Preparedness

“By failing to prepare you are preparing to fail” Benjamin Franklin

          Preparedness; a state of readiness, is in a larger context the cornerstone of success in one’s life. There is not a pinch of doubt that in any matter related to one’s own self, if he or she is not prepared the result will be disastrous. This discussion is mostly centered on the importance of preparedness in professional life which also is applicable in personal life.

          “Before anything else, preparedness is the key to success.” Alexander Graham Bell.

       Let’s take the case of facing a job interview. What’s the most innocent and initial question an interviewer asks the interviewee? “Tell me about yourself” or “We would like to hear from you” or “Give an introduction” etc. etc. Although the wordings vary, but the inherent meaning is the same, the interviewer wants to know about the interviewee. A very simple question and is known to everyone who goes to face an interview, but the answer to it paves way for the further course of the interview. The answer has the potential to tilt the situation in favour of the interviewee. So, in this era of cut-throat competitiveness there is no scope for error and the interviewee has to be well-prepared.  But, personal experience has made me to conclude that the preparedness of most the candidate in an interview to this very basic question is appalling. A line of advice is to be well prepared and in advance. Write down all the information you have to share in advance, refine it, practice and then come prepared. This will help you to face the interviewers in a relaxed and confident manner and you can set the tune for a favourable interviewing atmosphere. The best sequence may be to start with one’s current status, family background, educational details, interests and finally the work experience. This is a laminar flow of information in a logical sequence and in most cases it minimizes the advent of probing questions. Remember, too many of probing question leads to loss of interest by the interviewer and make the situation an uncomfortable one. The motto is to wisely sell oneself.  

          In simple terms, preparedness for an interview involves a meticulous planning for the event well in advance. The best way to start with is to think and try to uncover your interviewer's greatest need, want, problem or goal. It starts with a preliminary research of the job one is applying for and the company or organization. Basic pre-hand knowledge of the job and the company is warmly received and creates a favourable atmosphere into the interview process. Also, to a candidate it generates confidence. Most of the interviewers are generally more interested or gives more weightages to the behavioural competencies of an interviewee as compared to the technical aspects. This is the thin line of demarcation of winning or missing out. A selection process is carried out with a long lasting relationship in mind for which generally the onus is more on the behavioural aspects. There are certain sure shots for which advance preparation can be made. These are known to all but in real sense, these are very tricky, literally a trap. Let us deliberate of a few such questions:

         Why do you want to work at our company? Or what do you know about our Company? The interviewer just wants to know whether you’ve done any homework about the firm.  If you have, you win and you win it big and if you haven’t, you simply lose.  It gives you an opportunity to sell with the in-depth prior research undertaken about the company. A tip here, look for the company’s annual reports, advertisements, articles published etc. you may further get in touch with someone from the company to get a first-hand information.

      What are your greatest strengths? A very soft and simple one and if you had not prepared in advance you are most likely to fumble. Before facing an interview, you should prepare a list of your greatest strengths. If you can prepare a specific example or two, to illustrate/ elaborate your each strength it will work wonders. Remember that the example chosen should be from your most recent and most impressive achievements. A few desirable traits may be: Task Accomplishment, Honest and Integrity, Good Communication ability, Enthusiasm and Passion, Dedication, Confidence, Team Player, Planning and Time Management.

       What are your greatest weaknesses? This is much more difficult question that the words in it are. It is a some sort of eliminating questions where an honest admission to a weakness will earn you respect and applaud but elimination for the job. The best answer to this question is a tricky one and the most common approach is to disguise strength as a weakness. Take a pause, speak about and try to add a principle or habit you practice regularly for healthy human relations. In such a situation, an unprepared candidate confesses, admit and try to unburden self of guilt of personal or professional life or career, which is nothing but self-elimination.  Further, an experienced interviewer will create an atmosphere of ‘Silence’, no questions, no remarks, just staring at the candidate in a deafening silence just after the candidate has answered. An unprepared candidate in such a situation tries to come out of the situation by speaking out more of which most are unnecessary. It’s like a situation of digging one’s own grave. Always keep in mind what Steven Cyros had said, “Remember: When disaster strikes, the time to prepare has passed”.  

      Why should I hire you? Preparedness for this question will enable a candidate to answer effectively in line with the employer’s greatest needs and desires. Thus the appropriate answer to this question may tilt the balance favourable. Any fumble will just put fast forward to undesirable end.

        What are your outside interests / hobby? Here the interviewer wants to know about your extra-curricular activities with the idea to know how effectively you will utilize your spare time. In a tricky way, the interviewer also wants to ascertain that your weighted outside interests / hobbies shall not come in the way of your performance. So, preparation is very much essential to answer in such a way that it strikes a right balance between work and leisure.

         What good books have you read lately? It may be a probing one to the above question or a simple question to know about your true knowledge. Here, advance preparedness will help you to reply and make it more in favour of you. The answer to such questions is an additional opportunity to win in the situation and make gains for future questions sealing the outcome favourable. The best way to prepare is to read a few good books which may include a recent bestseller.    

       Another, probing question may be, What are the areas you want to improve? This is the same question as of weakness but attired in a different manner. Only advanced preparedness will help one to answer it properly without any mismatch to the earlier answer. So, it is always advisable to prepare for such questions.

          In case of any shortcoming that may be highlighted by the interviewer, it is better to be open and straightforward in admitting the shortcoming, nothing to hide attitude. The most common mistake made in such cases is unnecessary apologies and further trying to explain / justify the reasons of the shortcoming. The motto here is to show optimism, attitude for changing self and come out of the adverse situation with flying colours.

          To tackle hypothetical questions, where a problem or a difficult situation is put up, the interviewee without preparedness will find the situation more difficult than the one who has made advance preparations. Even though, it is impossible to prepare in advance for such questions, a study of literature on the subject may help a lot. The adept procedure to be followed in such a situation is to listen carefully, analyze it in mind and give inputs, but never ever give any conclusions. Again a rule of thumb in such ‘what would you do?’ questions is that the answer should be to describe one’s own working methods or processes,  which demonstrates qualities like leadership skills, initiative, managerial skill, persuasiveness, courage, persistence, intelligence, etc. but sparing conclusions.

        Finally remember, “Success is where preparation and opportunity meet” Bobby Unser. Preparedness is the key and so with words of Abraham Lincoln, “If I had eight hours to chop down a tree, I would spend six sharpening my axe”, prepare to win.