It starts with crafting your resume. Recruiters are likely to give it a cursory glance, so think about how you can make an impression that sticks in their minds. Articulate your brand image succinctly so that when they reduce your resume to a few words, they can rattle it off their tongues. I wrote inside that I’m an ACE (Adaptable, Creative and Enthusiastic) educator. Agile is the buzzword these days, but adaptable feels more like me, so I’m going along with that. In my first year of teaching, I went for an interview that would enable me to be posted to an overseas institution for three weeks. The interviewers expressed their concern that I was too young. I blurted out like the consummate pro that I was, “Oh, I’m very adaptable.”

This brings me to knowing yourself well. The interview is at its core a selling transaction, in which the product is you. Convince the interviewers that you can not only do the job, but also do it in a way that few others can match. Explain how your unique blend of character traits and professional experiences will bring unsurpassed value to the organisation.

So, even if the prospect of preparing for it makes you cringe, you should absolutely prepare a one-minute elevator pitch about yourself. Interviewers are human too. They resort to the default “Tell me about yourself" for their first question while they try to make sense of the vibes you are radiating. Your self-introduction should encapsulate your career highlights and vision. Also draw the link to the organisation and explain why you are a great fit.

Forget about textbook interview questions. The interviewers are hardly likely to ask these stock questions because they aren’t in the business of preparing students for interviews. Instead, examine your resume from the interviewers’ point of view. Curate it in such a way that it will pique their curiosity. Use strong action verbs to describe your achievements - stuff that will make them want to ask “Why?”. Also be clear about the points of clarification you think they will require. For instance, I was asked to explain "why dual degrees in four years". Prepare talking points to those questions.

Yes, talking points. For one, you don’t want to over-rehearse and come across as glib or robotic. For another, you should be nimble and prepared to make use of one experience to answer different kinds of interview questions. Demonstrate that you can leverage your past experiences to adapt to the unique environment of the company you are interviewing for. For instance, I was asked how my overseas Youth Expedition Project (YEP) in Vietnam would help me engage Japanese kids. (I was applying for a job with the Japan Exchange Teaching programme.) I can use this YEP experience to discuss my leadership strengths or insights for navigating an overseas curriculum. Stay agile!

Even though you are selling yourself, don’t get too caught up in the “performance”. Relax. Smile. This is where self-awareness comes in. Understand your style of humour and deploy it by firing cannonballs at unexpected points. Your interviewers will be caught by surprise and genuinely laugh out loud. Humour helps dissolve the tension of the interview. Remember, no one particularly wants to work with you if you seem competent but uptight about work.

Sometimes, the interview takes a shift. Towards the end, some employers may want to know you on a personal level. Expect questions like "tell me what you do for fun" and "what rocks your boat?". Don’t be afraid to reveal your authentic self.

After all, as much as they are assessing if you are a good fit, you are assessing whether these interviewers are people who you want to work with. They represent the organisation’s culture. They may or may not be your tribe. The only way to know is to put yourself out there and see the ripples it will generate. Also prepare 1-2 questions to ask the interviewers in return so that you can better ascertain their brand image.

The interview doesn’t end when you leave the room! You are probably trained to write a thank-you note to the interviewers so that your brand image becomes salient in their minds. I have another tip for you. Quickly pen down all the questions that you have fielded throughout the interview. Over time, you will pick up some common themes and patterns that will ease your preparation process for the next interview.

The interview serves as a mirror and offers you feedback that you wouldn’t obtain in the daily grind of life. Don’t let those gems of illumination slip by!

Here is my first footnote¹.