Personality – Now you walk into that interview room and see yourself in front of a panel who has already been through your CV and have deemed you fit enough for a tete-a-tete. It has been often said that your first impression is frozen in the minds of the people you meet, within the first seven seconds. If that be true, then the way you open the door and ask, “May I come in?” to the way you wish them to the point where you dutifully stand next to the chair as long as they do not ask you to sit down – all count. Personality can be seen as an umbrella term for your attitude. Remember, in the panel there is always somebody whose job is to simply observe you – see if you are sweating too much, if you are making proper eye contact, if you are fumbling, or if you are suffering from a major lack in confidence. What generally helps here is being straightforward and sincere. You are not expected to know everything that they ask you – but you are definitely expected to be honest about it. Keep in mind that you are there because they think that you are worth meeting. Give them the assurance that they have made a correct decision. Try and ensure that the time you spend in the interview room is worthwhile for both the interviewers and yourself.
Persuasion – This comes into play once the interview has started. Persuasion should not be confused with re-iterating the same things over and over again in order to get your point across. It is giving the interviewers the assurance that you are capable to handle and learn things that you do not know currently. Even they know that all that you might be required to do once you are in the job, is not something that you already know. Hence, they are looking for the ‘learnability’ within you – which is basically how eager you are to pick up new things. Remember that persuasion works best when coupled with a smile. Never become aggressive if they do not agree with you. A mild firmness in your voice and a constant smile on your lips, are what is enough to convince them that you have what it takes.
The three-pronged model that I just described has been a product of my experience in appearing for four interviews in my life so far. And by God’s grace, all of them resulted in successful conversions. But that does not mean that all companies look for the same thing, and I can, in no way, guarantee that the 3Ps Model of Self-Marketing is a sure-shot success. This is just a suggestive framework to help you channelize your focus in the pre-interview and during-interview stages.
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