Suppose your name has been shortlisted for placement or your resume has been selected and you receive a call from the HR of the company saying that you have been selected for the next round. So what are you supposed to do now?
All the while till now you were busy mailing your resume to n number of companies and now when finally you have been chosen as a candidate to be interviewed, you have no clue from where to start off your interview preparation.
So here in this blog, we will be learning various strategies, tips, planning, a few FAQs in interviews along with the strategy to answer them, how you are supposed to, how you need to groom up yourself for your next interview. So here is an organized blueprint of steps you must follow before hanging up for your next interview opportunity. Without any further delay, let’s get started with the following steps to back that job offer:
Step 1: Research about the Organisation/ Company
When you know enough about the company into which you are interviewed, it shows the interviewers that you are seriously interested in their company and the job which is why you have taken your time for their offer and to know more about it.
It may also happen so that during your interview they may also ask you questions about the company and the role for which you have applied. Thus, it’s crucial to have a thorough research. You can find all the primary stuff to get acquainted with a company on its website.
Try to familiarise yourself with the products and services that the company provides, also find out various brands within the company as well as the brands associated with it and its rival organizations. Make yourself known with the vision, mission for the next five-ten years, and the leadership of the company. Also, go through the performance of the company in the past few years. You can google whether the company has any laurels in recent or any news in the market. You can check out their recent launches, etc.
All this stuff will give you a complete crystal clear picture of the company. While you face questions, you can incorporate this knowledge into your answers in order to showcase your passion for your job.
Step 2: Speak to Employees of the Company
Start networking with the people already working in the company. With this, you can gain more information about the company. You could actually know the factual situation in the firm, the expectations of the company from its employees, responsibilities, job role, interview questions and the process, criteria and requirements of the interviewers, working styles, and certainly many more things. This will provide you with really good insights and facts about the company and help you ease your interview.
The easiest way to connect with the employees is through LinkedIn. Improve your networking on LinkedIn. Connect with your college seniors in case you are going for campus placement as most of the time, the same companies come into the college. Maybe some of your seniors would be working in the same company that you are going to be interviewed in.
You can also go online on job search forums and know about the interview process. Some of the websites are namely Quora, Monster, Glassdoor, etc. Many interviewees post the questions they were asked and about the interview process, etc. If you are fortunate enough, you might as well face the same set of questions.
Step 3: Time to Prepare
It happens so many times with freshers and young professionals that they do not remember what all projects, courses, internships, jobs, work experiences, and studies they had undertaken in the past. When the interviewers ask them about all the stuff they had so proudly mentioned in their resume or dig deeper into the subject, they aren’t able to answer those questions. This scenario makes it a vital point to go through your resume before the interview and make sure you know everything mentioned in it right from your projects, certification courses to the skills and hobbies you have penned down.
You need to prepare for different types of interviews and levels. Like many companies have an aptitude round, then technical and maybe a Group discussion round. You may face technical interviews, case/ situational interviews, HR interviews, panel interviews, group interviews, one to one interviews. Each and every interview mentioned above require different preparation and strategy. Many websites provide you with practice questions along with techniques for preparation. For eg: LeetCode, GeeksforGeeks, etc.
Step 4: Practice that makes you Perfect
It’s highly recommended you practice mock interviews by professionals. Preparation and practice when tied together will help boost your confidence and get down your nervousness. Prepare a few of the FAQ’s and there you are done.
Now let’s dive into some of the most frequently asked questions:
Tell me about yourself/ Introduce yourself?
Summarise your experience/education. Talk about your best works and projects and your interests that would prove relevant to the company.
Why do want this job?
Tell them what motivates you to work for this company. Put your research about the company into this answer. Showcase how your skills match the company’s requirements.
What are your strengths and weaknesses?
You need to tell a story over here and make sure it’s a true one. In order to mention your strengths, you need to put some illustrations that will make your strengths and you more believable. Additionally, you can talk about attributes like flexibility, adaptability, sincerity, etc.
Acknowledge your weakness and tell them how you are planning to overcome them and what initiatives you have already taken to overcome them. Maybe you aren’t up to the mark at public speaking, teamwork, time management, etc.
How would you handle stress/ challenge?
Here you can talk about the challenge and what you learned from it.
Where do you see yourself in the next 5 years?
Showcase your zeal and eagerness for developing your skills and personality.
Why should we hire you?
Here you need to align your qualities with the needs of the company. Share your knowledge and career roles and the benefits of you getting into their organization all sounding humble. So folks, get up, get yourself that trigger and spark and get ready with all that energy and confidence to nail your next interview. Stay calm, composed, and confident. You need not pretend any false stuff. Stay as you are with a simple smile and do take enough rest a day before your interview. Also, organize your resume, files, and certificates well in advance to avoid any hassle at the time of the interview. Until then keep learning and growing to stay fit in this corporate fight! Happy Reading.
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