Preparing For Interview

Dear Friends,

What and how you present is more important than what you have, know and possess. In every sphere of life, there is a tremendous competition. Highly qualified persons are also easily available for any post. To hold Ph.D, NET and SET are not commendable today. Seeing the huge rush, recruiters are arranging entrance examinations or screening tests with Interview. To manage or succeed in it, one must prepare for Interview.

The approach to the preparation for Interview remains one and same for jobs, posts or positions whether they are private, semi- government or government jobs.

Interview usually starts with YOU and ends with the WORLD.

‘YOU’ means the questions are asked from YOUR PROFILE. The questions are based on your graduation, hobbies, extra-curricular activities, work- experience, aspirations for a particular field and your home town with state.

‘WORLD’ means everything else that does not include YOU.

We must collect information on hobbies, home town and state and we must start early collecting it. Generally, when we are selected through entrance examination or called for Interview, we start working on it but it is too late. Even surfing on Google with in limited period for the information is not going to be helpful.

Short Notes

            Your mark sheets contain the list of subjects that you studied. You must know what the subject is. You must have your answer ready if you are asked a question on it by Interviewer. At least basic and not minute details. You will have to prepare questions on graduation or post graduation every time for Interview. And it is very tiresome to go through those thick books again. So, prepare short basic notes and save your trouble forever.

Following can happen during Interview:

Stress Interview

            One of the Interview members asks you a question. You give good answer. You are asked a follow-up question to probe you further. Then he leaves the topic and another board member asks you a question on different topic. You give no answer or you go wrong. He either corrects you or usually leaves topic, or ask a new question from same subject. Sometimes, you give bad answer and a board member throws a counter question or argument. The more you debate, it increases the chances of getting low marks and the interview turning into a Stress Interview. So, be calm and honest.

            Sometimes, board asks 90% of the questions on one subject only, then it is a normal interview from his end but you feel like a stress interview. Stress Interview, in its original form, means interviewer intentionally counters your every answer or argument or asks uncomfortable questions. This is done not to humiliate you but to test how you perform under stress.

            By and large, the Interview is generally not a stress Interview but they are completely absent either.

            An interview may turn into stress interview because of following reasons:

1.      If you are plain unlucky or

2.      If you are under prepared and your body language shows it or

3.      If you are giving bad answers or having bad choice of words

Bad Answers

1. Wrong choices of words should be strictly avoided because it hints arrogance or lack of humility. e.g. don’t say “I don’t agree with that” instead of saying “I beg to differ”.
2. “I do not know a particular topic because it was not in my graduation syllabus or because I was preparing for UPSC during college so I don’t know about that a particular topic.
3. I want to do a particular job because there is no opportunity in my graduation field or because I don’t like that field or because there is no career growth in my private sector job.
4. For me, a particular post is not an end but a means for further personal growth in life or some other mumbo-jumbo.
5. I know a particular thing, because it is given in a particular note or book. Never cite references unless specifically asked to.
6. Book should not be judged by its cover, therefore I’m not wearing a tie…..or any answer which you think is ‘smart’ but he thinks as ‘oversmart’.

At home, imagine interview. Ask questions to yourself. Answer yourself and from those answers, pick up keywords and ask follow up questions.

Best of luck.

Regards,

Yuvi

askyuvi2012@gmail.com