Do you remember your life’s first interview experience?
The one you gave when you were too young and unaware of what you really wanted to do in life. The one you gave wearing proper formals for the first time- confused whether you should tie or untie your coat’s button while facing the interviewer!
I am sure you have gone down memory lane by now –
I was 19 when I first appeared for a summer internship interview in an esteemed government organization in Delhi. I was in 3rd year of my engineering college in a tier-2 city and barely knew what to say or how to behave? All I knew was I wanted to get that internship opportunity.
I went in and sat in front of the interviewer who was at least 50 years old. He started reviewing my documents and asked me- Why is your GPA so average? Why haven’t you scored well in the JEE mains examination? Where do you see yourself after 10 years? Why do you want to move to Delhi?
To my surprise, none of the questions were on what have I done in the recent past- my projects, co-curricular activities, and hey! He did not ask me the traditional question- Tell me something about yourself? I was so confused and felt like it was not the question rather it was a bullet hitting me!
To my surprise, I managed to ace the interview and got my dream internship. Do you want to know how? Come let us learn the below steps on how to ace an Interview?
#1. Be confident:
Trust me, being confident and a smile while speaking to the panelists can go a long way. Mind you there is a difference between being arrogant and being confident. One should always answer all questions politely with a strong sense of self-belief.
#2. Need not know it all
Knowing everything will not help you in fact it will confuse you to great extent. Keep your knowledge limited to the role you are appearing for. Have a thorough understanding of your resume- academics, curricular activities, past work experience (if any). Always do research on the industry/domain you’re about to interview for. E.g. if you’re about to join a Fintech industry have sound knowledge about Payouts, collections, digital banking, etc.
#3. Pause. Breathe. Answer
There might be instances where you face questions you had not prepared or don’t know the answer to. You might freeze for a second and that’s completely Okay. Always pause, take a deep breath, and take your time to think and answer. Remember answering correctly is way more important than answering fast. You may always ask the recruiter, “May I please take a minute to answer this question?” This will help you put your thoughts together and present them in a better way.
#4. Dress Smartly
We all have heard the first impression is the last impression, right? This largely implies to your interview process. Always wear decent formals in monochrome colors and have a decent hairdo to look presentable. Make sure your outfit is not too tight or too loose. It might distract you while answering questions. Be comfortable in your outfit and don’t overdo things. Keep it simple silly!
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Author – Shriya Bhandari, Relationship Manager at Paytm Payments Bank
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