Interviews can be both thrilling and exciting. A good interview can take you into a great college you desire and can be a deciding factor for the rest of your life. Before appearing for an interview, many questions can baffle your mind and scare you. Preparing for an interview is a must and with all the sites telling you how to do that, you might get more confused. Here are a few key points that you need to remember before preparing and while giving the interview.
A. Returning to your admissions documents
Most importantly, devote sufficient attention to both your curriculum vitae and your motivation letter. These two documents are, as is the case in most circumstances, especially for Masters’ applications, an absolute must on which university examiners enjoy to base their queries.
It’s important to remember that going over what you’ve already written during the interview is the worst possible technique. Instead, concentrate on specific aspects about which you may need to elaborate, such as your gained job competency, prior study experiences, and, most importantly, your reasons for choosing your specific course and university.
B. Make your opening statement in advance
Interviews frequently begin with the interviewer asking you to explain yourself and your current position, so be prepared with a short, succinct response before you enter. Finish with an explanation of any gaps in your CV and why you believe this course is the next natural step for you.
C. Locate the ideal outfit
Prepare your dress of choice ahead of time, and then spruce it up with a haircut a few days before the event. Make sure to shine your shoes, straighten your pants, and hang your outfit the night before so you can spend your morning reviewing your notes rather than racing around with the iron. Because first impressions are so essential, dressing smartly can help you stand out and show the admissions committee that you’re serious about your application.
D. Find the route beforehand
Plan out the best route to reach your interview a few days ahead, making sure you know which mode of transport you are taking and if you plan to drive then work out where you can park. It might be an idea to locate a nearby coffee shop to stop in just before the interview so you can take five minutes to relax too.
E. Investigation
Although postgraduate course interviews are frequently more relaxed than a typical job interview, it’s always a good idea to prepare as though you’ll be grilling by a possible employer.
Make sure to do some research about the university to learn more about your specific field. Have any accolades been given to the school or your potential tutor? Do they have any specialties that you could highlight, and have they recently been positively mentioned in any press outlets? Even if you’re not interested in current events or journalism, the interviewer will be impressed by your research efforts, and you’ll have some small talk to break up the discussions about yourself and the course.
F. Learn your own CV
It’s the oldest advice in the book but never underestimate the importance of knowing your background inside out because there is nothing more unprofessional than stumbling over dates and details in your career or academic history.
G. Take a practice test
Most university websites offer practice tests for future postgraduates on a range of subjects, and these will often be real questions they’ve asked in the past.
H. Cases and scenarios should be practices
Is there any reason why you shouldn’t try to prepare for your upcoming interview stage in the same way that an actor does? You can arrange different situations with a group of assisting friends – either long 15-30 minutes or more than an hour, with one or up to three interviewers. Additionally, you can simulate other stages of a typical university interview, such as:
Personal inquiries:
- How did your bachelor’s degree go?
- Which aspects of your studies did you appreciate the most?
- Tell us about a time when you faced a practical obstacle at work.
Questions with many options:
- What factors influenced your decision to apply to this university?
- Why do you think you’d be a good fit for the job?
- What components of the course pique your interest the most?
Questions with a specific focus:
- Which recent discovery or advancement in the field has piqued your curiosity the most?
- Tell us about a past research project you worked on in the subject of [insert topic here].
- Do you think [notable person’s] works are still relevant and up to date?
G. Never, let the smile go off of your face
Finally, having a positive mindset is sometimes more valuable than having a good job. Try to portray yourself as best you can without believing the interviewers are robots – they are, after all, human people! Depending on the situation, you may even be given the opportunity to crack a joke, which will undoubtedly raise your confidence and make you feel more at ease for the remainder of the interview.
H. Be you!
Stated last here, but this should be in your mind right from the start. Many interviewees in order to impress the interviewers end up being who they are not and trust me, the interviewers are really experienced people who can assess this fake personality that you might carry with you. Being yourself is the best way to know how influential you can be as a person and what effect you carry on others.
Remember to listen rather than panic about what your next answer could be. And if you get asked a question where your mind goes blank (it happens to us all), don’t panic, it’s fine to pause to think of your answer, so don’t rush yourself. Similar to job interviews, if you have questions you’d like to ask your interviewers, make sure you prepare these – here are some common questions you could ask. Make sure you’re attentive, polite and at the end, remember to thank your interviewers for their time.
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