Kamal Institute of Higher Education & Advance Technology organized a guest lecture on “Interview Skills & Personality Development” as a part of Knowledge series-1 via zoom app on 24th March 2021 at 11 am. Ms. Preeti Subberwal, Founder Director, Thoughtful engagement was the speaker for the event.
She started by quoting that mindset and approach are two most important things while appearing for an interview. She said one should be confident and prepared to do well in an interview. For this, it is important to understand the employer’s agenda of conducting the interview. The employers aim is to:
• Assess whether you meet the job requirements
• Obtain evidence of your attitudes, skills & abilities
• Determine if you can fit in their culture
An interviewee’s aim is to:
• Persuade the panel that you have the right attitude, skills/abilities for the job
• Demonstrate your enthusiasm for the job & the organization
• Demonstrate your knowledge of the job role and the sector/industry
To achieve the above mentioned tasks, it is important for an interviewee to build a strategy. She said memorization of answers to commonly asked questions is a big no as you might panic if you forget some piece of information since it is not something that naturally comes to you.
Ms. Preeti further elaborated on the 6 simple personality development tips that freshers must work on before interviews:
1. Making an eye contact- Something as simple as eye contact can make or break your interview round. A healthy eye contact when addressing your audience is the key to capturing their interest. When you meet your interviewer, make sure you have a pleasant eye contact to go along with your greeting and maintain it throughout your meeting. Avoiding eye contact or breaking it too often reflects a personality with low self-confidence and may not retain their interest in what you’re saying to them. Once you master eye contact, it is easier to work on other aspects of personality development.
2. Verbal communication - While it may not seem that important but how you communicate with your prospective employer right from the first touch point makes a huge difference in your ultimate selection. Your written and spoken skills together make up your overall communication capabilities. Right from your job application stage to your final round of interview, your selection is almost entirely driven by these skills of your personality.
What about listening though? When you are listening to someone, don’t stare at them continuously to show your interest. It may become uncomfortable for the speaker, especially if it is a one-on-one interaction. Instead, you can alternate between looking at them, nodding occasionally and agreeing with words such as “yes”, “right”, “true”,” hmmm” and so on.
3. Using the body language as a tool - You speak more with your body than you do with your mouth. It reflects your confidence and personality more than when you express through speech. You may not have realized it but when you respond to someone you also respond to their body language. Having a simple smile on your face can go a long way in creating a positive aura around your personality as opposed to keeping a straight face.
4. Sitting with Crossed arms and legs - Crossing arms and legs is actually considered a sure sign of displaying resistance towards the other person. So, the best way to reflect a respectful and confident personality is to keep your hands folded lightly on your lap, occasionally using gestures to make your point, and keep your legs open and straight.
5. Maintaing a Good Posture- Practicing good posture is not only beneficial for professional discussions such as interviews but also helps improve your back. This is a great way to boost your attention and confidence levels while working on your personality development.
6. Appropriate Dress code- Even though personality development is about working on your inner self, the wardrobe does come into play. While it is almost expected to adopt a formal look when going for interviews, it also depends on who you‘re interviewing with. Some industries actually promote a more casual way of working and that reflects in their way of dressing too.
Considering that many students are appearing for job and internship interviews at this point of time, this topic was something that they could very well relate to. Ms. Preeti made this session really interesting by making students answer some witty questions and keeping them engaged. It was a very informative session for all.
