brush you teeth before whitening, put 1/3rd gel in the dentures, which are fake plastic, put the teeth whitening for 1-3 hours, clean, dry and repeat again after a day, or whenever you like.

All this sounds simple...right?
Wrong!

The process is extremely uncomfortable - the dentures feel as if someone has put chains in your mouth. I keep spitting every 10 minutes over the course of one hour (notice how I use the minimum suggested duration), I can not talk to anyone during that time, and I get the tingly feeling in my mouth. Also, at times, my gums get tired and I feel like I have fake teeth!

Although my teeth are getting whiter, the terrible teeth whitening user experience made me realize how life will change when I turn 75+ (if I live that long). I would need to wear fake dentures, which would be extremely uncomfortable. I would be living and breathing this horrible experience day after day...yeesh.

A far fetched flash into the future can be inspiring at times...I, now, vow to respect & appreciate my teeth, and take care of them forever till death do us apart.

On another note, I think there is nothing sexier than a woman who greets people with an infectious white smile.

The Importance of Speaking the Right Language

Business, often teaches MBAs to speak the right language; a language that the CEOs, stakeholders, and target audience can easily understand. In fact, one of my favorite courses at Rotman taught me to present my case (or, point of view) in a clear, compelling, and memorable way. A recent personal experience shed a whole lot of clarity on why speaking the right language is absolutely crucial.

My eye-sight check up was long overdue. My family doctor recommended an optometrist in downtown San Francisco.

On January 27th, I visited my optometrist, who was housed in quaint little place in San Francisco. As I waited for my appointment, I could not help notice that all the optometrists were in the age range 50+.

I thought,"Great! experienced optometrists...this is nice!".

Time for my appointment: The doctor (let's call him - jabber) escorted me to his exam room. Jabber sounded friendly.

Jabber: "Hi Shalu, let me ask you something: why brings you in today".
Shalu (thinks): Great! I like people who get to the point right away. This visit will be a breeze.
Shalu (Replies): "Oh, when I play Rockband on Wii, my eyes become watery. So, I was wondering whether my eye sight has changed".

Jabber: "Ah! Not a problem at all. I see people like you come in every day".
Shalu (thinks): really? I guess a lot of people must play Rockband..
Shalu (replies): "Oh?"
Jabber: "Which instrument do you play?"
Shalu (thinks): Weird question..but whatever, he is the doctor.
Shalu (replies): "Sometimes I play drums and sometimes I sing".
Jabber: "Oh I see...you know, I get people like yourself from San Francisco Orchestra/Symphony all the time".
Shalu (thinks): Huh?
Jabber continuing: "And, the problem is that when people perform under bright lights and they are on stage, they can get headaches and their pupils dilate as well. It is very common. You should put some eye-drops before going on stage and under bright light. I would even use the drops back stage"...jabber continued for 10 minutes and discussed the importance of wearing eye drops before performing.
Shalu (thinks): WHAT! Does he think I am a musician?

The optometrist was one of those people, who are really hard to interrupt in a conversation. I tried a few times, but failed. The conversation happened while he was testing my eyes with his fancy eye equipment. In turned out that my number had a minute increase. Finally, I got a chance to interrupt him.

Shalu (frantically trying to get her point across): "Wait! I want to clarify something - when I say, I play Rockband on my Wii, I mean at home. I hope you understand what I am saying".
Jabber: "Of course! I do..I am going to give you these eye-drops, which you should wear before you go on-stage next time and use them back stage as well....just one drop and you'll be as good as new". He then continues for another 5 minutes about bright lights, musicians, and stage performances and how all these things affect light.
Shalu (thinks): Oh God! this is ridiculous.
Shalu (replies): "Yes, I understand..now do I need to wear these drops when I am not performing?"
Jabber: "Oh no...just wear them before you go on stage".
Shalu (replies): "Thank you! It was an enlightening visit".

I bet the optometrist did not know what a Rockband, or a Wii was. He must have thought that I was being modest and therefore, did not give him much information about my shows. Most importantly, he thought I played in a band!

