So, you have your big job interview coming!! You are thoroughly confident about the subject or the field of study that you have done or are making a career into. You are still not sure about what else you should prepare yourself for, and how else to have an edge over others in this time of fierce competition.

Well!! Let me take you through all those things that you can do before you enter the interview room, that will not only make you confident but would also enhance your chances of selection.

I would divide the blog into two parts, where I would first tell you all those actions that you can take to make yourself better prepared before you go into the interview room to shine.

I would then bring forth some do’s and don’ts that, if you follow, would improve your chances of clearing that interview with aplomb.

That’s that!! Let us first see what preparations we can do beforehand:

1. Know Yourself:

A straight thought would have flashed through your mind, how absurd this caption “know yourself” is! Wouldn’t I know myself better than anybody else! Well! That is true, but it is equally surprising to see how candidates struggle the most while introducing themselves. An obvious question, which almost every interview taker knows, would be asked, yet so difficult. This is what you can do to know yourself better:

1. List out all your relevant qualifications chronologically along with grades and highlights such as distinction, merit, or any other aspect worth mentioning. Go through them often to be absolutely clear, on what and in what order to talk about your qualifications.

2. Again, list all your extra/co-curricular activities with events, certificates, achievements, and rehearse so as not to miss out on any achievements, participations worth mentioning.

3. Learn and practise talking about your family, which sometimes you take so much for granted, that you fumble to find the right word or manner in which to describe them.

Just recently, when I was giving a mock interview practice to one of my students, he struggled quite a bit to mention about his brothers and sisters and sounded confused, how to talk about his siblings, something seemingly so easy! You can even practice a bit to talk about your hobbies, interests, city, likes, and dislikes, etc.

Don’t forget to prepare to talk about any projects/ internships, or assignments that you did, that can highlight some of your skills. You should, in fact, prepare to talk about these well enough to make a positive impression. Talk about your contribution, the technology that you used, and the process you followed. A sure way of making the right impression.

2.  Know your subject domain:

There is no denying the fact that subject/domain knowledge constitutes a major part of your interview process and so often it happens that you maybe good at what you do, but then fumble or struggle to explain the most basic concepts of your field of work/study.

Interviewers, very often ask questions, which are quite basic in nature, yet can display your understanding of the subject and that is exactly where you can make a positive impression by answering them correctly.

Thus, as a routine, you must keep brushing up your basic concepts and information that you ought to know.

3. Know about your line of work:

You would always make a positive impact if you give an impression about yourself as somebody who is quite updated and in the know of everything that is happening in your line of work; any latest technological development, new government policies, the current platform that you work upon or the changes that are expected to come and impact your line of work.

Subscribe to YouTube channels and blogs that may keep you updated and regularly watch them. This will keep you updated besides ensuring that your skillset doesn’t become obsolete.

4. Know about the company/organization that you are applying to -

Another obvious!! Isn’t it quite natural for the interviewers to ask you the reason why you are interested in joining the company or the organization? And this, my friend, is a question that can make or break your chances.

By asking this, the interviewer comes to know how serious you are about your career in the company besides your ability to plan and make conscious decisions or you are somebody who is just looking for a job anywhere you may find.

So, you have done your background preparation. Now let us look at some do’s and don’ts that you should follow when you are actually going through your interview:

Some Do's and Don'ts To Follow:

Enter confidently and sit comfortably- First impressions matter the most! There is no denying the fact that a lot happens in the first few minutes of the interview; from the time you enter and the actual interview starts.

It is important for you to enter confidently, however nervous you may be. Wish and greet them in an appropriate manner and then sit comfortably.

I would give a little more emphasis on the way you sit, as, so often it happens that candidates don’t make themselves comfortable and then continue to shift and shuffle; trying to find support to the back and thus making an impression of being nervous.

A simple tip is to shift as back as possible in the chair and become comfortable in the beginning itself; and then you can focus completely on the interview.

Don’t give one-liner answers - Another common and most annoying habit of interviewees is, to give answers in one line or a few words. When you are asked a question, don’t just give an answer so short or incomplete that the interviewer has to ask complimentary questions to get the complete information.

If this continues, then the interviewer loses interest and winds up the interview faster, with obvious results.

I am not saying that you do it deliberately; however, it is a habit I have noticed in many young persons, which works against them.

Make an effort to give answers which are long enough to cover every relevant and required information that the interviewer is seeking for.

No problem if you don’t have all the answers- Take this pressure off you that in an interview you need to have answers to all the questions. It is not always possible to know everything and one doesn’t need to become apologetic about it.

What you should do then is to tell them politely that you don’t have the information to answer that question rather than giving any incorrect answer and can even add that you would update yourself on that after the interview.

You must, as I had mentioned earlier, update yourself with all that which is conceptual, fundamental, and must know of your subject or the field of work, as not being able to answer that, wouldn’t be positive.

Listen carefully- You are right in feeling that in an interview you are supposed to talk and here I am telling you to listen carefully. Yes! It is absolutely necessary that you listen to the interviewer carefully before attempting to answer them. In their eagerness to answer, candidates either don’t listen to the questions carefully and miss out on the keywords or jump in a bit too early before the interviewer has even finished his questions. This often makes them miss out on the true requirement of the question, besides making a negative impression.

You should not only listen to the question carefully but also ask for a clarification if something is not understood. You are after all there to become a professional and just like a true professional, you should be crystal clear about what you endeavour to do.

Be in the present, don’t wonder or retrospect- Another common habit that keeps you under constant pressure and takes your confidence away is the tendency, to keep visiting the previous question that you couldn’t answer or maybe not that properly. This constant looking back takes the focus away from the present question that is being asked since a part of your mind is busy regretting the mistake that you have already made. This affects the present question and leads to a spiral effect, with the tendency to ruin your entire interview.

Thus, remaining in the present at all times and putting in your effort to answer your best for what is ahead of you. If you don’t know the answer say so and look forward to answering the next, and so on.

Do what we have discussed above and rest assured that you would come out, as said in the old and redundant cliché, “in flying colours.”

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