After having cleared cutoff percentile at MBA Institute, you will be invited for Personal interview and now it is must for you to practice with variety of Pi Tips.
Read and develop points for Pi Tips : Your opening sentences will set you in or out
Having cleared the highly competitive entrance examination and group discussion, the final hurdle, that is, Personal Interview (PI), awaits the candidates. In many ways, the last round- Personal Interview, is the toughest, as it is used to assess a variety of skills of the candidate, which includes domain knowledge, problem solving, communication skills, soft skills and confidence. PI, essentially, is an opportunity for the candidate to market his strengths to the interview panel and prove to them that he is the ideal choice for the institute. In this context, the way he begins sets the tone for the interview and has an impact on the final decision.
Well begun is half the job done
Not just in PI, but in any field, the beginning matters the most. How you begin decides how you will end. In Cricket, for instance, a team scoring more than 100 runs without losing a wicket in the first fifteen overs is likely to end up posting a huge total and winning the match. Shakespeare used to make the introductory scene of his plays dramatic to catch and hold the attention of the restless audiences in those days.
The opening sentence of the candidate is also the first time that he is addressing the interview panel. Therefore, it needs to precise and not casual. Rest of the interview is dependent on the opening sentence. It might be impossible for a candidate to recover from a bad start.
The opening will set the tone for the rest of the interview
Just as the opening sentence of a novel sets the tone of the novel, the opening sentence in the interview, too, determines which way the interview will go. It’s like the opening few seconds of a wrestling match where both the opponents try to measure and gauge each other and look for any weak link.
First impression
The saying, ‘First impression is the last impression’ holds true for Personal Interview. Confident, well-thought out, effective opening sentences create a good first impression on the interviewers which works in the candidate’s favour. The interviewers warm up to the candidate and are receptive to whatever the candidate has to say. On the contrary, if the candidate does not begin well, the interviewers might lose interest in him and form an adverse opinion which might dent the candidate’s chance of making it through.
You are being judged
The candidates should keep in mind that they will be judged in the interview. So, each sentence that they utter will be scrutinised by the panellists, and any error the candidate makes will be taken note of. Therefore, the candidate needs to be at his very best the moment he enters the interview room and utters the first words.
The opening sentence reveals a lot about the candidate
The opening sentence reveals a lot about the candidate. The way a candidate chooses to begin, the things he says and the things he doesn’t, point out to traits in his character which help the interviewers make up their minds. Usually, the first question that is put across to the candidates is introductory in nature, such as “Tell us something about yourself.” While answering this question, the candidates should keep in mind that the panel already has their resume, so the opening sentence shouldn’t state the most obvious but things that the panel doesn’t know about the candidate and will help them understand the candidate well.
Advice for candidates
Candidates must try to take hold of the proceedings from the opening sentence itself and be at their best from the beginning.
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