I have been asked a lot of times, “Hey Aakash, I am an expert in my field but actually get stuck when I sit in an interview, can you tell me important tips to keep in mind and things to do before the interview”. Here is a quick step by step guide for all of you to outshine every interview:
Understanding the Employer
Industry Knowledge: Gain a deep understanding of the industry in which the employer operates. This involves researching market trends, challenges, and opportunities within the sector. Research about the top players and top perspective companies in the industry and check for upcoming technologies in the industries.
Company Insight: Dive into the specifics of the company. Familiarize yourself with its history, milestones, recent projects, and achievements. Understanding the company’s mission, culture, and values is equally important. This information can often be found on the company’s website, in news articles, and in industry reports.
Competitor Awareness: Identify and research the company’s main competitors and their recent projects, if possible, the advancements they are making in the industries. Understanding the competitive landscape can give you insights into the company’s position in the market and its unique selling points.
Role Familiarization
Job Description Review: Carefully analyse the job description. Note the key responsibilities and required qualifications. Understanding these will help you tailor your responses to demonstrate your suitability for the role.
Skill and Qualification Alignment: Reflect on your own skills and qualifications, and how they align with the job requirements. Be prepared to give examples from your past experiences that demonstrate these competencies.
Motivation for Application: Be clear about why you want this job at this specific company. Employers look for candidates who have a genuine interest in the role and the organization.
STAR Method of Answering a Question: The STAR method is an interview technique that gives you a straightforward format you can use to tell a story by laying out the Situation, Task, Action, and Result.
Situation: Set the scene and give the necessary details of your example.
Task: Describe what your responsibility was in that situation.
Action: Explain exactly what steps you took to address it.
Result: Share what outcomes your actions achieved.
Interview Panel Research
Identify the Interviewers: Try to find out who will be on the interview panel. This information can sometimes be found in the interview invitation or on the company’s website.
LinkedIn and Company Website: Use LinkedIn and the company’s ‘About Us’ page to research the interviewers’ backgrounds. Understanding their roles, professional interests, and career paths can help you establish a connection during the interview.
Question Preparation
Common Interview Questions: Prepare for standard interview questions such as your strengths and weaknesses, career goals, and reasons for applying. Practice your responses to ensure clarity and confidence.
Role-Specific Questions: Anticipate questions that are specific to the role you are applying for. Think about how you would demonstrate your knowledge and skills relevant to the job.
Questions to Ask the Interviewer: Prepare a list of questions to ask the interviewer. This could be about the company culture, specific job responsibilities, or the team you will be working with. Asking insightful questions shows your interest in the role and your proactive nature.
Final Preparation Tips
Mock Interviews: Conduct mock interviews with friends or mentors to practice your responses and get feedback.
Dress Appropriately: Choose your interview attire wisely. It should be professional and align with the company’s culture.
Plan Your Journey: If the interview is in-person, plan your journey in advance. Arriving on time is crucial.
Ambience of the room: If the interview is virtual try to sit in a quiet and well-lit room.
I found this step-by-step guide to preparing for interviews very helpful. It provides great tips and reminders for every aspect of the process. One question I have is, do you have any additional advice for handling behavioral or situational questions during an interview?
Hello,
Absolutely. There are various aspects involved in handling behavioral and/ or situational questions during an interview.
STAR method is the best way out of such situations. Using this method, you would need to think of specific examples from your past experiences where you demonstrated the desired skills and qualities. In STAR method S stands for Situation, T for Task, A for Action, and for Result) to structure your answers, you listen to the question very carefully, relate it to a pas experience of yours and come back stronger by explaining the interviewer what you did exactly when this happened to you in the past.
Also, if something like this has never happened before, ask the hiring manager for 2 minutes to ponder on what would you do in certain situation, you can always anticipate for any such questions if you research well about the company. You can check their Glassdoor, or you can also check LinkedIn profiles of people working there, even try to connect with some of them and try to learn about company culture.