Just finished a technical interview and really enjoyed chatting with the interviewer (without knowing the interview result😂).
Today, when I look back, I suddenly realized that there has been a lot improvement in my communication ability and interview skills. Considering a few months ago my voice was still badly shaking as I speak. Part of my change resulted from my mindset after lockdown I think, I am more willing to start a chat with others. In addition to that, I have also summarized the following tips that added to my confidence and decrease my fear to job interviews, if it works for me, I guess it will also work on somebody else.
Be prepared – the only way to build up your confidence!
Preparation to me consists of two parts:
First, design challenge and presentation deck.
The key is to focus on demonstrating the design thinking process and the motivation behind each visual deliverable. The most important thing is to explain your rationale when presenting.
Second, I always prepare the speech by writing down the script completely in colloquial form. For example, as English is my second language, I write the number “70” as “seventy”, add phonetic symbols to some complex words, and etc. I usually read out loudly one day in advance of the interview and put my script under the camera as a simple reminder during the interview.
photo by YilinGao
Be reflective - focus on your audience!
During the presentation, be sure to maintain eye contact and check the interviewer's reaction from time to time. If you see a furrowed brow or glazed eyes, cut your losses and talk less about this specific part, your approach or result might not be the cup of tea of your interviewer and you wouldn’t want to irritate him/her. Vice versa, if you see a smile on the interviewer’s face or a nod on the head, extend your speech on this part and talk more about the topic.
Be frank – raise questions when needed!
After the technical presentation session, it is likely that you will be asked some questions. However, if you don't understand or didn't catch the problem, make sure to raise questions or double check before diving into the answers. I have taken my own medicine before, one time when I was answering the question according to my wrong understanding, I saw the facial expression on the interviewer’s face getting more and more confusing and it directly reflected on my weakened voice and confidence. There were several disastrous embarrassment moments in my life until I changed my strategy into being more honest with the interviewer. It is actually not that shameful to say “I will definitely research and explore on that area after our meeting.” Or “Could you please repeat the last question? / Do you mind explaining a bit about the word "xxx"?”
Although I haven’t received an offer yet, I have grown a more sophisticated and professional character during my job-hunting period. I believe with the good mindset and right communication; a job will come to me in no time, and I hope it’s the same for you!
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