The most exciting and stressful time of campus life is when placement season kicks off. Discussions around jobs and the future are occupying most of the time of students. Bagging a campus placement remains a priority for most students and they have to evaluate opportunities from reputed and renowned companies. There are some ground rules and here are some tips to ace your campus interviews!

Writing a Narrative for your Campus Season

Most students land good offers on campus and your placement cells will help with a lot of information. By being prepared, you can easily build a good profile and ace your campus interviews and come out with flying colors.

If you’re looking to create an engaging and memorable profile, try using the power of storytelling. By presenting your profile as a narrative, you can create a compelling and relatable story that helps you stand out from the crowd. Here are some tips to help you narrate your profile as a story:

Start with a hook: Just like a good story, your profile should have a strong hook that draws the reader in. This could be an interesting fact about yourself, a unique hobby or interest, or a memorable experience you’ve had.

Develop your character: As you tell your story, make sure to develop your character (i.e. yourself) so that the reader can relate to you. Talk about your personality, your strengths and weaknesses, and your values and beliefs.

Show, don’t tell: Instead of just listing your accomplishments or qualities, try to show them through specific examples and anecdotes. This will help bring your story to life and make it more engaging.

Create a narrative arc: A good story has a clear beginning, middle, and end, and your profile should be no different. Think about the key moments in your life that have shaped who you are today, and use these as the basis for your narrative arc.

Use sensory details: To make your story more vivid and memorable, try to use sensory details that help the reader imagine what it was like to be in your shoes. Talk about the sights, sounds, smells, and feelings associated with your experiences.

End with a call to action: To make your profile more actionable, end with a clear call to action. This could be a request to connect with you, an invitation to learn more about your work, or a challenge to try something new.

Tips to ace your Campus Interview

Besides building a narrative for your campus interview, there are some other important things that you should keep in mind to ace your interview. Here are some important tips for your next campus Interview. 

Plan and research

Understand your core strengths and look for an opportunity that will help you leverage that. Also, you should ideally be looking at an opportunity based on your main qualification and area of specialization. Research about the companies that are coming to interview as it makes a good impression in interviews when the recruiter knows that you have done your homework and researched about their company. This will also show the recruiter your preparedness and intent to join their organization. Additionally, look at the values, goals and philosophy of the organization and ensure that it matches with your own.

Understand the selection process

Be aware of the selection processes followed by the companies on campus. Read up on blogs, social media and about alumni to thoroughly understand about the company so that you are well prepared as to how they work. Understand how your own campus works. Find out if it is essential to attend presentations and if there are penalties for missing them. Are there limitations for how many companies you can apply to? Is it important to accept the very first offer that comes your way? How long can you hold on to an offer so that you can pick and choose from other options that may come up? Understand what your choices and options are.

Build your CV

Spend time and write, rewrite and revise your resume. It is the best face you can present about yourself. Some campuses have a standard format that you have to present it in, so understand the process in your campus. Your CV must ensure that you get shortlisted for a role and hence must enable you to differentiate yourself from your peers. Get feedback from people who are senior and anyone you trust on your resume and make changes and ensure that it is error-free.

Know yourself and the company

Companies will test a talent pool based on their understanding of concepts. Plain theoretical knowledge will not help, you must also be aware of how to apply them practically. Also try and understand what the selection process of the company is. Do they have an entrance test, do they use psychometric tests, do they require you to have a covering letter and statement of purpose? Understanding how many offers does the company make will help you know if you have a good chance of landing an offer.

Screenings

Most companies will have multiple rounds of elimination before you make it to the final interview. Every round is designed to eliminate a few applicants and bring them to a manageable size. Look up past question papers to understand the format of the written or the online test. If there is normally a group discussion, it may be a good idea to get a few other friends together and do some practice sessions. Highlight your skill sets and mention them during the interview and highlight them to your future employer.

Be yourself and ace the interview

The most important thing in an interview is that you must be yourself. Else you will make mistakes. Anxiety will make you tense and spoil your ability to be yourself. Take a deep breath and stay calm. Remember that interviewers appreciate honesty and if you have the right skillset, you will get placed in the right team. Use a mirror when practicing for an interview, it will help you improve your body language and be spontaneous. If the questioning is critical or aggressive, stay calm and grounded. Remember that you will find a job that you deserve and a setback in one interview cannot ruin your career.

Polish your communication skills

Communication is key in an interview. If you are not good with verbal communication, it is important to brush up your skills and do some practice or mock interviews so that you learn to present yourself effectively. Read extensively to improve your knowledge and engage in group discussions and refine your spoken English. Speak slowly and do not stumble on words. Make your point effectively and take short pauses.

The bottomline:

By following these tips, you can turn your profile into a powerful and compelling story that captures the attention of your audience. So, start brainstorming, and see what kind of story you can tell!

There is normally a buzz when campus interviews are on and everyone is talking about the newest startup or about large companies coming to interview on campus. It is important not to follow the herd blindly. Pause and think for yourself. 

What are your priorities and what kind of opportunities are you looking at? Do you like to travel, work in a team or work alone? Think carefully as your first job can be a launchpad for your career. You should go for something that will suit your focus rather than just follow what everyone is doing.