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How to prepare for interviews

Prepare for interviews

Preparing for interviews is a long process. You would also have been wondering about how to prepare for interviews. Most of you would have already made through its process. Let me share some of the tips that I know. I follow a structure in preparing for interviews. I classify the process into 3 steps.

  1. Preparing the Knowledge base
  2. Preparation process
  3. Attending process

 

Find below the most common question that can relate to this post. This post addresses for all these types of questions.

  1. What is the best way to prepare for an interview?
  2. How do you stand out in an interview?
  3. How can I impress my interviewer?
  4. How do I impress the hiring manager?
  5. What are the key steps in the interview preparation process?

 

Let us start with the 3 step process that I mentioned before. Please note this post is meant for experienced professionals only. I shall explain the process by taking a sample job description.

Contents

Preparing the knowledge base

This is the pre-requisite step before attending for the interview. Before you plan to switch the job or looking for the new job, you should first start preparing the knowledge base that you possess.

What is knowledge base? It is nothing else than collection of your knowledge. You possess some skills. Start documenting it. You need to actually become a writer for it.

Just explore each and every concept of skills either from books, google or other tech sources and put it in a word, excel or notes. Save this notes in cloud like Google drive, Dropbox, Email etc. so that you don’t loose and can be accessible anywhere you go.

Why need to document if you already learnt it? It is because our memory is short. We tend to forget things in a few days. It can be useful to review the skills for every interview and also you can brush up when you start looking for the job change after working for years in a certain company.

Preparing knowledge base can take starting from a few days to weeks. So keep preparing and documenting while you are learning, exploring and attending interviews. Go through the below image that suggests sample knowledge base saved in my mail account.


Preparation process

Let me explain the step by step guide on the way of how to prepare for interviews. Though this doesn’t guarantee your selection but certainly help covering the topics and saves time.

Review the job description

Firstly review the job description thoroughly. If job consultants approach you based on your  profile in job portals, you may not have the Job requirement on handy. So request them to share the complete job description to your email. Job description tells you the objective of the company with their requirements.

It will also tell you the exact roles that you will be performing. You have to identify the keywords in the description and relate to your skills.

Find below one sample Job description.


This company is looking for 6+ years of relevant experience in web applications security. The suitable candidate is expected to have some basic programming skills to fix any issues. Note that this is not the primary requirement. When you look into the next highlighted areas, it states about the roles that you will be performing when you get selected. Note the keywords – Penetration Testing, Red team testing, SAST, DAST, Source code, Reviews etc.


Look at the next section below as ‘Desired experience’. This is where you should focus. Note the keywords

  • Penetration Testing in SIP, RTP, TCP, HTTP protocols
  • Testing tools knowledge in ZAP, Burp, Checkmarx, Blackduck, Prisma, Twistlock,
  • One of cloud platforms experience in testing side
  • Experience with Frameworks – PCI, ISP27001, HIPAA, HITRUST
  • Programming or scripting knowledge inC, C++, Java, Python etc.
  • Experience in monitoring tools Prometheus, Grafana, Kibana
  • Containers and Orchestrators
  • Others – certification is preferred, JIRA flow understanding

 

Customize Resume

You would have a general profile uploaded to job portals. Sometimes you might need to customize your resume and send to job consultant or HR for that respective job position by elaborating certain skills that you possess and some need to brief downbased on the job requirements.Do not add false information as part of customizing. You will land in trouble at the time of interview if you false cook the resume.

Preparation board

You have understood the job description thoroughly. Now scan through your submitted resume once as the interviewer is going to ask questions based on it. Take a sheet of white paper and write the skills or concepts that are not much familiar or need review first followed by known ones so that you can spend time first on unknown ones.

The list should be based on the keywords that you noted from the job description. Let’s say split the concepts in 2-3 sections based on sample job description mentioned above

 

PREPARATION BOARD

 

Need focus:

Scripting in Java

Testing in cloud platforms – Azure

Penetration testing for HTTP, RTP

PCI Framework

 

Need refreshing:

Containers and Orchestrators

Monitoring tools – Kibana, Grafana

 

Need quick review:

Penetration testing for SIP

HITRUST Framework

Testing tools – Burp, Checkmarx, Blackduck

JIRA flow

Scripting in Python

 

When you observe not all the concepts are mentioned in the prep dashboard because you don’t need to know all the skills as per job requirements. Focus on the skills only that you know in your preparation process. Start first with your knowledge base that you prepared already and then keep adding the additional skills and concepts.

Extend the horizons

As I mentioned you don’t need to know all the concepts or skills as per job requirement but if you have adequate time for the interview, try to tap on the concepts that you never worked by self-skilling through e-learnings, articles, googling etc.

Let’s say you have the experience only in cloud testing in Azure but wanted to have quick learning how it works in AWS as per requirement. Focus on the self-learning for it. Don’t go deeper into it. Try to gain only the little concepts and definitions.

Prepare the general Qs

There will be general questions apart from your skill interview. Get it prepared. Some of the general questions below.

  1. Tell me about your self
  2. Why you want to join this company
  3. Reasons for looking new job
  4. Your current and expected CTC
  5. How soon you can join or notice period
  6. Your strengths and weakness
  7. Do you know about our company and businesses
  8. Flexibility to travel and to what extent
  9. Flexibility to work in shifts and weekend on demand
  10. How do you see in next 5 years
  11. Any questions you have

Attending process

Here are some of the key points as part of interview attending process.

Pre-requisites

Some of the tips that I feel worth to look before attending for interviews

  1. Ensure the confirmation mail has been sent to the HR accepting for the interview schedule
  2. Take out the prints of your main or customized resume for face-to-face interview
  3. Take out the prints of interview call letter or keep a mobile snap from your mail box.
  4. Ensure the mobile charged full for phone interview
  5. Find a calm place for phone interview
  6. Stop your preparation by the day before.
  7. Research on the travel directions for the venue the day before
  8. Wear the formals and comfortable clothes
  9. Have limited food and finish it at least 3 hours before to avoid sluggishness
  10. Keep your identity cards for photo identification at security
  11. Make a note of HR contact in case you need to contact for any specific reason.

Be relaxed

It is most important to stay relax and calm on the day of interview. Don’t ever think too much and don’t expect too much from the job offer. Feel free. If you are free, your mind works freely.

Be confident

Give answers with confident. You don’t need to know everything whatever asked but be confident of what you know. Sometimes interviewers try to confuse you by stressing the word ‘Are you sure’. Take one side, either right or wrong but respond with confidence. If you are doubtful or uncertain provide your reference. Your typical responses can be – ‘I think this is how it works’, ‘I believe this way it works’, ‘I understand this is the way it should be’.

Be bold to say 'Don't know'

As said, we don’t need to know everything in the world. If you don’t know or unaware of certain skill or concept, say that you don’t know. Your typical responses can be – ‘Sorry I do not know’, ‘I didn’t had the opportunity to work on this but will definitely learn and prove myself if I were given chance’

Summary

Following these steps will certainly lead to multiple job offers for you and can make you confused. To clear this, you might like to go through another article on this website that explains the ways you can handle multiple job offers while being professional enough..
Stay blessed.

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