The final leg of the process is just about going to war. Once all your preparation has been set in place and you are confident about your knowledge, skills, and ability to respond to questions, it is time to actually take the interview.

In this chapter, we explore some basic tips on being interview prep ready. So make yourself comfortable and put on your seatbelt, the ride is just about to start.

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Be ready for any opportunity

Now that you have prepared for an interview thoroughly, it’s time to start applying and receiving opportunities. Interview opportunities are erratic in nature - you never know when the right one will turn up, thus making it all the more important to always be ready for one. Remember, an opportunity can come along at any time, so the best thing to do is to have your notes ready and prepare in advance.
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If you snooze, you lose

Remember, you miss 100% of the chances you don't take. If there’s an opportunity that comes along your way, and you think it’s the right fit for you based on the role you want and the experience you have, TAKE IT! Giving interviews does not always mean you will get the job, but it’s always best to know where you stand and where organizations and their expectations align with your needs. Even when you aren’t fully sure of taking up a particular job, take the interview, there’s no harm, especially if you’re already prepared. But you’re not going to land interviews all the time. Then what? A great way to keep yourself from snoozing, in this case, is taking mock interviews. Use Preplaced to conduct mock interviews and assess your skills from time to time, so you are always prepared. This will keep you on your toes and help your concepts improve. It also counts towards your revision!

Every interview is different from the other, and it teaches you a lot about your strengths and weaknesses. Interviews help provide you with a real-time picture of where you stand, vis-a-vis your abilities, and where you need to improve.

Worst case, you treat it like a mock interview and move on!

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Take the feedback

Remember, you miss 100% of the chances you don't take. If there’s an opportunity that comes along your way, and you think it’s the right fit for you based on the role you want and the experience you have, TAKE IT! Giving interviews does not always mean you will get the job, but it’s always best to know where you stand and where organizations and their expectations align with your needs. Even when you aren’t fully sure of taking up a particular job, take the interview, there’s no harm, especially if you’re already prepared. But you’re not going to land interviews all the time. Then what? A great way to keep yourself from snoozing, in this case, is taking mock interviews. Use Preplaced to conduct mock interviews and assess your skills from time to time, so you are always prepared. This will keep you on your toes and help your concepts improve. It also counts towards your revision!

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Interview tips

There are abundant resources in terms of interview tips and tricks - from written content to video material; some companies even have their own resource repository on giving interviews well. These include tips on tackling personal questions, interrogative questions, body language, responding when you don’t have the answers, etc. It’s always great to have interview tips up your sleeve. This helps you develop your interviewing skills and keeps you prepared for any situation that may come your way. This is one of the main reasons why mock interviews are given so much importance since they actually help you hone your skills.

Not taking enough mock interviews is one of the primary reasons people fail during interviews. It’s true - most people are unable to solve problems or talk about concepts that they naturally know of because they aren’t prepared for an interview and end up getting caught off guard or just don’t know how to respond tactfully. These are things you can only learn with practice. Taking an interview is an art, which is why the constant emphasis on taking enough mocks to prepare for the real thing. Mock interviews help immensely here as they prepare you for a unique skill of "problem-solving during real interviews.”

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Don’t forget to have a great resume

We’ve talked a great deal about the interview process, but we haven’t touched on one main aspect of a job interview yet - the resume. It is very important to have a great resume in place - one that you can immediately share with a prospective employer, even on short notice.

Your resume should be updated to reflect your latest qualifications and achievements and should be succinctly summed up to give the recruiter a crisp impression of your professional experience. There are many tips you can find on how to prepare a great resume. Some basic tips to keep in mind are -

• Keep the resume short - not more than 2 pages
• Highlight your work experiences by briefly providing information on achievements, work done, responsibilities carried out, etc.
• Highlight your educational qualifications and external degrees earned.
• Specify skills.

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Tip - Provide references on your resume.

Every resume should be supplemented with quality references. In today’s day and age, most recruiters want to understand whether a candidate is a right fit for the organization culturally, behaviorally, as well as ethically. In addition to knowing whether the candidate has technical proficiency, recruiters want to be sure they are hiring the right person, and the easiest way to confirm this is to get in touch with a past employer or professor.

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Quality referrals are important too

When looking for job interviews, it’s important to have quality referrals - these days, with the number of opportunities available online, most people don’t even open their emails or respond back to applications. If you want your cover letter to be opened by HR, make sure you go through a referral if you can. To ensure quality referrals, you need to have a great strategy in place. One way is by using LinkedIn (check if you have mutual connections or you know people working within your target organization so you can get a step closer to the hiring manager). Another referral strategy is to approach people you know to ask for a favor to be connected to specific target organizations. However, make sure not to irritate people, and step away if they don’t get back to you when you ask for a referral. Always respect boundaries.

Opt for interview preparation courses like Preplaced and Scaler Academy that provide referrals through their mentor community. These companies have thorough referral programs that enable you to offload the burden of getting quality referrals to the best experts.

Tip - Don’t get disheartened if you don't get referred. Referring someone is a tricky game, it involves the reputation of the person giving the reference, thus sometimes people aren’t too keen - and it’s not your fault!

Apply for the correct jobs, not all jobs

One of the biggest mistakes people make is to apply for every job on the horizon - this can impact your ability to get the job you want. This process can lead to more damage in the form of demotivation. Imagine applying blindly to 100 jobs and not getting selected for even a single interview! Exhausting, right?

Be strategic about your applications - especially when you’re expecting to hear back for an interview. If you apply for more interviews than you can handle, you will end up flooding your own calendar.

When applying for different jobs, make sure to strategically differentiate your resume to highlight the skills needed for a particular role.

Tip - Pay attention to job descriptions and company-specific requirements when changing your resume to suit different jobs.

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Put yourself on the HR radar

To get contacted by HR teams of other companies, you need to ensure that your profile stands out.

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Create quality profiles

Whether you create your profile on social job channels or prepare a resume to be circulated, ensure quality over quantity. Instead of flooding in unnecessary details, add the necessary ones that help you stand out from the crowd.

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Market yourself using LinkedIn

Mary realized she was getting noticed through LinkedIn. This made her want to spend more time fixing her LinkedIn profile so that when prospective employers or recruiters even so much as gazed at her profile, they could get a quick but effective glance at who she was. This helped her connect with almost 300+ people in the first few months of revamping her LinkedIn profile.

LinkedIn is one of the best tools today to promote oneself in the job market. It allows users access to basic resume tools and helps you showcase your abilities in a quick and uniform manner. LinkedIn allows users to connect with HR teams, recruiters, and headhunters easily. Thus, to stay afloat in the interview game, make sure your LinkedIn is on top of its game.