Congratulations! Being chosen from over hundreds or even thousands of applications for an interview is your first winning step towards getting that much coveted scholarship. The next thing you want to do is to be well prepared for the interviews.

EARLY PREPARATIONS
Ideally, preparations for the interview should start the moment you are applying for the scholarship. Many organisations hold talks in schools and tertiary institutions, such as during career fairs, to promote themselves and the scholarships they offer.Some organisations even hold special events to publicise their scholarships to selected students. During such occasions, it is common to have scholars from these organisations share their experiences. So seize these golden opportunities to get fi rsthand insights into the selection process – what are the interviewers looking for in a candidate, what sort of questions you can expect,
and suggestions on how you can prepare for the interviews.

But if you have missed this chance, fret not. You can also gather information from the HR personnel or scholarship officer who contacted you about the interview. Find out from her what the selection process involves – what are the various tests you need to sit for, how many rounds of interviews there will be, who the interviewers are and how many of them can be expected at each interview and so on. However, be polite and don’t sound as if you are a police interrogating a criminal. Unless they are very busy, most HR personnel or scholarship officerswould be willing to answer your questions whenever possible.

By the way, some organisations screen potential candidates via phone interviews, so be prepared and don’t be caught offguard. During a phone interview, give concise answers. Be polite, articulate your words clearly and sound confident. If the interviewer rang you at a bad time, apologise and arrange to call her back. Unless you are planning to opt out or you encountered an emergency, do ring back promptly at the agreed time.

Now back to the information-gathering. You would notice that the selection process in most organisations comprises aptitude tests, personality profi ling, case studies, assessment centres (usually a full day event that includes individual and team activities that allow candidates to demonstrate their leadership, communication, teamwork, analytical skills etc.) and several rounds of interviews. Of these, the interview is perhaps the easiest to prepare for.

KNOW YOUR ‘ENEMY’

The first step towards scoring well in an interview is to know your ‘enemy’ – well, in this case, the organisation that is going to offer you the scholarship. Visit the organisation’s website, trawl the Internet and get your hands on their publications such as annual reports, newsletters, brochures to learn all you can about what they do, their areas of specialty, the challenges they face, their future plans, the organisational structure and the various divisions, departments and the subsidiaries, if any. It is almost inevitable that at one point or another, you would be asked questions that show how much or little you know about the organisation. A lack of knowledge gives the impression that you are not interested in the organisation. Moreover, most scholarships come with four- to six-year bonds. It is important to decide if you are keen to work for that organisation over that length of time.

Furthermore, such research helps you formulate your own questions for the interviewers. Remember, not asking questions may signal your lack of interest. So prepare a range of questions covering the organisation, the job, the career prospects, and of course, the scholarship itself.

PRACTICE MAKES PERFECT
Meanwhile, as you prepare a list of questions for the interviewers, anticipate the questions they will ask and get your own answers ready. Write or type them out and look for opportunities to weave in examples to highlight the skills or qualities the organisation is looking for. For instance, to show leadership qualities, you could mention the time when you were leader of a school project and you learnt how to delegate tasks to other members. lways look for opportunities to mention your “selling points”, but do not oversell yourself. It is ok to brag within limits, but never, ever lie about doing something you never did.

You do not have to memorise the essay-length answers! It would suffi ce to keep a few key points. You don’t want to end up sounding as though you were reading a script. Nor do you want to be tongue-tied at the fi rst mention of a question you have not prepared for. In other words, be flexible when answering questions, but stand first on your key points to ensure you give consistent answers.

If possible, ask a family member or a good friend to role-play the interview. Get them to pose questions while you practise your answers. Once you’re done, ask for honest comments about yourtone of voice, posture and articulation. Ask if your answers sound arrogant or insincere. Or were they too vague or long-winded? Once you’ve identified your weaknesses, keep working to improve your performance.

HANDLING THE DIFFICULT QUESTIONS

Sometimes, interviewers may ask some really tough questions. This is not because they want to give candidates a hard time. Rather, they are checking to see how well the candidate responds to unexpected questions. Otherwise, they may also be trying to find out what other hidden qualities you may possess. If you’re flustered by the question, you could say, “That is something I haven’t considered. Can I have a moment to think about it before answering?” The key here is to be honest and polite. It is unlikely that the interviewer would penalise you for requesting for more time to give a good answer.

Now that you have done your preparations, be confident and have faith. Don’t forget to use the interview as an opportunity to find out about the organisation fi rsthand. Find out if the organisation matches the impressions you’ve gained from your own research. In the end, taking a scholarship is not unlike making a career decision, so do your best to make sure you’d like to commit a few years with that organisation.

Good luck! May you get the scholarship you want, together with an enriching education and a fulfilling career!