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How to Prepare for Interview Questions: 10 Important Tips

While preparing answers for the questions that are frequently asked in a personal interview, it's essential to prepare thoughtful and strategic responses that can effectively showcase your experiences and suitability for the role. 

The following 10 important tips can help you prepare in advance high-quality answers for the interview questions:

1. Structure your response: Organize your response in a clear and structured manner to ensure coherence and effectiveness. 

     -  Use the STAR method (Situation, Task, Action, Result) for behavioural questions: 

    • Situation: Set the context by describing the situation or challenge you faced.
    • Task: Explain your responsibility or role in that situation.
    • Action: Detail the steps you took to address the challenge or complete the task.
    • Result: Share the outcome of your actions, highlighting the positive results or what you learned.

         This helps you to provide a concise and well-organized answer. 

     -  Use the PEP method (Point, Example, Point) for general questions 

    • Point: Make a clear point or statement that directly answers the interviewer's question.
    • Evidence: Provide evidence, such as examples or experiences, to support your point.
    • Point: Reiterate or re-emphasize your main point to ensure clarity and leave a strong impression.

    This method helps keep responses focused and persuasive by sandwiching evidence between a clear statement of the answer.

2. Be relevant: Keep your responses focused on the question at hand. Avoid providing unnecessary details or going off on tangents. Tailor your answers to highlight the most relevant experiences, skills, and achievements that demonstrate your qualifications for the role.

3. Provide specific examples: Whenever possible, support your answers with specific examples from your past experiences. Use concrete examples to illustrate your skills, accomplishments, and problem-solving abilities. This helps to make your responses more compelling and memorable to the interviewer.

4. Showcase your accomplishments: Highlight your achievements and contributions in previous roles to demonstrate your value as a candidate. Quantify your accomplishments whenever possible by including metrics, such as percentages, numbers, or timeframes, to provide context and credibility to your achievements.

5. Be honest and authentic: Be honest and genuine in your responses, avoiding exaggerating or fabricating facts. Authenticity builds trust and credibility with the interviewer, so focus on presenting yourself in a truthful and transparent manner.

6.  Stay positive and confident: Maintain a positive and confident demeanor throughout the interview, even when discussing challenges or weaknesses. Focus on framing your responses in a positive light and highlighting how you've learned and grown from past experiences.

7. Be prepared: Familiarize yourself with common interview questions related to your industry, position, and experience. Practice your responses beforehand to ensure you can articulate them confidently and effectively.

8. Showcase your skills: Use interview questions as opportunities to showcase your skills, strengths, and relevant accomplishments. Tailor your responses to highlight the qualities and experiences that make you uniquely qualified for the position.

9. Demonstrate enthusiasm: Mentally prepare yourself to express genuine interest and enthusiasm for the role and the company. Prepare statements that can convey to the interviewer why you're excited about the opportunity and how you believe you can contribute to the organization's success.

10. Ask questions: Prepare a few questions that you can ask at the end of the interview. This prior preparation will enable you to take advantage of the opportunity to ask thoughtful questions about the company, the team, and the role. This demonstrates your interest in the position and allows you to gather valuable information to help you make an informed decision if you receive an offer.

    Dr. Karminder Ghuman, Head of MBA Department, LM Thapar School of Management,              Thapar Institute of Engineering & Technology (Deemed to be University), Patiala

    Based on contents from the book: "The Art and Science of Effective and Impactful Business Communication" 



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