3 key takeaways to be successful at an interview
Finding a suitable job isn’t easy (says a recruiter who goes through a tough time matching suitable candidates with the perfect job roles), so is matching a candidate for a particular role. Good jobs exist and so do good candidates.
Where is the lag then? Why is it that the good candidates, at times, lose a chance of faring well through the interviews? Maybe because they didn’t outperform in those 30 - 40 minutes, maybe they couldn’t highlight what they were good at, or maybe the interviewer didn’t understand. It could be any of these or any other reason, but the end result is a candidate not getting through the interview rounds despite getting a chance to be interviewed.
Giving a thought on the slack between the expectations and the actual performance of the candidate, here’s what I could think of to be the key take aways to ensure success in an interview.
1. WATCH OUT FOR THE ATTRIBUTES THAT THE ROLE DOERS POSSESS
A role that we choose to apply for, we should try getting in touch with the people in the company at that role. Better to get in touch with someone we can gauge is doing well in the role. Speaking to a few of them and studying a bit about what makes them successful at their job is important. For example, if X applies for a Product Engineer role at A company, and gets in touch with 3 — 4 Engineers out there, he will be able to know what sort of processes are followed while pushing the PRs. What are the ideation methods involved while planning for a feature, etc. How frequently the new features come in, how does the market research happen, etc. The quick interaction helps us gauge the interpersonal, articulation, managerial skills as well. All in all, we’re able to lost up the key requirements and then probably prepare ourself to showcase those attributes from our role/experience in the past.
2. GIVE EVIDENCE OF THOSE ATTRIBUTES IN YOUR ANSWERS
Talking about using what we learnt in the point above. Once we’ve enlisted the key attributes, next comes the portrayal. I’m not talking about putting up a false show here, mind it, that gets caught in one step or the other.
Enlisting attributes only helps us prepare for the interview well, making sure that we do not miss on the things worth a mention for that company. Lemme pick up an example from the Customer Support role for this point, let’s say the company in question gives more importance to being transparent infront of the customer. In such cases when talking about the past experience we need to consciously talk about a situation where we depicted that attribute.
This will sub consciously trigger interviewer’s mind while he/she fills in the scorecards for us.
3. USE “STAR” TECHNIQUE
Studied the attributes, listed the events/evidences for showcasing them- check. What comes next? Is there a best and a believable method to put forth what holds true? Yes!
STAR technique for proving your behavioral mettle works the best.
These points when taken into consideration can ensure your success during an interview.
