A guide to cracking recruitment interviews

Tashfia Mamun

It’s very important to research about the potential company, the job and its requirements. This relays the kind of knowledge, skills and professional competencies that employers are seeking and you need to craft proper answers accordingly. According to Kazi Raihan Abser, Marketing Management Trainee at Unilever Bangladesh, “The final interview panel usually consists of the HR director, the functional director and/or the CEO themselves. To start off, you can go through their LinkedIn profiles. This will give you a better idea about your interviewers and boost your confidence to rein your nerves.”
Interviewers do not want you to read the CV that’s already in front of them. CVs can never truly capture your holistic essence. As clichéd as it may sound, the trick is to be yourself. Even with a lower CGPA and fewer ECAs, you can bag the job if you can convince the board that you are the perfect fit. Use your solid research to recount one or two anecdotes and showcase the said values within you through your past experiences.
Kazi adds, “Companies look for honesty and boldness beyond your matter knowledge. Avoid giving generic statements like “I am very hardworking”; relate personal experiences and accomplishments that illustrate the statement. The interviewers are top performers with years of experience. They do not need explicit descriptions. In fact, you come off smarter if you can insinuate your qualities through a story instead. Hence, set a nice compelling story about yourself. Stitch all the relevant things you’ve done in life into one story and sell that story. Regardless of circumstances, a beautifully crafted story always sells.”