I don't think I am qualified enough to answer your question. Still, I'll try to suggest something (I enjoy talking like an expert on all subjects). You can convey this to your friend.

An interview-room is not a confession-room. However, the candidate should never leave the interviewer in any doubt (that means you should not get caught). It's likely that the interviewer would not understand the self-denial hidden in the years spent preparing for entrance examinations, running around coaching institutes in Patna, sharing a small room near Mahendru Ghat with two other students, one of whom still owes 147 Rs to you. So, wouldn't it be better to say that you were doing some other professional/educational course, which obviously you could not complete (and so you don't have a degree certificate to show) because you finally got through the entrance test? It’s still better if that course was related to the job you are applying for. Say, you are applying for a job in a software company. After +2, you were doing a computer course in the so-called ‘break’ period. You developed software application for the local administration office to efficiently maintain the land records in the district (inspired by the Bhoomi project of Karntaka government). It shows how passionate you always were for this kind of job and hence the company can exploit your passion. Before attending the interview, you must have visited the website of the company and would have gathered some information about the kind of business the company has expertise into. Your interests can always be in some way related to the same line of business. When you mention that you see career growth in this company, it flatters the HR personnel (He would blush). In short, you know what part of your resume doesn't look good and so you can always change the topic in the interview to divert the attention to the better parts of your resume. You don't speak what the interviewer wants you to speak, but you say what the interviewer likes to listen. Without making it obvious, that’s the key. You will have so many other unparalleled qualities suited for that job that this small break in education will be forgotten. Once you get a job, then break in education won't be an issue at all when you want to switch to another company (That's the irony of company policies). I think by now you must be thinking of how big a fraud I am, teaching you how to fake your resume and lie in the interviews. That's because (and that's why) you don't have a job yet.

On a serious note, we can only guide the students known to us not to have any break in education. We can request universities to regularize the examination sessions. We can ask Intermediate Council to improve the syllabus. We can expect the government to open large number of engineering and medical colleges in Bihar. We can appeal to the Department of Education to re-evaluate the evaluation pattern. We can expect corruption to spare the temples of education to improve the value of a Bihari degree. - Kumod Jha - July 20, 2006

Well said. I can't agree more. Here is my own experience.

After passing Bihar Matriculation Examination, many of my batch mated tried their luck at getting admission in Delhi University. The timing of matriculation result was so horrible that almost everybody missed the application deadline in DU. Apparently, nobody got the admission the same year. Just one guy succeeded in getting admission at Modern School. Simply because he was a genius - the topper of the Bihar Board. Later on he topped in IES and GATE as well. Today, he is resting in peace among stars in the sky after having a very brief stint in the IPS!

About the grading system. The topper of the Bihar Matriculation examination scores in the 90% range, topper of Intermediate in 85% range. These marks when compared to those with the GPA systems fall in B+ to A- range equivalent to 3.60 on a scale of 4.00. Can you imagine, the toppers of these examination simply can't make to the Ivy league schools in the US? It's just unfair. One guy from ISM had a 3.50 GPA out of 5.00, which was very good in India. This guy was not meeting the GPA criterion of many mid-tier business schools in the US.

Not only Bihar education system but also the Indian education system needs an overhaul in terms of grading! - Vinod Kumar - July 20, 2006

Well, Mr. Jha thanks for the suggestion.

You wrote in second paragraph:

"I think by now you must be thinking of how big a fraud I am, teaching you how to fake your resume and lie in the interviews. That's because (and that's why) you don't have a job yet."

Will you please clarify it. Either I'm unable to understand it or the content i.e. the last sentence is not clear.

For your kind information, I'm 21 years old and worked with McDonald's Connaught Plaza (India) Ltd., Delhi; GE and ICICI bank as part time CCE and presently working part time in Microsoft (Corporate Travels) on behalf of Carlson Wagon Lit Travels, Hyderabad.

I'm associated with two NGOs and running one.

I am an online counselor, if and when I get a chance to visit Bihar, I try my best to counsel many children.

My interest in counseling came from the fact that I suffered a lot and faced many problems as I did my schooling in Bihar.

Mind you, still I'm in college. - Ashwini K. Singh, Hyderabad - July 21, 2006

Ashwini ji,

My apologies for sounding rude, but the lines that you have mentioned here were not meant for you at all. It was a satire on the company policies related to the recruitment process. It was to convey a message that the companies where policies supersede common-sense in making decisions (and most of the companies work in this way) discourage personal and professional integrity by doing so. Please see this Dilbert cartoon.

Isn’t it unfortunate that someone better qualified is rejected in an interview just because it will be against the company policy to recruit someone with a break in education? But, if the same candidate applies some tricks in the interview, he can hide the facts and get that job. So, what do the company policies mean? Fake your resume or stay unemployed? This is what I meant by those lines. To clarify the humor (which kills its soul) I started the next line with ‘On a serious note’.

I am impressed by your accomplishments at such a young age. I wish you luck for your bright future. - Kumod Jha - July 25, 2006

Discussion on this topic is now closed.