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Interview preparation begins early
11 things to be well
prepared for an Interview
The world of work is set
to witness dramatic changes to cope with the lightening pace of technological
changes. Innovation is going the rule the roost in the days ahead. And not surprisingly,
uncertainty and pressures could be felt in the corporate corridors. As a
consequence of all that, drastic changes could be expected in the areas of
desirable skill sets, including domain knowledge, trending technologies and
attitudes that are so critical to any Industry. Recent trends point to
realignment of skills set mix across Sectors, Jobs and positions.
Skills could very well
gain precedence over Scale when it comes to hiring outlook demonstrated by
companies. Quality could triumph over quantity in job hiring. Fast paced
technological changes could throw up quite astonishingly new and unexpected
areas of business opportunities and employment potential.
Come what may, in spite
of all the fluidity and uncertain times in the employment scenario , some
generic skill sets are surely going to stand the test of time and continue to
grip the imagination of Job hunters.
A well balanced and well
proportioned CV could well be a game changer in any Interview. And that could
happen only when the candidate is able to use that as an active tool in the
entire process. However, a good CV can only initiate and inject an early feel
good factor into the interview. But the candidate must quickly create
opportunities to showcase desirable skills and attitude. Remember, Employers
are interested in your skills, not your CV, however professionally or
magniloquently could be written. And importantly it’s the fitment to a
Job/position that is critical. All companies would like to see their
prospective employees to add value to their organisation. Don’t miss the above
point!
It’s a well-proportioned mix of physical,
intellectual and psychological factors that a candidate must look at if one is
serious about a Job interview. Needless to say, preparation must be free from
time and resource constraints. The preparation to successfully face an interview must be kick
started quite early, not just around campus recruitment season.
The key to developing
sustainable skill sets and abilities depend on the freedom in the use variety
and use of resources, spread across longer, flexible time /space zones.
What is needs is a simple
and imaginative approach at making anlaysis, identifying skills requirements
and creating a plan of action, keeping in view the emerging trends and
opportunities. Simple but regular focus on key areas of Aptitude and reasoning,
communication & presentation skills and the entire gamut of enabling skills,
popularly known as Soft skills could well be quite beneficial. Last minute
rushes at mastering these skills could be quite unproductive.
This article puts forward a
tentative list of most favoured 10 skills that one needs to focus on in the run
up to an Interview.
1. Knowing the Self
One needs to have a clear understanding
of his basic personality traits, including strengths, weaknesses, opinions,
personal values, beliefs, thoughts, motivation and emotions.
In times of great changes,
a clear awareness of the innate thoughts, emotions, words, and behaviour may
help someone to effectively channelize energies and resources in a confident
and well –directed manner, thus connecting with others .
2. Knowing Technology
In the times of IT
revolution, it’s common for employers to expect skill or expertise in the
resources like e-mailing, word processing, and spreadsheet, information search,
making presentations, marketing and many other tasks.
Now, the focus is on
certain technology-oriented skills relate to the ability to use IT
applications, programming language, e-commerce, social media and blogs, and
e-banking, cloud computing, coding, Data Analytics and Mobile Apps and gaming.
An interface with future
trends in technologies is always useful. Because the future of any business
shall be decided by Technological changes that the world witnesses.
3. Knowing to Communicate
Written as well as oral
communication skills rank higher in the wish list of Job hunters as well as
Professional managers as we live in a multicultural world. On any given day, a
professional in the corporate sector spends quite a lot of working time on e-mails,
reports, proposals, operating procedures, presentations, seminars, memos etc.
So it is highly essential
that an employee is able to write succinctly and converse effectively, in
multiple settings.
Developing an ability to
write a short, concise, powerful and well-formatted CV could just be some of
the vital activities in which a candidate can put to use his writing skills.
We need to keep in mind
that a candidate is as good as his CV. But that does not mean he/she has to
confine himself/herself to its perimeter. We need to go beyond and most
importantly exhibit an innate flexibility and versatility in dealing with
questions or issues in an interview. Please remember that an interview is just
a platform to exhibit our skills and abilities by way of clear articulation and
precision.
4. Going Global!
Globalization has shrunk
the world to a village, seamlessly connected. And businesses have become global
in terms of markets, products and employees as well. So, it is important to
inculcate openness and assimilate good practices from other cultures.
Practically, when we apply for a job in an MNC or otherwise, we have no choice
but to be open to accept cultural diversity, manners and etiquettes, habits
related to time, behaviour, work styles and communication nuances etc.
In today’s competitive work
culture, to be smart is to be global.
5. Teaming up !
In today’s work culture, to
be able to work effectively with others is the most desirable employability
skill.
In order to positive and
productive with other people, we need to focus on making effective us e of Interpersonal skills.
Good interpersonal skills
allow you to participate effectively as a member of a team, satisfy customers
and clients' expectations, negotiate, make decisions, manage your time
efficiently, take responsibility, and work effectively with other employees.
Hiring managers look for
the ability to work effectively with peers and supervisors, and in a
cross-functional space.
6. Learning and Assimilation
Ability to learn to learn
and assimilate is a crucial skill in today’s rapidly changing world replete
with frequent changes in technology, policies and products.
This helps in your ability
to undertake new tasks, filling-in the skill gaps you may and adapt to the task
at hand.
Job profiles are constantly
changing and evolving, and you must show an openness to learn and grow with
this change.
7. Problem Solving,
Decision-Making and Critical Thinking
Problem solving is a
crucial pre-requisite to a well balanced professional interaction. It allows a
candidate to be adequately assessed in various situations and responses.
This includes ability to
think, logically as well as creatively, to generate possible solutions,
selecting a solution and identifying a set of actions. It allows a candidate to
go beyond the surface meaning and gain clarity thereby standing a good chance
to prove a point.
Creative thinkers are
innovative and inventive, and are more likely to devise new ways of doing
things that add value to the work environment.
8. Quantitative and
Numerical Skill
An understanding of the
basics of quantitative aptitude makes a candidate get well prepared. Because employers try to find abilities related to analysis
of quantitative data, interpretation,
graphs and tables and basic statistics.
In addition, using an
electronic spreadsheet for data analysis is an essential skill. One must be comfortable with different time
zones, cross cultural units and terms.
9. Entrepreneurial skills
Entrepreneurship is about
starting new businesses on your own or within an organisation.
In a world constantly moved
by technological innovations, employers, today, look for entrepreneurial skills
in potential employees. And no wonder, it is looked upon as the most plausible
employment generator. One must develop the ability to see the big picture,
think big, know the ground reality and plan for taking risks .
Taking initiative, being
persistent and learning from mistakes can always help a prospective candidate and
help one to achieve goals. Employers also look for risk taking ability and
being resilient -- all key traits of entrepreneurship.
10. Networking
A candidate needs to maintain
working relationship with peers and seniors so that the required ground level
feedback could be accessed. Networking may enable a candidate to prepare a
clear strategy based on an objective analysis of a previous candidate’s
experience. One can also avoid pitfalls encountered by others.
11. Knowing the Company
Employers could feel a
sense of satisfaction and contentment by finding candidates who have taken care
to know about them. A clear understanding of a company’s details related to products
and services, verticals, areas of operation, culture and values does a
candidate a lot of good while confidently answering related questions. A
prospective employee does well by getting mentally aligned with the details of
a company.
12. Staying updated
A candidate reaps benefits of being a good and confident conversationalist when is well abreast of the current affairs in the realm of economy,politics, society , technology etc. Being regular with newspaper reading is always helpful.
In addition, an updated person could well make a good impression on an interviewer and win perception battle.
Good luck
A brief yet informative blog post sir!
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