How To Prepare for The Personal Interview - 1

Personal Interview (PI): Know Yourself

Here are some basic things you need to prepare before you face an interview panel.

Introduction

Prepare a proper ‘Formal Introduction’ of yourself.

Write down your answer in a notebook and read the notebook before you go for interviews.

Introduction 1: The ‘Summary of CV’ Introduction.

This is the type of introduction you give when nothing is specified. The panel simple asks you a question like ‘Introduce Yourself’ , ‘Tell us something about yourself.’

It is best to keep this answer to around 4-5 lines. Do not keep going on and on.

Your answer should cover your basic details and thus it is like a short summary of your CV. It usually includes (this is not exhaustive, just the basics but make sure you keep it genuine and not end up sounding like a parrot who has mugged up the lines word for word):

-          Your Name

-          Your Educational Background (with specialization)

-          Your Native Place

-          Your Family Background

-          Your interests/hobbies/goals/strengths (One thing that you love talking about.)

The last line of your introduction is the most important as it is a directing statement or a leading statement. 

Example:

“Good Morning, I am Rahul. I have done my engineering in Electronics from XYZ College in Delhi. I belong to Chandigarh and my parents are both working in the service industry. I like to watch cricket and I’m a very optimistic, easy-going person.”

Here the panel can ask Rahul any one of the following questions:

-         -  "Tell us more about your Family"

-         -  "You watch cricket: Who are your favorite players, What qualities you like about them the most…. Etc.?"

-         -  "Can you cite an instance from your life to prove that you are optimistic and easy-going ?"

OR

They can simply move on to the next question which may not be directly related to your answer.

But it is always best to end your introduction with something you are really passionate about/ are really comfortable talking about.  

Introduction 2: The ‘Not in the CV’ Introduction

A lot of interviewers like to ask this question: “Tell us something about yourself that is not already in your CV.”

They already know what marks you scored, they already know what college you graduated from hence they feel it is unnecessary for you to repeat the same things in the interview. So you should be well-prepared with this part also.

How you handle this question will determine your first impression on the panel, so make sure you know exactly what you are saying. 

You can mention the following:

-          Your Name

-          Your background highlighting your strengths

-          Hobbies/Interests
-     Future goals

(Keep it short, keep it natural.)

Example 1: “Good Morning everyone, I am Karan. I am one of the top 15 students of my graduating batch. I have been an active participant in many extra-curricular activities during my school and college days. My 2 year stint with XYZ company helped me realize the importance of team-work and good leadership. I like listening to music and reading magazines. I am a very dedicated person.I want to pursue an MBA in Finance.”

In this example the candidate is likely to be asked questions about any of the following:

-          - His Graduation Subjects (Proof that he knows his subjects well, also shows he is a dedicated person)

-          - His extra-curricular activities

-         -  His work at XYZ Company (The way he talks about it can show that it was a good learning experience.)

-          - Music and magazines he likes (He should be well aware of the names he mentions.)
-     His career path in Finance and what he wants to do in the field. 

Do not mention anything that you do not want to be asked more about.

Example 2:  “Good Morning Sir, I am Kiran, I am a curious person with a keen interest in human psychology. I am a hard-working student; I am open to new ideas. I like reading and dancing in my free time. My role model is Steve Jobs.”

In this example the candidate is likely to be asked questions about any of the following:

-          Psychology (The panel might ask her what she thinks about them and their personalities etc. trying to gauge her confidence level on the matter.)

-        -  Explain why she calls herself a curious person

-        -  Favorite books/dancers/dance-forms

-       -   Steve Jobs

Be honest and try to present a picture of yourself that you can justify. If you don’t think there is any particular thing that defines you or makes you stand out, talk to your friends, mentors, teachers, parents and get to know yourself better. (Doing a SWOT Analysis can help a lot.)

Define yourself/ Describe yourself in 1 line/Describe yourself in 1 word:

This is the essence of your personality. So choose wisely what you are going to say. The only thing that matters is that you should be able to justify what you say, by validating it with your past achievements and your behavior in the interview.

What you say and what you are should be the same, hence pretending to be someone totally different from yourself will not work.

You just have to tell the truth attractively.

Example 1: “I am an open-minded, easy-going person.”

Example 2: “I am focused, sincere and goal-oriented.”

Example 3: “I would like to define myself as a traveler – I like to explore new topics, new areas and new places.”

Try to think of 5 simple, positive words/qualities that describe you best as a person.

You can choose from this list in order to frame your answer: Caring, friendly, honest, upfront, sincere, hard-working, open-minded, optimistic, meticulous, good decision-maker, strong leader, enjoy working in a group, enjoy getting to know people, punctual, task-oriented, goal-oriented, helpful, analytical, imaginative, creative, organized, systematic, methodical, open to new ideas, new challenges, quick learner, patient, tolerant, passionate about abc thing, logical, self-motivated, persistent. 

(Make sure whatever you say fits your marks, your achievement levels, information given in your CV. Do not try to be over smart. Try to use simple phrases to describe yourself instead of using big, hi-fi words.)

Very Important:  Do not lie. Be genuine, be yourself. Your confidence level in the interview will depend on how comfortable you are being yourself. For eg. If you have a gap in your education you need to comfortable talking about it, you need to show that you realise whatever the reason for the gap, it was a gross neglect of your education and it is a mistake you do not want to repeat. Focus on your positive qualities and your future career goals, about which now you are very serious. 

Always validate your points with factual evidence. Do not claim to be a sincere, hard-working person if your marks are below 70% and you are a fresher. If you have work-experience use achievements at the work place to justify your strengths. 

So before you start preparing all the answers, just spend some time with yourself and talk out your issues. Your biggest doubts and things about yourself that you don’t like will come out like a waterfall if you don’t start building the dam now.

Learn to respect yourself for what you are and it will help you ace any interview.  All the best.

- TCM.