What all should one do before an interview?

What all should one do before an interview?

  1. Research well about the company you have applied
  2. Be through with each and every point you mentioned in your resume
  3. Try to look for interviewer’s profile on LinkedIn - it helps you in understanding where your interview could lead to
  4. Most importantly , dress smart ,talk confidently , be honest and you will slay any interview
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  1. Keep calm and focus on the listening skills (listening skills is best when you are not anxious or nervous). You don’t want to miss out the hints the interview is dropping or answer the question totally wrong by not understanding the context.
  2. Make sure NOT to cram every piece of info / syntax or formula, instead brush up on your strengths.
  3. Keep a short google document ready (which are your notes) and links to the blogs / sites you follow for quick reference. This you can open from mobile / anylaptop and have a quick revision while waiting for your turn.
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Use the technique of 4Ks before an interview:

  1. Know Yourself- Your SWOT Analysis(Strength, Weakness, Opportunities and Threats or Competition)
  2. Know your Resume- Each and every single word and the justification. Certifications don’t matter if you don’t know their application
  3. Know your Company and their SWOT.- You should be aware about the kind of work culture, team, benefits, projects they have worked on before and ask them what are their future plans
  4. Know your Job Profile- The biggest mistake candidates do is they never read the job profile they have applied for. If your present skillsets don’t match with the company’s requirements, there is 90% chance you won’t get selected.

Lastly, the most important point- Neither Overvalue nor Undervalue your worth and STOP treating an interview as an interrogation and the hiring managers as jailors. They are humans like me and you and they too have flaws just like any other human . Instead of Perfection try to be open and communicative and work on your mindset. It definitely does magic!

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Totally agree with the advice of other coaches. Times have changed owing to the pandemic outbreak, and there is a new “normal” in place, owing to which the coming future might have a lot more “remote” interviews. And by design, the approach towards these might be slightly different.

Here are some additional pointers from my side for the same:

  1. Ensure sufficient light for visibility over the webcam (preferably sit next to a window during the day, and a well-lit room during the evening) where noise levels are relatively low (so, essentially CLOSED windows and doors).

  2. Use (noise-canceling) earphones if possible: Terrible speakers and distorted sounds can really break your rhythm during online interviews. A significant amount of time is wasted in “Sorry”, “Excuse me” and “Can you repeat that please?”. All this can be avoided usually by using a pair of good noise-canceling earphones.

  3. Keep your webcam clean: Duh! This might seem the silliest one yet, but trust me; No recruiter wants to be talking to a hazy smudge on screen!

  4. Keep a bottle of water and a notepad with a pen ready near you. You never know when you might need these during the interview.

  5. Keep your laptop and mobile phone fully charged before the interview: Just in case there is an unprecedented power cut, and you need to re-join the call using your phone’s internet.

Do leave a LIKE if this helped you, and don’t forget to drop in a comment if there are any suggestions!! :innocent:

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These are some things which I learnt online, through friends, family and college.

  • Be well prepared with your personal introduction.
    • Do not start with your name if they already know your name.
    • Be prepared with hobbies, long time and short time goals, strengths and weaknesses, your special interests and passion.
  • Be prepared with why chose your particular branch to study.
  • Try not to stammer, be confident.
  • Do an ample amount of research about that particular company.
  • When a question is asked, don’t take too much time and try to figure out the whole solution by yourself, tell the interviewer what you are thinking and understand what they expect, first.
  • Be confident about your answer but don’t sound over confident.
  • Don’t try to act too smart.
  • When they ask if you have any questions for them, ask good meaningful questions about the company/their experience in the company, that will give a good impression about you and your passion towards the company.
  • Don’t shake your legs, it might irritate the interviewer.
  • When you are given a paper to figure out the solution and write a code, try to make it nice and presentable.

Hope this helps!

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  1. Check the job role. A lot of the time there is a confusion and expectation mismatch regarding the tasks expected and skills required. This should be a must before you commit yourself to any place otherwise you will be stuck.
  2. Go through what the company does, check their website, understand their working. Check their clients / funding if a startup etc. Maybe send messages to their employees on linkedin if you want to know more or get some tips.
  3. In your interview try to put a message, that how your expertise / interest would align with the companies work.
  4. Make sure you are prepared to explain the projects you have worked upon clearly.

There are various things that must be kept in mind before appearing for an interview. Patience and confidence are two golden factors among them.

First of all , I would like to highlight some habits that I personally applied on my life and I believe that these can make a difference and take the candidate ahead some steps:

  1. Praise yourself in your mind palace that you have researched everything about the company and left no stone unturned in preparing yourself for that day

  2. Have a good smile on your face and enter the interview room

  3. Listen carefully the question asked , clarify if any doubts and ask him before you are assuming anything to make problem much easier. He will feel happy to help you.

The interview rounds are most often the last frontier you need to break through to get a seat in your dream college or land a job with your favorite firm. If you have reached here after a tedious process that has multiple rounds, with each testing a different capability, you have proven that you are too good to be eliminated, and now you have to give them a reason to select you.
To get an interview right, there are various components you need to correct and check to avoid any shortcoming. Let’s have a look at some things one needs to keep in mind before going for an interview.

  1. Always be updated about the company you have applied for, with any important news or progress they have been making in the circle and have a view about it that is diplomatic enough to stay away from extreme ends.
  2. In case it is a college, go through their history, any noted personality that they have either employed or produced, their admission process and the types of questions they ask in these rounds.
  3. Know your resume well. There shouldn’t be anything you can’t prove or any ability or hobby and area of interest that you have mentioned and appear clueless about it.
  4. Avoid interrupting the interviewer when they are either trying to make a point or asking something, or it may place you as a hasty person who rushes into things or rude.
  5. Get a decent haircut, or comb or tie your hair that makes you presentable and look professional. This makes you look serious and appreciative of the opportunity.
  6. Have a thorough understanding of the job profile or the branch of education you are applying for.
  7. Make sure you have prepared about things like your background, both educational and personal, strengths and weaknesses well if they are asked about and be confident talking about them, with instances from your life to explain how you have figured them out through these years.

Some more things to make note of if the interview is online:

  1. Check your internet connection, with a backup ready to help you in case of a power cut.
  2. Use noise cancellation earphones and speakers to sound clear.
  3. Chose light colors for your formal wear and sit in a well-lit place.
  4. Keep a bottle of water, a pen and a notepad near you to figure out something if they ask you.
  5. Check your device and make sure it runs smoothly, with power connection and a good battery backup.

Write answers for following questions:

  1. What is the role? - Is it aligned with my interests, skill sets. This will help in proving your worth to the panelist
  2. What is the company doing? - What is the sector? Who are the competitors ? What market share of this company? What is the vision and mission? – This will help in letting panelist know you are serious.
  3. What are the key projects which I have done? - Are my projects relevant to the job description? What was the challenging aspect? What was my role and where was I appreciated? – This will prove that you fit the role.
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