This article was originally published on the InterviewNerves Blog. Written by ITU student, Priyanka Dave, the InterviewNerves is a collection of Dave’s firsthand musings on finding a career in today’s job market. You can find similar articles on Interviewnerves.wordpress.com. Also be sure to join ITU’s Interview Skills workshop on March 10 at 3:00pm, for even more interview tips.
Sometime in late 2012, I found myself in the ultimate dream office – ready to be grilled for my dream job surrounded by the kind of people I had always wanted to work with. It was this amazing future leader development program in Singapore. I’m not at liberty to disclose the organization’s assessment process, but let’s just say that it was fiercely competitive. I had gone through many grueling rounds to manage an invitation to this stage. I’ve interviewed at four organizations after that and managed to crack interviews at all of those – but none were as challenging as this one.
I was the youngest candidate there – fresh out of my MBA program. Most other candidates had many years of work experience with world-class organizations, and were at least in their early thirties. I felt like a kid – a kid in a suit.
Every round was an elimination round, I was surprised to find that I survived until the last one. The city we were applying for had just one open position in program. All these people were competing for that one coveted spot. We knew that only one of us was going to be selected – all others would have to try next year, or more likely just forget all about it.
I survived until the end. However, with the finish line in reach, I was competing with this really smart financial analyst and lost. I was not surprised. I was a fresher. He had worked at some fantastic places before, and definitely was a better fit. I was warmly told by the company that I should try again in a few years’ time – once I get some work experience on my resume.
A few days later, I spoke with the organization to receive feedback on my performance. My lack of work-experience turned out to be the major factor that had worked against me. It had affected the way I had approached a couple of questions – my approach was very academic, and not practical enough. However, they also pointed out several things that I did right, things they were happy with.
I want to share those positive things with you. Feel free to adopt the suggestions you like. Some of them might not really change the way you approach interviews, but they might be things worth keeping in mind before you get into the interview.
1. Smile and Relax:
Whether it is an individual interview, a panel interview, or a group discussion, it is very important to smile and relax. Nobody likes a tense individual who’s drowning in their own nervousness and desperately hoping to get the job. Your body language starts to give away your traits even before they ask their first question. You definitely do not want to come across as a nervous wreck who doesn’t have what it takes to handle tough situations. So relax, smile, and control yourself!
2. ‘How’ You Say it is Important:
We’ve all heard this one: “People will not remember what you said, but they will surely remember how you made them feel.” In a group discussion, handling people and situations with tact is more important than proving you’re correct. Ideally, your strategy should be to establish yourself as someone who is assertive, but not argumentative. If you’re facing unnecessary opposition from another participant say something like, “Well, these were some of my thoughts. But your point of view does seem quite valuable too.” You’ve told them their interesting and you’re coming across as nice by saying this.
3. Watch Your Pace:
Some of us can get really excited when we’re talking about something we’re passionate about. Without realizing it, we start talking at Mach 1. It’s great to be impassioned about something but make sure you aren’t talking at speeds that the listeners cannot digest. I’ve seen these kinds of people in discussions – and though they are really nice people who are simply very passionate about something – they’re perceived as aggressive when their pace is too fast. I’m not telling you to be subdued, just try to maintain a balance.
4. Start Preparing:
Once you get the interview call, don’t waste time, start preparing for it. This includes preparing with sample questions, structuring responses in your head, and thinking through answers to as many questions possible. Whatever happens, do not push things until the last moment. This isn’t high school where you can get through by studying the night before the exam. In an interview, mental alertness is crucial. You need to sleep well the night before, so don’t leave things for the night before.
5. Structure your Thoughts:
Technical interviews may require you to spend some time with your books or other material. HR interviews often have simple questions about you. When you fumble an HR interview question, the problem is not that you don’t know the answer. The problem is that you simply haven’t thought about this question before. I guarantee you that if someone gave you 10 to 15 minutes to think through your answer, you would be able to come up with a really good one. Unfortunately, an interview doesn’t allow us the luxury of taking 15 minutes to answer each question. So those 15 minutes have to be invested beforehand, during the preparatory stage. Your answers should be ready like a filing cabinet in your mind.
6. The Notebook:
Interviewers frequently come across candidates who make all sorts of claims about their abilities and strengths. So in order to stand out, you need to make an extra effort. Always support your answers with examples from your professional or academic life. For example, if you say that one of your key strengths is ‘patience’, then tell them about a time at work when you demonstrated great levels of patience.
Whenever you’re making a statement, try to find an example to back your statement. It sounds easy, but actually – when your interview is going on – these examples may not occur to you on the spot. In fact, in most cases, they don’t. The only way out is to think of these examples beforehand. Here’s a suggestion on how you can go about doing this. Always keep a small notebook with you. Whenever a significant incident or situation occurs – which teaches you something or which helps you develop an ability or strength – note down the incident in your notebook. At the top of the page, mention the abilities or strengths this incident helped you to develop, or the weaknesses it helped you overcome. You now have a repository of ready examples with you – that are linked to specific abilities/qualities/strengths/weaknesses.