Groundwork Of An Interview

Want to take a leap in career but not sure where to start? There are a number of steps you can take before (and after) the interview to ensure that you make a terrific impression on your potential employer. Let’s go through the "before" steps together.

Step 1: Pre- Preparation Analysis

Self - analysis is very crucial in deciding the preparation strategy. The two key elements in this process are:

I] Time span:

if you have ample time to prepare, I would recommend understanding every topic compressively. Just in case, you are running out of time, you must avoid getting deep understanding of a few topics and try to cover all the paramount topics.

II] Learning Pace: Learning pace is a relative term and varies according to individuals. Time and Pace go hand-in-hand for planning out preparation strategy.

Step 2: Determining the Aim and Objective

This step is like a pre-workout meal. If you skip it you will be able to achieve a result but not the best one. Understand your aspiration and analyze which companies you want to aim for. Start with your dream company and extend the list with its competitors and other considerations.

              The other point to consider for this is your “walk-away number”. Ensure the listed firms fits your bill. Forums like Glassdoor, LinkedIn, etc. can assist you.

Step 3: Write The Resume

A resume is a tool for marketing yourself. To stand out among other applicants, you need a resume that markets your strengths and matches for the job. There are multiple online formats for effective resume writing.

 Note: You should be aware of every single word written is resume.

Step 4: The Game Plan

Identify the interview process for the firms listed in Step 2 and draw up the plan accordingly. Let’s consider an example of  Software Developer interview:

The interview process is split into:

              I] The interview test: This majorly includes coding questions and a few MCQs. In case you need to prepare for this, multiple sites such as Hackerank, Hackerearth, etc. will provide a forum for solving coding questions.

              II]The face to face interviews:  The number of F2F rounds varies for every organization. Be prepared with technical knowledge. Refer to online interview questions. Ensure you have examples to back-up the claims made in the resume.

Step 5 : Practice makes you perfect

If possible, arrange mock interviews. If not, attend as many interviews as possible. Every interview is an intense learning experience. After the end of every interview, you will have at least a new thing added to your pool of knowledge.

Note: Refrain from attending an interview in dream companies until you are confident with your preparation.

All the best! Stay tuned for the  "After" steps.