Interview prep - again!

A student from previous class (of 2004) has written us a wonderful mail today. THANKS for his support. I am sharing it because it may help some of you folks preping for ISB interviews. Here it goes:
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Dear Class of 2005,

It is that time of the year when ISB campus starts buzzing with a tremendous amount of activity round the clock. As if your own work pressure wasn’t good enough, you also have a lot of recruiters to deal with. Now that all of you are ready to make that ‘cut’, I have been trying to think about what makes good interviewing skills;

· I guess first of all confidence helps a lot. Last year most of the people who landed up two or more jobs weren’t the so called academically top scoring students of the batch. Sometimes, and especially so on ISB campus, knowing what you want to do and presenting that during the interview helps. It's just that if you appear too desperate for a job then the interviewer is less likely to be impressed. You should present your best face of course but the interviewer should also feel like he needs to convince you that the company is right for you, not that you'll take anything anyone offers you. Self confidence implies competence. If you're feeling nervous before an interview I think the best thing to tell yourself is that you have proved just by getting into ISB that you are one of the brightest in the world and with a proven record of success. You're in the top 0.000001% of the world population and in the long term you will be fine. If not this job then the next. If not this week then next week. Whether you're successful or not is not going to be determined by one job interview. It's going to be how you perform for the rest of your life. And you've proved that you've got the quality to make it. If you take that perspective then you'll feel less under pressure and hopefully more confident and more at ease.
· You should try and be an extremely good listener. Most people do not realise how much they can improve as ‘listeners’. If you stop thinking about what you're going to say when the interviewer is asking a question and rather concentrate on what the interviewer is asking you'll do far better. By listening well, you can pick up so many cues to what the other person is saying - the words, the tone, the unsaid questions. This would also ensure that there is a small pause after the question and before you start answering. You will come across as a more composed and sincere individual; a more mature professional which companies expect to find on the ISB campus.
· You should know your CV inside out. Look at every single line and think of all the questions they could ask you on it. What are the areas you're afraid of questions being asked. Trust me people will ask questions on this. Do not lie about what happened, interviewers are used to being lied to and they can spot subtle signs better than you can hide them. They've had more practice. Every single student they've ever met will try to exaggerate just a little somewhere. Say you made a mistake and that you learnt from it - that'll give you integrity points. You should have a good reason for everything you did. It should sound consistent with everything else. You should be able to explain what you learnt from each stage in your life and what mistakes you made – and how they helped you improve for the future. You should know everything (ok, may not be everything but most that a professional is expected to know about!!) about the industry and company you worked in.
· You should be able to speak for five minutes on any course you did at ISB. Before every exam you should ask yourself whether you could explain all the main concepts you studied to a bright college grad with no background in business. If you can't then it means you don't really understand it well enough to explain to someone who might grill you on the fundamentals. If you can speak at the drop of a hat for 5 minutes on any subject at the end of the MBA you would have done better than 90% of the graduates.
· You should know the company that you're applying for inside out. You should understand the industry and you should have a perspective on what the company should be doing. It may not be right but it's important that if you're asked for a viewpoint you deliver something that you've thought of and not something that you're repeating. For example, what new products its introducing, what are its competitors doing, most importantly how could what you studied in class or in some course can be used in a practical way for that company.
· Most of you have come to ISB after having worked for well known corporations around the world. ISB placements have to be, and are different from what happens on other Indian campuses. The process here is more detailed, you would go through two or three rounds of interview, meet the top management, will be able to negotiate your job profile and salary packages (edited)..... but then you can always contact them directly and try to get an interview organized for yourself!
· Finally, this is the time when you would need a group of close friends to work with, and work for. There would be long days and long waits, some great news and a lot of disappointments – so you need at least one or two such people who know your resume/strengths inside out. They would be the saviors when you have to look composed and confident immediately after a bad interview. So hurry up, form your own huddle and stand by it!

All the very best for the placement time. Alumni and the whole world (of your family, friends and competition schools) is watching you give another terrific performance this year. May you all get what you really deserve and desire for – yes THE BEST!

With all my best wishes,
XXXX
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Thanks dude.. that was great and timely help! Indeed, many of our "seniors" have been helping us on every important occassion.. and are keen on keeping ISB flag high. Thanks ALL of them.