divya.rajagopal@timesgroup.

com
It was when Sushobhan Dasgupta
left the cocoon of his Kolkata
home that he discovered he had
a culinary hand. In 2009, the
Johnson & Johnson Medical India
MD and Vice-President (Asia
Pacific) moved to Australia and
found that he could fit in with
his new friends when he swapped
recipes. I was living alone so I
had no choice but to cook, he says
pottering about
in a state-of-the-
art kitchen in his
Bandra home. I
would feel left out
when my friends
would di scuss
thei r cul i nary
adventures over
a mug of beer, so
it was time for me
to start.
Dasgupta began by buying the
man tool a barbeque that he
used over several evenings in
Melbourne. Once he was posted
back to India in 2013, Dasgupta set
up a live grill in office and flipped
burgers for 25 hungry J&J col-
leagues. Cooking makes me feel
good and of course, theres the joy
of feeding people, he says.
Dasgupta finds it difficult to find
time to cook during the week, but
every Sunday morning, a ritual
unfolds in his house. The home
chef cooks a large scrambled eggs
(his secret ingredient is barbeque
sauce flown in from Australia),
baked beans, pepper mushrooms
and sausage breakfast for his
family. Cooking for him is a sort
of meditation, a process where
Dasgupta says he immerses him-
self in the company of his knives
and saucepans. On his travels, he
enjoys picking up fancy cheese.
The J&J MD reveals that he often
tries to pick tips from his favour-
ite show MasterChef Australia.
I admire Heston Blumenthal,
he says of the British celebrity
chef. One day Dasgupta hopes to
broaden his repertoire, beyond
the mean chicken curry and juicy
grilled pork ribs that he savours
cooking.
access
Computers are to design as microwaves are to cooking. MILTON GLASER
businessinsider.in
E
mployers today arent nec-
essarily only looking for
candidates with the right
set of technical skills and
years of experience under
their belt. They want to hire those who
also have something unique to offer
like a great personality or strong set of
soft skills.
In fact, if they find a candidate who
has less experience than their competi-
tion, but has stronger growth potential
and seems to be a better cultural fit, the
employer may feel encouraged to hire
that person, says Edward Fleischman,
chief executive officer of Execu Search,
a full-service recruitment, temporary
staffing, and retained search firm in
the US.
To figure out if candidates possess the
soft skills or personality fit that they
are looking for, employers often ask
these seven interview questions that
aim to get a closer glimpse at ones per-
sonality:
1
If your best friend was sitting
here, what would they say is the
best part about being your friend?
The question is to bring out a sense of
candour in a candidate. Learning
what makes an applicant a good friend
allows employers to get a feel of whether
or not they would fit in with the compa-
ny culture, Fleischman says.
2
If you could change one thing
about the way you approach
challenges, what would it be?
This question allows hiring managers
to evaluate a candidates self-awareness
and ability to admit there are some
aspects of their professional life they
would like to improve, Fleischman ex-
plains. Since humility is an important
quality to many employers, a response
to this question is something they listen
closely to.
3
If you were an animal, what
would you be and why?
This inquiry is a favourite amongst hir-
ing managers because it allows them
to not only evaluate how quickly some-
one can think on their feet, but it also
requires candidates to exercise some
degree of creativity in a relatively short
amount of time, he says.
4
What drives you in your profes-
sional life?
Employers ask this question to gain in-
sight into what motivates a candidate
both in their career and as a potential
employee. As cultural fit becomes
more important to employers and their
business as a whole, many look for can-
didates whose goals align with theirs,
and asking this question allows them to
assess what exactly a candidates goals
are, Fleischman says.
5
What drives you in your person-
al life?
Similarly, this question aims to delve
into a candidates personality and bet-
ter assess their cultural fit. By devel-
oping a better understanding of a job
seekers non-work life, and by learning
about what drives them personally, an
employer can get a better grasp of the
type of personality theyd be bringing
to the company, he says.
