The bare minimum to pass an interview

30 May 2024


Most of the stuff I've put here are bare minimum to make a good impression. Beyond that, it's your substance and calibre that will land you the job.

Before interview starts

  1. Research the panelists well. Go through their linkedin in detail, understand their org hierarchy and where they fit in. Go through their blogs
  2. Research the company well. See step 2 here.
  3. Come up with a list of 3 questions to ask the panelist at the end of the interview. Prioritize them so you ask your best questions first. It's useful to ask good questions because quality candidates tend to ask good questions.
  4. Before the interview, write in to ask the panelists if there is anything specific you should be prepared for. Any assignments they'd like you to. Show eagerness
  5. Prepare for the most obvious questions that are bound to be asked in every interview.
  6. At minimum have detailed notes ready for what you've accomplished in each of your last stints.
  7. Test your camera and mic.
  8. Test your internet connection and make sure you are at least getting at least 50mbps speed and <50-80ms ping
  9. Ensure you are in a conducive environment before you begin the call. Starbucks is not a conducive environment fwiw because internet isn't reliable. Get a 1 day pass at a co working space if possible - they cost around 400rs.
  10. Find a quiet, well-lit space for your interview. Ensure the background is clean and professional-looking. Avoid distracting elements.
  11. Camera angle at eye level. It the camera is way below your eye level, it looks really weird.
  12. Dress well for the interview. Shirt if you have one. Keep your hair combed, tied up and tidy.
  13. Use a background blur in the video conferencing tool. Google meet and Zoom both have it.
  14. Be 5 minutes early to the call if it's online. Plan to arrive 15 minutes early if it's an offline interview.
  15. Be prepared for a power cut, keep hotspot ready.
  16. If you are at home, inform others in the home not to disrupt you by entering your room. And tell the others not to make loud noises or use youtube or anything else that consumes bandwidth during your interview.
  17. Turn off notifications on your phone and computer to avoid interruptions during the interview.

During the interview

  1. Build some rapport with the panelist. Which starts with first researching them thoroughly. To somehow slip into the conversation that you've done your research about them can be flattering. And they will like you for it.
  2. If you don't know the answer to a question and feel like you lack depth, tell the interviewer candidly that you don't know the answer and ask if it's okay you take some time to think about it. Or ask if you can get back to them over an email with the answer, once you've had time to research.
  3. If you don't understand the question fully, politely ask them to rephrase or it or share additional context. And before answering, restate the question to them to confirm you understood it correct
  4. Certain questions put off interviewers. Don't ask them "How many vacation days do I get?" or "What are the benefits like?". It's fine to be curious about these questions, but if you strongly feel about needing answers, direct your questions to the HR person (but towards the end of the interview process), rather than to the interview panelist during an interview.
  5. Don't lie or exaggerate about anything during an interview. Good interviewers are taking down notes and may have it cross checked later with other panelists who also interviewed you or by doing reference checks with past employers.
  6. Don't come across as argumentative. If the panelist corrects you, graciously accept it. Well sometimes panelists can be obnoxious too, but however obnoxious they are, the smarter thing for you to do is to be gracious.

Post Interview

  1. Send thank you email to the panelists.
  2. If there was any question you feel you could have answered better, then answer it better over this post interview email.
  3. If more than a week passes and you have not heard back, follow up. If follow up receives no response, ask the HR person privately what they feel is going on. If you get the sense you are being put on hold or they aren't interested, tell the company you'd be open to doing an assignment to showcase your interest and skills.

Credit to Rashi Agarwal for some of the points in this post.