While you must have come across countless articles with a similar heading, I want to tell you all something that nobody spoke to me about. The first word that comes to my mind when people ask me tips for an interview is introspection. Every question that you will answer right from ‘Tell me about yourself’ to ‘Why MBA?’ has to be grounded in your unique reality. While we think that the honest answer to these questions is ‘to make money,’ there has to be a reason for why you chose to do what you did at every crossroad in your life. Even if the reason doesn’t make you look like a genius, say it. Questions like Why engineering? Why this college? All are asked to understand if you find any pattern or reasons in your life, or you think it’s all a game of dice.
Every decision that you have taken and will take will end up adding value to your life and career; the trick is to articulate this value and let the interviewers know that you are aware of the consequences of the decisions you have made. After all, these decisions are the reasons you are where you are today.
Till now, I have spoken about the overall generic guide, but there is much nitty-gritty along with this that are equally important.
The Introduction: Most interviews start with the question – Tell me about yourself. I have also noticed many interviewers don’t reach out for your resume. So, you have to speak out your resume. And because you are a human, you are expected to let them know about your life and the kind of person you are, very eloquently in about 2 minutes. It helps if you can make them into a story with a solid screenplay. Highlight anything that makes you look different- maybe you moved around a lot, or you are currently very interested in Ayn Rand or Obama, you have travelled a lot, or you have tried much more food than an average person. But anything that you decide to say in the introduction – know it inside out. If you say that you have tried eight types of Vada Paav, make sure you know how to make them with very specific detail etched in your memory.
Why MBA?: To start with, ask yourself why you want to do it. If your answer is to make money, keep thinking. One direction you should think about, is to relate the concept of an MBA to your education, jobs, and goals in life. How is an MBA degree going to bring changes in you for the better? How precisely do you want to use these two years so that you can be the best version of yourself? How do you plan to add value to an organization because of your MBA?
Presentation: Your body language and vibe are on display before you have taken your seat. The panelists might already know if you are scared, overconfident or careless. What kind of a person would you like to associate with? A genuinely intelligent and positive person gets picked first anywhere. The trick to looking like that is to have a small smile throughout the interview. Even when you don’t know the answer – smile, and let them know that you don’t know it. Smile, and thank them for their time before you leave. Just smile.
Prepare: My advice on the level of preparation you need to have would be to start saying your Tell me about yourself in reflex the moment anyone asks. Look in the mirror and ask yourself every imaginable question about yourself. Ask yourself to sing or say a dialogue. But try to go through everything that you possibly can. Some basic ones are - tell me something that is not on your resume, strengths, weaknesses, hobbies, failures, etc. Prepare till the fear doesn’t affect your performance in the interview. You’ll have so many scary moments in MBA that fear of interviews is one thing you should have overcome before you come here.
In the end, wherever you join, try to let this process genuinely enrich you as a person. I hope I could be of some help. All the best for your interview!
About the Author:
Aditi S R is a First-Year Student at DMS, IIT Delhi who has a
hobby of writing blogs and helping peers.