A sweaty palm, increased pulse
rate, butterflies in the stomach and in some cases hyperventilating – who
doesn’t know about interviews. I know interviews can be nerve- wrecking sometimes.
I have been through a lot of them, having a firsthand experience of it. I know
that there are a lot of great inputs already available on the net. This post is
just an extension to all great points and importantly providing a different
point of view to an interview. This article is a result of requests from few of
my friends who have understood, tried and benefited out of this different point
of view of an interview. Now as I think and write this post after counseling a
lot of people on how to ease this entire process; I wish I did this a long time
ago.
This post does not talk about
do’s and don’ts of an interview, instead, it speaks about what your interviewer
thinks about your interview and what should you think about your own.
Interview, as we know, is a
process of two people exchanging views with different purposes. The
interviewer’s role is to assess the interviewee’s credentials and capabilities.
Interviewee, in turn, ascertains the same through documentation or verbal
explanation. The result of this process could be varied.
Most of the people who face an
interview make the same mistake of over thinking, interpreting the result and
allow it to mess; what otherwise could have been a good interview process. I am
sure I would be right if I say -In fact, most of the times we can’t help it.
However, the following changes to our point of view may change things
differently and work to our advantage:
·
The outcome of
the interview is a major worry haunting us – the only two outcomes can be
whether we are successful at it or we are not.
·
Interview like
any other process has various drivers that determine its outcome.
·
Understanding
the drivers instead of focusing on the outcome will take us that far towards success. (For understanding the
drivers better please refer to my previous post: Knowing the Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities (KSA) well.
·
A key component
assessed during an interview along with KSA’s, is our capability to withstand
pressure. (All the more reason for our thoughts of the outcome not to mess with
the process itself.)
The suggestions above will leave
you thinking how it will benefit me should I adopt this approach? A very valid
point, once adopted, these suggestions will not ensure that you crack every
interview you face. However, one thing it can do is prepare you to face the
toughest of interviews; help you give
your best shot in each interview you face.
The Interviewer, on other hand, has
a set of prerequisites for the role such as KSA’s behavior, composure, ability
to handle pressure etc. You are evaluated against your competition on these
parameters. The sooner this process is complete and the best match is obtained
the better for him/her.
Thanks a lot! I really appreciate your time reading this post. I
hope you enjoy reading the posts and find it helpful. I request you to share
the learning as much as possible so that many more benefit from it. I would be
glad to know your inputs both For or Against. Please feel free to post, share
or like if you find it useful.
Happy Learning! and Happy Sharing!
