Facing the interview…in people/team management – A different point of view.

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!