How to Ace an Interview: The Practical Guide
We have all been there, sitting in front of a panel of interviewers, wondering why you cannot answer the questions you know the answers to. It is at that moment that all your careful preparation and self-confidence abandons you. Interviews can induce panic in fresh graduates and seasoned professionals alike. The reason behind why we often fail to perform according to our potential is surprisingly simple yet often overlooked. Giving a successful interview is an art in itself. You must be able to sell yourself and your ideas, be creative and also think on your feet. We badly need a way to prepare for interviews that is both practical and convenient.
InterviewBuddy™ (patent-pending) - a start-up is changing the way we prepare for interviews. It is the part of the new wave of innovation that seeks to change the way we prepare for interviews, to incorporate technology for personal development and to fundamentally change how people approach interviews.
But to understand why InterviewBuddy came to life let us look at what leads to bad interviews and how InterviewBuddy can help.
Why you are nervous during an interview?
The fear of the unknown, plain and simple. Think about this for a moment, you don’t give you driving test without ever getting in a real car first. You practice in a controlled environment where you are free to make mistakes and to train your mind to be psychologically ready for driving. After some practice it becomes second nature, interviews are like that too.
The only time you actually face the pressure of an interview is during the interview itself. There is no room for error then. Going into an interview without practice is like giving your driver’s license test after reading a manual. This brings us to what InterviewBuddy offers.
Mock interviews, a chance to commit mistakes and to learn from them.
InterviewBuddy offers one-on-one interviews with industry experts. You will be interviewed by people who actually conduct the hiring process in the real world. The benefits are obvious; not only do you get a chance to practice your interview skills you do it with someone who can throw the curveballs you will encounter in real life.
Even more importantly, you can watch your interview afterward and pinpoint your mistakes. Like a professional athlete, you can watch your previous performances and come up new strategies to avoid past mistake. Apart from your personal critique, a professional and unbiased analysis is also provided by experts.
Don’t let history repeat itself, understand and incorporate feedback.
InterviewBuddy offers a detailed feedback on your mock interviews. You get to look at the inner working of the mind of a recruiter. The feedback often contains information about things you never knew were actually mistakes. You get to know what excites an interviewer, whether it is your domain knowledge about the industry, leadership skills or your stellar communication skills.
You will have a clear-cut idea of your strengths and weaknesses. It might not seem to be a big deal but you will be shocked by how few applicants are aware of their own limits. An honest review of your calibre allows you to set realistic goals and also stops you from underselling yourself.
What is your biggest weakness? Prepare for behavioural questions and other potential minefields.
Question where you are asked about your weaknesses is a classic that makes an appearance in almost all interviews. Such questions are meant to test how you react, how you handle pressure and whether you panic or not.
Answering these questions on the fly is very hard. This is where mock interviews shine. You can experiment with your answers and create a strategy for such questions. You will most definitely not memorize any answers, instead, you will understand what can and cannot be said, to lead the interview towards your area of strength with your answers and above all to be calm under pressure.
Why InterviewBuddy?
InterviewBuddy is more than a product. It’s your tool/guide/mentor who stands by your side throughout your journey from being a candidate to the day you get hired. They take a growth based approach towards evaluation. Your scorecard will reflect the observations made and the tips on how to improve your weaker areas by the expert interviewer with metrics based on your performance right from your first practice interview.
InterviewBuddy is for everyone - it doesn’t matter if you are a student burdened by classes or a professional looking for a fresh start, it fits seamlessly into your life. You are free to schedule mock interviews with industry experts at any time you want. Unfortunately, all good things come with a price and so does InterviewBuddy, but with three affordable plans on offer to make sure you only pay for what you need. You are free to prepare at a time, place and price of your choice. You can also watch all your past interviews and see what can be done to improve yourself.
Interviewbuddy has been featured in the Top 10 list of platforms for student-recruiter engagement by Recruiter.com (one of Forbes top 35 influential career sites), in the The Seattle Times, in the The Atlantic Journal-Constitution, The Hindu, on the homepage of MSN, in Cinco Dias/El Pais (widely read Spanish newspaper) and on Product Hunt as the Top 10 Product of the Day for drawing global attention among others accolades.
Times are changing. Interviews are no longer about qualification or titles you held in the past, it is about ideas and personalities. Recruiters want people who can think creatively and adapt to new circumstances. You might be creative and have excellent ideas but they will not be of much help if you cannot sell yourself in an interview. Learn the art of acing interviews and watch the magic unfold in front of your eyes!
Get started with InterviewBuddy and take the step that your future-self will thank you for by creating your account here. InterviewBuddy connects students, job seekers & people looking to scale up their career with industry experts to practice interviewing.