And, I agree with my friend Komal, who says,"This has to be the joke of the decade!" :)

The silly conversation could have been prevented had I started with,"Oh, when I play the game Rockband on my gaming system, Wii, I get watery eyes"..

Alas! The choice of words is absolutely necessary. But, for about 30 minutes, I got to live the dream of being a lead singer and drummer in San Francisco's Orchestra! :)

A Conversation To Remember

Late December, I had a very interesting conversation with Steve.

Steve and I had been trying to meet up for months. Unfortunately, we couldn't. After months of email exchange, I was finally able to put a face behind his name. Steve, is a remarkably interesting person. We chatted for 1.5 hours on varied topics - India, China, Venture Capitalism, Design, MBA, Tea...and many more things.

Apparently, Steve went to India on an exchange program about 25 years back and can still speak some Marathi and understand Hindi. Wow! He had very interesting stories to share. It is refreshing to hear someone else's point of view on India; country where I spent 21 years of my life. Of all the informational meetings, I have conducted, this particular one is quite memorable.

His most important piece of advice for my me was," Shalu, people in Northern California do not go anywhere...it is about the journey", which in my head translated to: The job search is not about a race to bagging the best job! It is about making an impact. The advice is such a contrast from my MBA life, which was about race to literally everything!

Thanks for sharing your perspective, Steve.

New Year, New Decade, New Aspirations

I do not like the word - resolution. I would like to give it a positive tone and call it - aspiration.

The word, aspiration does not sound like work in my head. Plus, it is positive enough to motivate me to follow through my aspirations :p

My 7 aspirations (in no particular order) for 2010 are:

1. Talk Slow: I think I talk really fast and sometimes loud (on the phone, when the person on the other end is also loud!).In my last two social gatherings with new people (on two different occasions), I discovered two people, who talked extremely loud, so much so that I got a headache after being in the room with them for 5 minutes. The problem is that most people think that being loud will get their point across. I had to sit far away from these two people, which is not good, because a) I did not interact with them; b) I was annoyed all the time; and c) Loudness is all I remember about them. The experience got me thinking that it must be quite annoying for others as well when I talk fast AND loud!
   
2. Learn to Surf: Hitesh and I love water sports. We took surfing lessons in Maui in December. Gosh! I have been missing all surfing fun all this time. Both of us loved it. We intend to be able to surf in Santa Cruz over Summer this year.
   
3. Learn to Swim: I know! I know...swimming, should technically, be a precursor to surfing. However, not being able to swim does not stop me from being in the water. I have taken swimming lessons thrice in my life. Something is wrong with my legs. Oh wait! I am making excuses - I, obviously, did not practice enough to be able to swim properly. Well, it changes this year and starting, January!
   
4. Start My Own Something: I have many-many interests and passions, which have not helped me focus my 100% attention on any particular interest. Starting this year, I am going to "start my own something". My biggest strength (that I can leverage easily) is that I am hyper-observant, and excellent at talking to people and building relationships. I have to focus my energy in meaningful interests and get on with it this year. I have gradually come to realize that owning your own something (that you are passionate about and good at), is the way to succeed.
   
5. Become More Involved Within Non-Profit: I am a huge fan of people, who focus their attention within non-profit sector. One such non-profit, started by a friend, and based in India, is "chotti si asha", which means 'a ray of hope' in English. I blogged about Liza's efforts in 2008. I hope to be able to help Liza more with her initiative, make it sustainable, and make "chotti si asha" profitable (Yes! MBAs do think about profits)
6. Exercise Regularly: I do exercise 3 days a week. It would be amazing to step it up to a 5-day regime. Most importantly, it will help me stay healthy and stress free.
7. Travel More: I have a confession - prior to traveling to Mexico, I used to think that Mexico is a dangerous place to visit. I am ashamed of my perception. I am quite open minded and do not usually have preconceived notions about anyone, or anything. I am not certain how I developed this idiotic misconception. In December 2008, Hitesh and I visited Mexico and boy! I was surprised. Mexicans are extremely friendly people. I had a fantastic time on that trip. The trip changed my point of view about Mexico. Travel, does open your mind. It makes you comfortable with the unfamiliar places and situations. Although, I already love to travel a lot, I hope to do more of it this year.

