INTERVIEW TRAINING PROGRAM

Preparing Your Answers

 Interview – Preparing Your Answers

While it is not possible to prepare for all the questions that can be asked in the interview
(because there is literally infinite possibilities), getting familiar with previous questions and
understanding the kind of answers the panel is looking for can help you get a clear idea of
how to approach and respond in the interview.

In this section, we have provided a Question Bank that lists about 50 questions asked in past
interviews, a description on how to frame your answers for these questions and an example
answer for the same. Studying them carefully, should give you enough exposure and
guidance to creating and preparing your own answers.

But before you get into that, it is important to know the following:

- Do not Learn Byheart: Learning answers to any question byheart can cause issues
during the actual interview. Under the pressure, you might get nervous and forget
what you learnt, which will give a serious negative impression to the interview panel.
Moreover, going through our material and preparing your own answers based on what
you understand, can equip you to face new questions that you have not prepared for.
Rot learning will put you in uncomfortable positions during the actual interview,
where anything can happen.

- Diplomacy: During the interview it is important to maintain a diplomatic profile.

What this means is that, when asked about opinions or views regarding any topic, it is
always better to cover both sides of the argument and then offering your personal
opinion, while stating your personal reason to choose that particular side. For
instance, if asked about your views on a recent government policy make sure you talk
about both the advantages and disadvantages about that policy, and then explain why
you, as a citizen, like/dislike it.
It is always better than outrightly criticising or supporting the topic in question.
Moreover, diplomacy is a quality of a good manager, and can earn you positive points
in the interview.
 Interview – Preparing Your Answers

- Structure: Rather than dumping an elaborate answer on the interview panel,

structuring your answers into a proper “Introduction-Matter-Conclusion” can help you
communicate more effectively. It will also reduce confusion among the interview
panel, especially if your answer is long.
For example, if you are speaking about a role you performed in school (like school
captain or sports captain) try to formulate your answer into a “Situation-Task Needed
to Be Completed-Action Taken-Result” (STAR) framework. It will help the interview
panel understand your answer a lot better.

- Disagreement: It is alright to disagree with the interview panel in case such a

situation pops up. But keep in mind that you are not arguing or debating with the
interview panel, all of whom are elderly and highly educated professors, but rather
disagreeing with their opinion due to your own reasons. If done respectfully and
politely, while being backed with good reason, a disagreement can fetch you positive
points in the interview as it shows qualities such as strength of character and nature of
diplomacy.

- Body Language: As talked about extensively in the first section, a good body
language is as important as having a good answer.

Following these guidelines, as well as the ones given in the Question Bank, you can now start
preparing your own answers to model questions.