Mastering the Interview: Insights for Preparation & Success

When preparing for an interview, it's important to understand what interviewers typically look for in candidates. This knowledge can help you focus your preparation and present yourself effectively. Let's explore the key areas that interviewers generally assess during the interview process.

What interviewers generally check:

• Your Competence? Are your skills, knowledge and experience good enough to perform in the job? They will ask about what you have done, how you did and with what results. The majority of time is spent here drilling you to ensure you’ve what it takes to do the job.

• Are you motivated? The energy, enthusiasm and ideas you are going to the table matters a lot. Again, non-explicit and subtle, but an important piece. Answer enthusiastically, and interviewer will ‘feel’ your energy.

• Cultural fit: If interviewer doesn’t like you, you are not hired – period. Whatever great skills and experience you may have; you need to be in good books of the interviewer. Study organization culture (or the boss for a small org) before appearing for the interview. An interviewer may not ask any explicit question about this but unless you are able to win his/her trust, your chance of selection is bleak. Would you like to work with someone you dislike?

The above questions should surely help you in preparing for interviews.

Try to assess the real intent of the question asked (if you can bucket that into above 3/4 broad categories, you know what is being asked and are in better position to answer.

How to prepare for interviews:

Try to attend as many interviews as possible. If you can’t, then look for mock interviews (maybe with professional friends), or seek help from some industry professional. Get as much feedback as you can, analyze it and try to improve your weak areas, including communication.

If you are a fresher/junior developer, you’ll most likely be asked to write some programs. You need to do 3 things: 1) practice 2) practice and 3) more practice.

If you are going for some senior technical positions, you’ll be asked about design problems. Again, practice makes you perfect here.

And when you are solving the problems in front of an interviewer, don’t keep thinking, speak out loud. Take the interviewer along with you on the solution journey. It’s important for him/her to know your thought process (many time even if you are not able to solve the problem 100%, but your thinking process gives the feeling of ‘potential’ candidate - increases your chance.

You want to give up?

Because it’s too hard! DON’T EVER. Remember the old saying: “success is 10% talent and 90% perseverance”. Look at any of the great achievers – none of them had a smooth journey. Quitters don’t believe in themselves, and thus others exhibit same behavior – quitters are not trusted. I have seen candidates whose English is too broken, I asked if they would want to improve upon it, and of course they absolutely wanted. But even after 6 months, they are still at the same level of English – no improvement because there was NO ACTION. Any improvement requires effort.

And then many people attach social stigma – “what other will think about me”. I don’t understand it, if you are so concerned about other’s feelings, then prepare better and show them your capabilities. Nobody comes to this world from mother’s womb knowing everything.

Conclusion

The article provides insights into effective interview preparation and success strategies. It highlights key areas interviewers focus on, such as job fit, motivation, and cultural compatibility. The importance of practice, especially for technical roles, is emphasized, along with the value of mock interviews and feedback. The article encourages perseverance, stressing that improvement requires effort and action, and advises against giving up despite challenges.