6
If you could meet a celebrity,
who would it be and why?
Many people admire certain celebri-
ties and public figures. Learning about
who a candidate would be most excited
to meet offers another interesting view-
point into their personality and their
values two important factors of cul-
tural fit.
7
Have you ever played on a sports
team?
This can reveal personality traits that
are important to certain companies,
depending on the nature of their busi-
ness. For example, a former athlete
could be a great team player or, depend-
ing on the sport or position they played,
may thrive best while working on their
own, Fleischman explains.
questions to ensure
you are hiring right
The answers give
you an insight into a
potential employees
personality and
whether he would
fit in the cultural
environment of the
workplace
Boost your self-esteem
with an appreciation break
Regain balance and perspective by giv-
ing yourself some positive feedback no
matter how little it is.
Throughout the day, life bombards us
with everything we do wrong, and it takes
its toll on our self-esteem. Try to fit in an
appreciation break during the day to help
regain some balance.
It might be worth taking two minutes to
focus on what you did right.
Sit down in a quiet place, take a deep
breath and relax. Then simply ask your-
self this question What are three things
I can appreciate about myself?
It doesnt have to be only big things, it
could just be that you are punctual or that
you flossed this morning.
By doing so for just a little while day after
day, your perspective on yourself will start
to change. And your reactions to situations
and the thoughts that pop up during the
rest of your day will also start to become
kinder towards yourself.
This process is about gratitude for your
accomplishments. While you hear every-
thing you did wrong, its nice to hear what
you did right. You can write down your ac-
complishments if you wish. A break like
this is short and focussed. If anyone has
solid self-esteem, they are less likely to fo-
cus on negative feedback.
lifehacker.in
PRIVATE I SUSHOBHAN DASGUPTA
The Johnson & Johnson Medical India MD and Vice-President (Asia
Pacific) dons the apron in his downtime and can grill a mean barbeque
Cooking with ardour
7
businessinsider.in
Despite the fact that they
effectively earn a living by
sitting in a car, the strength and
endurance required of a F1
racer is pretty incredible.
There are lateral G-forces
which can make the driver feel
as though there is an extra 25
kg on his neck. At the start of a
race, the drivers heart rate can
be between 170-190 bpm, and
during the race hovers around
160 beats per minute, and has
peaks of over 200. As the
races are two hours long, it is a
long time for the heart to be
beating three times the
average rate.
And nally, due to extreme
heat in the F1 cockpit, drivers
can sweat off anything up to 3
kg of their body weight during
the course of a race.
Now lets get to know how
they adapt to them.
The Neck
According to BBC Sport,
McLaren
drivers can
train using
a helmet
attached to
pulleys which pull the neck
from different angles and
Renault drivers use manual
resistance techniques
specically designed for each
circuit.
The Heart
In terms of endurance, F1 is
close to a marathon. To prepare
for the conditions, racers
participate in intensive training
that focusses on running, cross-
training, and cycling to maintain
specic heart rates for longer
time periods.
The Arms
For a racer, strong arms are a
necessity. The arm muscles
must be incredibly strong but
not so big that the driver is
carrying extra weight or size.
The Legs
Legs also need to be strong
without being bulky. The sports
website Bleacher Report, says a
driver needs to generate 80
kilograms of downward
pressure on the
brake pedal
to slow down
the car.
:::::: need for speed
Exercises for F1 racers to
keep death at bay
Dasgupta
seen here in
his kitchen
making
scrambled
eggs, a
Sunday
morning
breakfast
ritual in his
home
PICS: NISHIKANT GAMRE
Heikki
Kovalainen,
Nico Rosberg
and Jenson
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MUMBAI, WEDNESDAY, 30 JULY 2014 05
Product: ETNEWMumbaiBS PubDate: 30-07-2014 Zone: PanacheMumbai Edition: 1 Page: ETPANM5 User: saurabhg0603 Time: 07-29-2014 16:27 Color: CMYK