Jatinder Salwan, Head – Human Resources, Societe Generale Global Solution Centre, Chennai has been a part of numerous campus hiring exercises. His expertise sheds light into how to prepare for your first campus interview that could help kick-start your career.
Understand the sequence of the interview process – Every company follows a specific sequence during their screening process. Typically, the college should announce this prior to the date of the recruitment activity, hosted by the employer. Companies use a combination of assessment tests such as online screening, logical deduction, group discussions and so on to help them find the right candidates. The reason it’s this rigorous is because campus hiring can involve hundreds of students attending a single interview. Therefore this multi-pronged approach makes the screening more thorough.
Prepare with other students – A great way to learn new things and benchmark your skills is to prepare with your peers. One can prepare for all types of tests through logical tests, mock tests which colleges host, group discussion exercises and so on. By including your classmates in your preparation, you will not only learn new skills, but you will also be more aware of your strengths and weaknesses thereby improving your preparation for the actual interview process.
Making the individual interview count – After clearing the initial assessment round, the hiring team may want to interview you to test your technical knowledge. Hiring managers use this as an opportunity to test your technical knowledge. It’s therefore essential to showcase the technical knowledge gained by you, and your ability to formulate creative solutions. If you want a hint into what sort of questions the team may ask you, do some research on online forums that typically carry information on the type of interview questions that a company is known for.
Hone your communication skills – Communication skills help you share your ideas and approaches better. Therefore it’s crucial to be able to articulate your solutions in a simple, clear and genuine manner. Always remain authentic in your answers as this can sometimes work in your favour. Hiring managers appreciate honesty and can tell when you’re not being genuine.
