Just as the
door to the interview room closed behind me, the sheer chill of the silence
sent shivers down my spine. This was the
moment that I was waiting for. Or was not waiting for. I was standing in front
of 5 men with all the world’s seriousness on their faces. They looked at me
like a butcher ready to cut through a piece of meat. With all those steel-grey
eyes locked onto me, all I could think of were the numerous gods that I have
been familiarized with throughout my life.
Questions (interrogative
for sure) flew from every nook and corner – “Tell me something about yourself”,
“What is so great in you that I should take you in and not the red-shirt clad, toothy,
spectacled geek sitting at the waiting room?”, “Do you really think you could
pull off an interview in that atrocious ATTIRE?”, “How do you intend to bring
about change in the organization?”, “Where do you see yourselves after 10
years?”…. Phew!! So many questions one after the other like a missile! And words
failed to come out of my mouth. I panicked, beads of sweat on my forehead,
questions sliding like a power-point presentation through my brain – “What if
my shirt is not of a good color?”, “Is that bald uncle judging me on the way
that I am sitting?”, “Did I hear that question right?”, “Oh my god, I think I
am gonna have a fit”, “Breathlessness… Suffocation… I am not able to breathe”,
“I think I am the worst person to have taken birth on this earth and I deserve
to die right now. Goodbye world. Peace.”….
Does this ring
a bell in your head? Have you also been through so many emotions at one time?
Does that interview door haunt you in your sleep every night before the D-Day?
Well then… My name is Anju and like millions of others who are looking to forge
into new careers or a management institution or maybe even getting their
children admitted into elite schools, I too have had to face the dreadful
“interviews” and finally settle into something I am passionate about. So what
is it about these “interviews” that make them so scary? In my short career span
I have interacted with thousands of students and every single day I am faced
with the same question – How to prepare for interviews? So, here’s my take…
The word
“interview” comes from the French phrase “entre-vous” which literally means
“between you” and is perceived as the notion for “knowing you”. The very
essence of an interview is to know you better as a candidate. There is no such
thing as a pre-defined question bank from which questions are picked and thrown
at candidates in a particular order. Interviews are predominantly based on what
you give the panel for fodder. This is where a question like “Tell me something
about yourself” becomes a very important one. A simple question and yet
difficult beyond imagination. It is easy to talk about a peer or a friend or a
foe but when it comes to talking about oneself, everyone tends to be in a fix.
The moment you learn how to handle this introspective question, you will wade
through the tough waves. So, what exactly do you say about yourself? The
preparation for the answer is intense. One should do a lot of soul-searching to
be able to nail this question.
a) Ask yourself as to what you seek to
achieve after clearing the interview. Is it an admission into a B-School? Is it
to start a new career?
b) Research in depth about your
destination. For instance, if it is an interview for a B-School, you should try
and know what the B-School stands for, who are the people behind it, what is
the contribution that it seeks from you and how the qualities/skills inherent
in you can benefit the institution. Go into the finer details about your
destination like which faculty teaches what, what is his/her research
background, how can you benefit from his expertise.
c) Align your skills, qualities, and
strengths with those of the destination. Explore yourself on qualitative
grounds and explain in detail about your skill-set. For eg: If you think you
are an adaptable person, reason out as to why you think so. Is it because you
have travelled a lot and have been reasonably able to adapt to new cultures?
Figure out the reason and see how you could relate your talent to the
requirements of your destination.
d) Know details of your past academic or
work background. If you have mentioned an internship that you undertook sometime
back, make sure that you know each and every detail of the nature of work.
Similar diligence is required for your past academic background as well. Know
your past subjects well because if you don’t know what you did in the past, how
will you hold onto something new in the future?
e) Check and re-check if you truly believe
in the vision of your destination. Only belief in your decision will help you
tackle any hurdle that you come across in the interview.
Shut yourself
inside a room for hours without your cellphone or laptop or tablet or tv or
whatever possible device that can connect you to the world. Just take the time
to think only about yourself. Do a recap of all the events of your life and how
they may have played a role in your decision-making. Know yourself better.
Interviews
give you a platform to learn about yourself in detail. Aspects about yourself
that you never thought could matter may come to the limelight. People who
interview you are interested in your story, and not necessarily in factual
details of academic percentages or the numbers of years of work ex you had
previously. Remember that by selecting you they are placing the future of their
brand in your hands. The more you focus on the nitty-gritties of your
surroundings and the situations that have shaped up your perspective, the more
likely you are to open the window of opportunity with your dream destination…
Adios
Amigos!!!