Interviews: my experience so far.

Last week I attended three interviews in one day. It was not as traumatic as a I had imagined and I must say I felt very good at the end of the day. The most important thing about these interviews for me is they provided me with a platform to learn more about myself and how I cope in different situations. Looking back, I think there were a few things I got wrong and some I got right that I hope will be of use to everyone.

The interviews were very different experiences for me. Firstly,with all three organisations, I did not know what they were looking for and the kind of work they had in mind for an intern. This required calmness and quick thinking because I had a few seconds to scan the memory and pick experiences that would be relevant to the kind of work they had in mind. Secondly, I had to show how my studies relate to the particular fields. Thirdly, I had to say why I thought I would fit into the organisation. I forgot to mention some very useful experiences in one interview.I suppose it was because I had not anticipated the question or that experience of the kind they were looking for would be of relevance.

One of the interviews was unexpected, I was told at 3pm that I have an Interview at 4pm. I quickly googled the organisation and identified several things that interested me about their work. The interviewer pointed out that they would require the intern to propose their own project and then asked if I had any areas of interest. It helps to do this; you might not know much about an organisation but at least have an idea why you are interested in them.

One interviewer asked a question that I responded to with what I thought was enough detail. After I responded he asked something else relating to the same question and this was an indicator that my initial response was not sufficient. I gave more detail when he asked the second time. Be as detailed as possible the first time.

Know yourself and what you have to offer. The idea here is to look at one's transcript and see how the courses appearing on it can be used out there. Be able to point out what you learnt and how this knowledge can be used in an organisation.

Ask if you want more information. Later on when we were dicussing the interviews, we discovered we knew different things about the same organisations. Others had more detail than others about the project and things such as were the intern will be placed, the duration of the project and so on. Such information is necessary and helps one to come up with a response.

All interviews are unique so one has to be prepared for all kinds of experiences. Nothing beats a clear understanding of one's self, preparation, calmness and a good dose of confidence.I intend to use my experience to my advantage in future interviews. Hopefully, no one will call at 3.30pm to schedule a meeting for 4pm.