Oh, and most importantly: invest in relationships, reconnect with friends, and speak with friends & family more often this year.

I read somewhere that people, who write down their aspirations tend to achieve them than people who do not.

I plan to revisit this post at the end of 2010 and see where I am at.

Innovation at the Most Unexpected Place

A lot has happened since my last post, but somehow I never got around to blogging the events.

Some of the memorable events were:

• Getting interviewed by an innovation consulting company - I paid $60 cab ride to get to the interview, because the CalTrain changed their schedule online, but my iPhone App was not updated. Hence, I missed the train. I must have looked really frazzled, because the cab driver charged me $60, instead of $80 and asked me to calm down. God bless him!
  
• I made it to round 2, but did not get an offer. I felt that during the interview, there was a LOT of communication gap, which has taught me to add "By blah, I mean blah" after every sentence :) Regardless, it was a great opportunity to chat with some fantastic people.
• I got a good offer for a contract position from a design consulting studio and I worked with them for a little less than 3 months. My contract got up, last Friday and am back to networking.
• I joined Twitter and have been overwhelmed with media over dosage. This is probably the main reason as to why I haven't got around to blogging.
  

One particular incident was very interesting. I had to get my TN-VISA stamped at the border, in order to start working in October. I flew to Seattle and took the Greyhound to the Seattle-Vancouver border.

This is how a TN-VISA works - You have to fall under a certain category. Unfortunately, I fall under a very highly scrutinized category, called the Management Consultant category. I have heard some horrible stories about it. Therefore, an offer does not mean anything until you get the visa.

So, I show up at the border. I remember being very nervous. I go up to the counter and say,"Hi, I need to apply for a TN-VISA". The customs officer's eye brows arched up. He says,"Now, do you?". I am thinking in my head-> Good God, please let this go smooth. He looks at all my documents, asks several questions, and asks me to fill out what my roles and responsibilities would be, as a Management Consultant. Keep in mind that there is a letter from the HR that states the responsibilities exactly and explicitly, but oh no, the officer wanted me to write them down. Without any argument, I did.

He asked me who the client was, which in this case was Nokia.
For the next half an hour, he called me back and forth and asked a zillion questions such as :Why you? Experience? Background etc? Most interesting question was, "Would you present the recommendations to the client, or someone else from the company?"

Although, this particular question seems simple, in reality it is quite tricky. Had I said, the company would, he would have rejected my Visa.
I found it pretty innovative and thought in my head, "Wow! this guy is smart".

Finally, he calls me over and says something such as,"So, what would you do if Nokia were to hire you as a Consultant to change their processes?"
Here is how my thought process went: OMG, is this what I think, it is?
Is this a Case Interview?
I think it is!
What?!? They have started taking Case Interviews at the border?
I thought Case Interviews were meant only for B-schools...

And, boy! I started explaining how I would approach the problem. I started doing a competitor's analysis, company analysis, and applied many more frameworks. All this time, the officer was having a conversation with me. For example; he was asking questions such as, "What about a cost-benefit analysis", "How would you cut costs", "How do you envision their competitors (let's say Motorola) might react?"

I took 20 minutes to solve the case.

The key point (and passage to stamping of the visa) was the fact that I would only provide high-level expertise to Nokia's employees, and never try to take up their jobs!
The moment I said that, the officer gave me a big smile, stamped my visa, and was extremely friendly.

The experience was very interesting; interesting to the point where it got me thinking that innovative procedures have traveled even to the border. Gone are the days, when the border protection would simply run a check on you. They want to make sure that you ARE who you SAY YOU ARE.

Fascinating..ain't it?

I believe the border protection officer was possibly an aspiring MBA contender and was practicing his Case Interview skills with me :)