Like many others, I had also always wanted to pursue masters from an IIM which would lead me to the path of success in my professional career. MBA is one of the most common degreed and like many others it was also my choice for further education. But the road to the same was not easy and came with mainly two hurdles which are the CAT exam and the Interview/GD selection procedure. The first leg being the exam required hard work and tutions and lots of practice. Though it felt like that getting a good score was almost equal to getting admission into a good college but as I learned later it was not. The interviews and GDs were equally important for final admission and required efforts too. The process was tiring but the light at the end of the tunnel made it worthwhile. The various interviews, Group discussions that I participated in to get admission into a good college taught me a lot over time. Now that I have been through it, I realized that confidence in oneself is as integral to the preparation one does for interviews. Confidence can make or break an interview. It is very possible that we would be asked a question to which we have no idea what the answer could be. In some cases, the interviewer may not be looking to judge our knowledge but our confidence, this is where good confidence can help us clear away from negative marking. I am not saying confidence is the only important thing but that it is an essential element. Preparation for the same in terms of theory and other aspects are important but to really ace the interview it is important to be confident and convince the person that you are a worthy candidate. The preparation itself alone may not suffice always. But good preparation, in turn, gives us more confidence, so it is more of one thing leading to the other rather than two completely different things.
But confidence can come from other sources too. It may be different for others but clothing always lends me confidence. For some, it may be wearing your favourite watch or ring or anything which we believe is good for us. But I believe clothing does play a part in how we feel about ourself. Even if we do not believe in this, it definitely affects how others perceive us which indirectly affects our self-confidence. Whatever one believes, a good pair of clothing can only do good for us. Wearing well-fitting formal clothes like a good suit and tie makes me more confident. Van Heusen has been one of my favourite brand that I have relied on for formal clothing. This is how the brand has made an impact on my life. The confidence gained has in some way or the other complemented with my preparation has helped me achieved in my professional career. I remain a loyal customer of Van Heusen as it has been a good place to shop from.