‘An Idiot, Placements and
IntervYOU’ is a perfect self-help book for I.T. job aspirants.
Genre: Self Help/ Non-Fiction
Publisher: Times Group Books
‘An Idiot, Placements and
IntervYOU’ is the first book by Toffee (real name Taufeeq). It is the non-fiction
story of Taufeeq, who was a brilliant student during his school time. He joins
one of the best engineering colleges, and then, like most of the engineering
students, he too spends his time in doing just about anything, apart
from studies. Finally, when he begins his final year of engineering, a question
starts haunting his mind – ‘What next?’ It is then he starts taking his life
very seriously, gives his best shot and gets placed in his dream company. You
all must be thinking, what is the big deal about this, as almost every engineer
gets placed in one or the other I.T. company. A year later after joining his
dream company, Taufeeq decides to share his experiences regarding interviews
and placement processes. As a result, he has come out with a self-help book
that gives you in-depth knowledge and information about the complete interview
and placement procedure, which is carried by I.T. companies.
As a first time writer, ‘Toffee’
(Taufeeq) has done an outstanding job. In this book, Toffee has minutely and very
accurately explained the complete interview procedure. Every step, every single topic, like Pre-placement
talks, preparation of a Resume (pronounced as Kaminey, not Dhoom), preparation for the Aptitude Test, Group
Discussion, Technical Interview, HR interview has been explained in such fine
detail, that a reader like myself feels that why this book was not available
when I had to prepare for such interviews. Even after spending 7 years in the
I.T. industry, this book didn’t bore me at all. So, I am sure that the freshers
will definitely find this book very helpful.
The biggest plus point of this
book is that it is not just a basic self-help book. Toffee has included all the
ingredients of placements and interviews, and has blended them so well in a
sweet, touching, and inspirational story. The another plus point, apart from
the correct and fine detailing of the interview procedure, is the one liners
thrown here and there by the writer. Please allow me to mention some of them:
‘Fight against the situation, not
against the rival...’
‘Strategy without tactics is the
slowest route to victory. Tactics without strategy is just the noise before
defeat...’
‘When you hate someone, just tell
it. That’s better than showing it. And when you love someone, show it. That’s
sweeter than telling it.’
‘There is nothing like right and
there is nothing like wrong. There is happiness and there is sadness. What
makes you happy is right, and what makes you sad is wrong.’
‘Life moves on... But don’t just
let it pass you by...’
Few words regarding the writing
style of Toffee... Well, I don’t need a few words, only one word is enough –
Fantastic. Well deserved applause for the publisher as well for producing an
almost error-free book.
I really didn’t find any serious negatives
to write about. The only thing which disappointed me was the lack of
originality in the one-liners. I found most them on internet, and hence they
are taken from the internet pool. But then, they have been used very effectively.
On the whole, Toffee’s ‘An Idiot,
Placements and IntervYOU’ is a very well written and well explained self-help
book for I.T. job aspirants. Each and every chapter is very minutely explained,
and Toffee’s writing is flawless. While reading a book, I generally dog-ear the
pages on which I like something. After finishing this book, when I looked at
the book, I found many pages dog-eared. I
am going with well-deserved 4 out of 5 stars for Toffee’s ‘An Idiot, Placements
and IntervYOU’.
Verdict: A perfect self-help
book, with all the necessary details blended with a fine story.
