Interviews often become throat-squeezing for freshers. But the reality is different. As a fresher or pro, if you see the other side of the coin, interviews can look just like a simple podcast simply talking to someone asking some FAQs (Frequently Asked Questions).
In this guide, we will see interview preparation in an entirely new way. Without chewing the grass again, again, and another time “again,” we will see interview preparation as a mind game between you and HR, where you will just act like a mirror of their minds. Let’s first talk a little bit about,
What Are Interviews?
Interviews are simple conversations between a hiring personnel and a job aspirant. They often last for less than one hour. In modern-day companies, interviews hardly last for 30–45 minutes, making the interview a short, concise, and effective conversation.
Most Interviews are Highly Preoccupied and Hence the Easiest to Crack
Nearly 90% of all interviews have some fixed questions in common.
- Introduce Yourself
- How will you positively impact the company in this role?
- Why Should We Hire You?
- Is there anything you want to ask?
So, as a reader, if you have read till this, you must be wondering nothing else is going to be there? What if the recruiter asks something else? The secret is, if you are prepared to answer these questions, there can be a million other questions that you will be able to answer like a pro.
Let’s first discuss the 4 steps to make yourself prepared for an interview before unearthing the answers to these most common interview questions.
Follow These 4 Simple Steps In Your Interview Preparation and Do Nothing Else
You won’t find these magical yet effective 4 steps to be prepared for an interview anywhere else on the entire internet, so read them carefully. All everything may taste sound juicy, but the outcomes are guaranteed.
Step #1 – Scan Your Inner Self Before Anything Else
Before anything else, be sure about yourself, do you really need this job? If you are sure that you need this job, you are 50% done. It becomes difficult by default when you are trying to get something you don’t really want. Sounds a little bit creepy, but that’s the truth. A book named Think and Grow Rich by Napoleon Hill describes the story of Thomas Alva Edison and Edwin C. Barnes.
Edwin C. Barnes, a middle-aged man, deeply cherished a partnership with one of the greatest scientists, Thomas Alva Edison, at a time when Edison was at his prime. After working as a clerk in Edison’s office for 5 years, Edwin C. Barnes achieved it. Barnes first secured a job at literally any cost, even working as a wiper at Edison’s office.
This is the key to deciding if you really want a specific job seeing the bigger picture of the future. For an easy instance, image a job as a junior software developer at Google can land you $million contracts in other companies after a certain time. But if you are not ready to jump in as a trainee with $300 pocket money, you may not be able to reach that same desk in the same company even after working for 15 years in a row.
Step #2 – Judge Yourself Before Anyone Else
In my 5+ years of HR career, I have seen people applying for the position of HOD without having any prior experience in that specific field and vice-versa. A university graduate must know about the hierarchy of the company they are trying to land a job in.
If you are finding it difficult to find, consider yourself: how many years have you worked, do you have hands-on experience, or something similar to the position you are applying for? If not, stop there. That is not your place.
Underestimating yourself is not the key here, nor is overestimation. Try to understand that businesses are often run by the most realistic persons over there; stories won’t perform very well.
And if you are qualified, things won’t always be the same. Some balloons fly because they have light gases inside them, and some don’t because they are not meant to.
Understand who you are, what your calibre, capacity, and certification are; things will become transparent by default.
Step #3 – Consider How Your Knowledge Can Help the Business Be More Profitable
For instance, if you are joining as a chemist in a tanning workshop, your chemical knowledge should help the business find the most cost-effective tanning solution that fits them practically.
Or maybe you are joining HR; a clear understanding of how to hire the smartest people with the highest skills within a minimum wage will be the key. You may memorise an entire book full of labor law, but if you don’t know how to negotiate with a person for position, salary, work schedule, etc., companies may start looking for a replacement within your probation.
Using these two examples, consider your field of study and the job post you are applying for. List down your thoughts about the companies’ products or services and how to make them more profitable. Never fear that you will sound like an over-smart person; people are looking for smart people. Being a little bit over is not something bad; rather, being too formal may break the deal.
Step #4 – Write Some Answers to FAQs (Not All HR Managers Love Too Much Philosophy)
In step one, we have tried to assure that as a candidate you are desperate enough to give your best. In the second step, we have refined self-esteem to self-confidence. In the third step, we have tried to make you ready for technical questions in the interview, as following the third step will make you capable of answering any question regarding the product or service of the company you are going to sit for an interview with.
But in real life, conversations are a little bit formal in the first 2–5 minutes of interviews. In this phase, the interviewer is most likely to ask you set questions like:
- Introduce Yourself – Answer who you are, what you know, what your expertise is
- Why you are interested in this position – Because you can help the company with your skills
- Why Should the Company Hire You – Because you have education, certification, knowledge, and a clear understanding of the product of the company
Other Aspects of Job Preparation People Often Miss Out
People often get dressed too formally for an interview, but this doesn’t help. When you are struggling to carry what you are wearing, you are less likely to talk in your entirety. Wear clean and pressed formal outfits that you are most comfortable with.
Be the guy who can really help the board out, waiting there to hire someone and share their workload. If you are already that person, you are hired. Never take salaries too seriously when you are a fresher; never switch if the salary is less than 85% of your present salary; that’s the rule of thumb.
Win the Stage With Calm, The CEOs Love to See Confident People Around Them
No job is permanent, even if you get hired; one day you will have to leave the company. So do not take anything personally. Try to have that practicality in your mind that there can be better candidates for the same position you are applying to. Hired or not, never mind enjoy the time you are with those people you want to be like.