Job interviews

There’s a lot of advice out there regarding attending interviews, ranging from attire to the well-mannered ’thank you’ note the day after. But the aspect that any fresh MSc student would substantially benefit from knowing would be the right mindset to have for the interview.

Unless you are targeting a research position, you will find that your prospective employer is hard pressed to fill the vacancy. Given the effort, cost and time to conduct interviews, most companies are very selective of the people they call for an interview. If you have reached the stage of a face-to-face interview, there is a good chance you will ultimately get the position…unless that is you screw up your chances during the interview.

The basic approach then for interviews is to be somewhat reserved, yet very clear with your words. Sometimes, saying less at an interview makes a bigger impact. Take time to prepare for the interview . something along the lines of a short, slide-show presentation of your previous work can really help impress at the interview. Take a copy of your publications, or even those of class reports that seem relevant to the job. Refresh your memory as to the details of your previous work and be prepared to describe them during the interview.

Different companies take different approaches to their recruitment process. Some companies like to conduct an extended string of interviews over a time-span of months, while others make the hiring decision after a daylong interview. It’s important to identify the purpose behind the company’s choice of hiring processes. For example, a company that conducts four to five conversations over a span of six months may be looking to try and spot inconsistencies in your story between interviews. A company that requires you to be interviewed by a few of their members could be trying to assess if you are able to establish a rapport with different kinds of people. This in turn will require you to know how to effectively interact and impress a senior design engineer, a HR-manager, a project leader, etc.

Researching the target company and its market is extremely useful. To know more information about the company beforehand, you can try to discuss this with a personal contact you may already have within the company. Few things impress as much as you proposing a viable solution to a problem that the company is grappling with. Most technical interviews in the Netherlands are very different from what we find back in Asia. Here, it’s more like a discussion, wherein the interviewer describes his/her work and judges if you appreciate the concepts being dealt with. It’s imperative to actively listen, make remarks and ask insightful questions. Yet again, this is made a lot easier if you brush up on the relevant subject before the interview.

It takes practice to become good at handling interviews. It’s very different from any classroom situation. So, get on that learning curve!

Ramesh Chidambaram is from India. He is a recent MSc micro-electronics graduate of TU Delft and currently works for NXP Semiconductors in Nijmegen.

Acing a job interview is an acquired skill. While your resume and covering letter may get you to the interview, only your interview performance will in fact land you the position. There’s a lot of advice out there regarding attending interviews, ranging from attire to the well-mannered ’thank you’ note the day after. But the aspect that any fresh MSc student would substantially benefit from knowing would be the right mindset to have for the interview.

Unless you are targeting a research position, you will find that your prospective employer is hard pressed to fill the vacancy. Given the effort, cost and time to conduct interviews, most companies are very selective of the people they call for an interview. If you have reached the stage of a face-to-face interview, there is a good chance you will ultimately get the position…unless that is you screw up your chances during the interview.

The basic approach then for interviews is to be somewhat reserved, yet very clear with your words. Sometimes, saying less at an interview makes a bigger impact. Take time to prepare for the interview . something along the lines of a short, slide-show presentation of your previous work can really help impress at the interview. Take a copy of your publications, or even those of class reports that seem relevant to the job. Refresh your memory as to the details of your previous work and be prepared to describe them during the interview.

Different companies take different approaches to their recruitment process. Some companies like to conduct an extended string of interviews over a time-span of months, while others make the hiring decision after a daylong interview. It’s important to identify the purpose behind the company’s choice of hiring processes. For example, a company that conducts four to five conversations over a span of six months may be looking to try and spot inconsistencies in your story between interviews. A company that requires you to be interviewed by a few of their members could be trying to assess if you are able to establish a rapport with different kinds of people. This in turn will require you to know how to effectively interact and impress a senior design engineer, a HR-manager, a project leader, etc.

Researching the target company and its market is extremely useful. To know more information about the company beforehand, you can try to discuss this with a personal contact you may already have within the company. Few things impress as much as you proposing a viable solution to a problem that the company is grappling with. Most technical interviews in the Netherlands are very different from what we find back in Asia. Here, it’s more like a discussion, wherein the interviewer describes his/her work and judges if you appreciate the concepts being dealt with. It’s imperative to actively listen, make remarks and ask insightful questions. Yet again, this is made a lot easier if you brush up on the relevant subject before the interview.

It takes practice to become good at handling interviews. It’s very different from any classroom situation. So, get on that learning curve!

Ramesh Chidambaram is from India. He is a recent MSc micro-electronics graduate of TU Delft and currently works for NXP Semiconductors in Nijmegen.