Team Stay Featured recently interacted with Kavitta B Bedi and Katherine Mehta.
Kavita and Katherine are the founders of Xtraview- a digital interview platform that helps students speak, showcase and succeed. Their mission is to empower students by helping them in bringing out all aspects of their personality. This platform gives every student an equal, unbiased opportunity to seize their dreams and succeed.
Xtraview is a start-up by 2 women- Katherine Ernst Mehta- an educationist and Kavitta B Bedi- a leading entrepreneur in the children's space.
so, here are the glimpses of this interaction
How is your platform useful for corporates who would want to hire people with brushed skills?
One of the biggest challenges facing people just entering the workforce is that they are not career / job-ready, despite completing studies at a master's level. What students need are good communication skills to first bag that coveted job and then succeed at it.
A potential candidate who has good communication skills not only aces all their interviews, but once hired, they are also able to perform well in their jobs with great interpersonal skills.
Also, many students, despite having great academic credentials and great strengths, are not able to put that across to interview boards or hiring committees, because they have not had adequate interview practice, and so their nerves get the better of them, or they cannot articulate their USP. Our Xtraprep workshops help train students with these critical communication and interview skills, which will benefit them for the rest of their lives.
Xtra Prep workshops- are they only for students or also for individuals who wish to hone up their skills before applying for different interviews
Currently, Xtraprep workshops are aimed at helping high school (Class 9-12), college students, and those pursuing their Master's degrees upskill in their communication skills. However, if we do see demand from working individuals for our service then we will be open to expanding its availability to other sectors also.
How does the whole process of sharing recordings with institutions/organisations work?
We have deliberately kept the process very simple.
An organisation does not need any added IT infrastructure, they do not need to download any App, they do not need to log in anywhere.
A simple email reaches their inbox with a link to the video of the recorded interview. They just have to click, watch and assess.
We store the video at our cost for a period of 12 months.
This allows the candidate the flexibility to share it with multiple organisations. Hiring companies benefit, too, because they can review the interviews at their own time and convenience. The recording also allows them the opportunity to review and reassess or compare between candidates at any point during the review process.
Xtraview is a unique platform and I believe there are no competitors for it- why and where do you think there was a need to create a platform like this
Yes, Xtraview does not have any competition in the Indian market.
Being conscious communicators ourselves, both Katherine and I understood the relevance, importance and need for students to have this skill to succeed in today's world.
It doesn't matter if you dream of becoming a dancer, a data analyst, an aeronautical engineer, a painter, an entrepreneur, a social worker, a marine biologist, or a corporate manager - at every level and stage of your career, being able to put a face and voice to your idea is what will allow students to succeed.
The pandemic has brought about a revolution in education and business, and the digital way of working is nowhere to stay. Learning how to communicate effectively on digital platforms is a skill that every individual needs today. Yet not all parents and teachers are equipped to train their children in this skill because they are learning this at the same time as their children.
Hence, we realised that this is a great need in the market today and we can help students succeed and give them the skills and tools to be able to chase their dreams.
Is language a barrier in the interview process with both institutions and organisations as we see there are a lot of people who have the bandwidth to deliver but are not good at communication skills?
Language is just one part of the effective communication cycle. There are many other facets like how you present yourself, how effectively you communicate your ideas, and how prepared you are for an interview or interaction. These are a few of the 15 focus areas that we train on during the Xtraprep workshops. During these workshops, university and college students also undergo a specialised module on how to create the best elevator pitch for themselves.
The Xtraview interview is conducted by one of the specialist communicators on our team, who are industry leaders in their own fields and are now investing some time in developing the next generation with skills that will help them succeed.
The skills that Xtraview and Xtraprep provide are life skills that will stay with every participant long after the training is over and will continuously allow them to upskill themselves to remain relevant, updated and desirable in the workspace in whatever area they choose for themselves.
on this closing note, we can say, we are busy empowering students and unlocking their leadership capabilities as they develop tangible solutions to global problems.
Also enclosed below is the link to the website for your understanding.