Feeling Unprepared for an Interview?
I remember being nervous every time I had to go through an interview. I was always confused about what should I prepare for? I have had such situations in my career (as an HR) where candidates were mostly unprepared before they appeared for the interview. At Upskillie if we find a candidate is unable to prepare sometimes we give them a second chance but, you do not always get second chances right?
Here’s one such story :
HR: Hey, your profile has been shortlisted for the technical round. Can I schedule it for coming Friday at 5 PM?
Candidate: Ummm Okay.
HR: Are you sure?
Candidate: Yes yes! (back in the mind you are just thinking it’s too fast)
HR: You’ll receive an invite with further information. Good Luck. Have a good day!
Candidate: Yep. Thanks
Meanwhile, you feel unprepared! You are not sure what to do next. Thoughts like: What will HR think if I ask them for some time? Will I be given a chance? keep pondering.
But you finally decide to speak it up. You reach out to HR. Here’s what happens next:
Candidate: Hi! I wanted to discuss the interview scheduled for Friday.
HR: Yes, please say?
Candidate: Thank you for the opportunity. I am interested to go forward but I need some time to prepare as I want to give this my best shot. I don’t want to take a chance here and regret it later. Could you please be kind to postpone the interview?
HR: I made sure to check with you before any confirmation on the timelines. It’s difficult to shift the dates but since I see you are really keen to give this your best shot, I shall do the needful. Please let me know if next Saturday would be enough time to prepare?
Candidate: Yes, that would be really helpful. Thanks for understanding.
The above story talked about how if you are able to honestly communicate about your need for some time to prepare and your willingness to grab the offered opportunity, you’d get it. Don’t freak out before asking HR, and get dragged into an unprepared interview. All you need is an immediate response of asking HR on the first call. HR would understand if you’re genuinely looking for the appropriate time to prepare. Make sure you stick to the next schedule and prepare well for the interview.
However, don’t consider rescheduling as the option to procrastinate or drag the process as you might not always get the desired results. Requesting for a reschedule should be the last resort.
