Paridhi Sharma

I was rejected by 2 of the biggest dream consulting firms before finally making it to another one.

Rejection is a part of the game. It's hard, depressing, and exhausting, but ultimately it's part of the game.

Just like everyone, I also made mistakes during placements. I talk a lot about what helped me, but today let's talk about some of my biggest interview mistakes during college placements.

1) Not Structuring my Answers -

Going on and on talking about something in job interviews does no good to anyone. You need to present precise, concise, and to-the-point answers there while ensuring that you don't miss out on any important information.

I, eventually, started using the S.T.A.R (Situation, Task, Action & Result) approach to take care of this point.

You'll be shocked to realise how almost all interview questions can be answered using this approach and how easy it makes things for you.

2) Speaking very Fast -

I was used to consuming all the video content at 2x speed. And subconsciously, it reflected in my speech as well.

The problem is that once the speed gets fast, the words get blurred. And when your words get blurred, it doesn't matter how much you know. And so, it's a big big no.

Eventually, I started counting my fingertips to give the right pace to my speech. With practice and awareness, it got better.

3) Not taking time to Think -

I was so used to jumping on the answer in interviews that I took no time to recollect my thoughts, add different perspectives, and present a cohesive answer.

Trust me, jumping right to the answer without wasting any time can feel like a good choice at the moment, but it only makes you panic later.

Hence, take 5-10 seconds to recollect and structure your thoughts well.

I lost out on two jobs and countless internship opportunities because of these mistakes. Make sure you don't repeat any.

You can find my resume template here - https://lnkd.in/dafiDzm4

#opportunities #interview #internship #consulting #resume #jobs #content #placements

Does having a big 4 in your CV guarantee you a dream placement?

A friend of mine had all the big 4's in her CV and still couldn't make it to any dream firm on campus.

While another friend with 1-2 basic internships and college societies cracked the first dream firm on the campus.

The thing is that no matter how hard you work throughout the three years of your college life, you've got only one hour to impress the interviewer.

Sometimes, the pressure of justifying an over-achieved CV is so much that you fail to give your best in the interview.

And end up getting rejected even after a PERFECT CV.

Although this may seem unfair at first, but the whole point of doing internships is to improve your communication and learn to handle the pressure better.

And if you fail to learn these, not even big 4's can save you.

In fact, they will only convey a bad impression of yours to the interviewer.

So, even if you're someone with all the fancy internships in your CV, do not underestimate the power of preparing well for the interview and putting out your best self there.

Nothing in this world is guaranteed. Not even a dream placement if you have done a big 4 internship.

You get exactly what you work for. Nothing less, nothing more.

LinkedIn for Creators

#interview #internship #big4 #cv #placement