There is a wonderful story on how Birbal got HIRED for the coveted ministerial position in the courtroom of Emperor Akbar. One day there was a hiring announcement done in the township of Fatehpur Sikri. The Emperor was looking for a smart minister, he knew that the routine hiring techniques will never help to fill the position. He knew that the test has to be an “out of the box” concept & insanely challenging. The announcement read that the desiring candidate has to open a complicated high-end lock. Many aspiring for the coveted seat burnt the midnight oil by practicing to open some of the most complicated locking systems in the country, with high levels of anxiety. However, Birbal didn’t appear to be too perturbed about the interview, though he did prepare for the meeting. The next day, the candidates were all lined up in the courtroom, the lock-in question was placed in front of them. They were asked to come forward with the perfectly matching key for the same. All the candidates, except Birbal, took out their heavy bunch of keys and started to decide on the right key to be taken up. Birbal walked up to the lock and checked it, found that the lock was slightly pushed inside, it was never locked. In a jiffy, he opened the same. This impressed Emperor Akbar & he instantly hired Birbal for the position, offering him an attractive designation, package & perks.
We have been working in recruitment for the past 20 + years, it’s been a mixed bag of experience, learning, regrets, humour & so on. Irrespective of the years of experience, every candidate has a certain amount of anxiety while bracing for an interview. This formed the trigger to blog on the theme. Though several inputs popped up during the brainstorming session, we narrowed it down to the top 10 aspects that a candidate needs to fine-tune to ace an interview. We call them the “Ten 10”.
1). Know your resume – This document speaks up before you meet the interviewer. The candidate should own what is written in the resume, every word & phrase in it. One should ensure that
- False statements are avoided at any cost
- She has clear explanations for every statement made in the resume
2). Dress code – Undoubtedly, a formal dress code is the most preferred & safe option. The candidate must ensure that
- Casual dressing is avoided unless the interview is for Google Inc.
- Bright colour clothing is avoided
3). Self-introduction – This step is like a warm-up session before a workout. The interviewer uses this time to start building rapport with the candidate, mentally start taking notes as well. It is a smart idea to introduce with a small story about self. For instance, a candidate can start the narration with a capsule of the family background, then move on with
- A gist on academic background, various courses done beyond the school/ college curriculum
- The triggers for the various career moves, experience gained in each stint
4). Functional Knowledge – Nothing supersedes a deep & thorough knowledge of the function that one is attached to or aspires to make a career out of it. It is advisable to
- update oneself on recent concepts & trends on the chosen field
- read about the current company, it’s various businesses & the industry segment
- know the company’s target for the current year & it’s the plan to achieve the same
5). Know the Company – Many interviewers like to hear about the company from the candidate. The candidate should spend sufficient time to prepare on the following areas
- Basic knowledge of the products & the services of the company for which she is attending the interview
- Input on the turnover & it’s plans
6). Strengths & Weakness – Most of the candidates speak a lot about their various strengths, however, they hardly share the various areas of improvement. This way, the interviewer will never get a full picture of the candidate. The candidate must have
- clear & distinct examples of the various strengths & incidents to prove the same
- to justify the various areas of improvement with examples & a clear plan to work on the same
7). Highlight the HIGHLIGHTS – Prepare well on specific/ noteworthy contributions made in each assignment. This serves as the differentiating edge & separates us from the rest of the crowd. Ensure to mention
- your role in the project & the result of the same
- not more than 2 contributions in each assignment
8). Expectations from new job – The candidate should be able to express clearly the expectations from the job for which she is attending the interview. The candidate should ask the interviewer on
- the roles & responsibilities of the job
- the infrastructure support to be anticipated
- the growth prospects in the short & long run
9). Communicate effectively – This assessment is of pivotal importance, however, it is not so much about the language skill. The candidate should ensure to respond to the various questions with precise answers. Certain tips are as follows
- It is best to speak slowly, coherently & with clarity with emphasis on the voice modulation & correctness of the responses
- Responses to the queries should not consume more than 3 minutes, except technical subjects which may require some additional time to be explained
10). Salary negotiations – It is advisable to avoid discussing the compensation unless asked. It can be pushed to subsequent levels of the interview, preferably after the candidate is shortlisted/ selected in the interviews.
We sincerely hope that the “Ten 10” tips will help you glide in the forthcoming interviews. Do wait for the next blog on yet another interesting theme.
Nageshwari A & Venkatakrishnan R
