This article has been written by Oishika Banerji, from the Amity Law School, Amity University Kolkata. This article deals with the ways, skills and procedures involved to successfully crack an interview. 

Introduction 

An interview is a process of analysing the skills of an individual through verbal communication. It is different from a normal conversation between two or more people in terms that the former involves communication in modes of question and answer while the latter refers more to any normal genuine communication between two or more people that each one of us is a part of in everyday life. The term interview is mainly associated with employment, hiring and professional fields. This process of interview existed long before when the scope of employment began. Gradually with developing times, the importance of interviews also increased. Industries are growing along with a steep rise in the global population. 

Employment has become necessary to have a financial backbone to survive in this world. As the competition of being employed can be highly recognised, the standards of selection procedures for the same are evolving as well. The interview is one such step in the selection process that every individual hailing from any field has to be through. Generally, an interview takes place at the end of all other selection rounds. This says how essential it stands in the entire procedure of hiring an individual. Therefore, the methods and the ways to successfully deliver an interview needs specific attention from every individual. The interviews associated with the legal field are different from any standard interview on grounds that a legal interview requires a lot of knowledge beyond just mere general knowledge along with all other skills and traits required for an interview. The legal field is dynamic and therefore consists of several spheres in which one can specialise and work. The same requires passing in interviews like any other profession. 

As the world slowly proceeds towards digitalisation and technological advancement, there comes advancement in interview procedures also, therefore, the essential element along with any other necessity is being aware and conscious in any kind of interview an individual has to go through.

Ways to master the hack of cracking an interview 

To master the hack of cracking any interview several essentialities need to be undertaken. The relevance of an interview for any job is to measure an individual’s capability to perform that job with all diligence and potential. When it comes to the law, certain factors need to be taken care of along with general factors. Interviews for being appointed as a legal lecturer in any university or a legal counsel or adviser in any recognised law firm or rather attending the interview procedure in any judicial service examination, there comes a wide variety of professions that a person specialised in law can profess and execute. Therefore several grounds need to be undertaken to crack an interview easily and without any severe issues. The ways that must be adopted are provided below:

1)     Planning and preparing an outline: Law is a broad field and therefore questions in an interview can be raised from any grounds as the interviewer might prefer. Planning is the first step toward securing success. An idealization as to what are the questions that can be raised and the ingredients that are to be included to be confident enough to answer the questions asked is required and can be obtained through planning itself. Planning comes along with the preparation of a structure to be followed until the day of the interview. Therefore both planning and preparation are required to work in a track and thereby crack the interview successfully.

2)     Understanding the relevance of the job at hand: For every individual, the interview becomes easier to be cracked if the person wants to do so. Therefore willingness is as important as the previous step of planning and preparation. The relevance of the concerned job that the individual is set to be in after the interview determines whether the individual can crack the interview or not. For any professional field along with the legal field, diligence is required to be successful in the job. While the interviewer takes the interview, he or she understands by the very way the interviewee responds to the former’s questions as to if the latter is willing to be in the profession or not.

3)     Highlighting the success: Any legal profession requires the individual to be recognised in terms of having a strong curriculum vitae that will show their experiences and skills. Any interviewer along with asking questions will ask for the curriculum vitae of the individual. Several times it is the curriculum vitae that brings in an offer of a job interview. Therefore an individual needs to take care of their bio that will be presented in front of the interviewer carrying out the procedure of the interview.

4)     Being Knowledgeable: This is an essential requirement in any kind of interview. Along with knowing the matter on which the interview is being based, a lot of external information needs to be acknowledged as well. When interview for a post in Indian judiciary takes place, the interviewer can ask questions from any topic he or she feels like and it is to be presumed by the interviewer that as the interviewee is set to join the judiciary and carry out the role of a judge in any junior court, he or she must be aware of questions being asked for being a judge and executing roles under the broad heading of the judge is not an easy task to carry out. Therefore to be successful in an interview, knowledge is an indispensable element. At times, knowledge about the company the person is going to work in or the job which the individual is going to profess is also asked by the interviewer. Therefore necessary knowledge about the same is required as well.

5)     Attire: In an interview, the dressing sense of an individual is also something that needs to be thrown light upon. The preconceived notion that the first impression is always the last is actually true when it comes to the dressing sense of an interviewee. Western formal attire is preferred over any other attire for an interview. Attire should be such that the interviewee must look confident while delivering the interview. At times when the firm already has a dress-policy, the interviewee must abide by the same to impress the recruiter.

6)     Relaxing and being self: Several times the candidates who have come for the interview mess up the entire interview process by being anxious, impatient and nervous. For any kind of interview, calmness is a necessary element to be acquired. Being true to self and to the one interviewing is acknowledged. If the answer to any question being asked is unknown then the interviewer will prefer the interviewee to be honest and declare the same rather than delivering wrong answers which become highly detrimental for the entire interview procedure. Law requires to the point answers and therefore elaborating on a certain topic without mentioning the relevant points provide no value to the saying and thereby acts as a negative insight for the interviewer. 

Although the list as to what to adopt to crack an interview cannot be limited to only a few as it develops according to the circumstances. But some of the necessary elements that need to be taken care of and acquired in order to successfully perform in an interview are provided above. Changes in the same can be made according to what the situation demands. 

Skills involved in cracking an interview  

Although there are several ways which can help in cracking an interview without many hurdles, some skills must be present or learnt to apply the ways mentioned above. If the domain of law is taken into concern, the thought that the legal field requires several skills to understand and implement the laws as to the public interests is very transparent. Instead, companies and law firms eagerly look forward to the presence of these skills in the freshly graduated individuals for the betterment of their companies. The skills that are broadly required and must be present in an individual to crack an interview successfully are provided below:

1. Communication: The very purpose of an interview is communicating with the other person in the form of questioning and answering session. The recruiter expects the interviewee to communicate with him or her rather than being restricted only to the questions asked. Communication not only involves communicating verbally or in written form but also includes body language, speaking skills and curiosity on the part of the interviewee. This skill is often found in individuals from birth. If the skill is required to be adopted then the same can be carried out while being in college itself by the means of participating in various co-curricular activities like debates, moot courts, fests etc. For any lawyer to be recruited in the Indian judicial system or a law firm, communication serves a key skill to increase the image of the interviewee in front of the interviewer. Communication is also important if the profession of the teacher comes to play, for the very essence of teaching or delivering knowledge is by the means of communication. 
2. The problem-solving skill: The purpose of the legal profession is problem-solving. If a lawyer fails to deliver the same then it is a loss for him or her in front of the concerned client. The problem-solving skill is something the interviewer looks forward to. Often while taking the interview, a nasty situation can be provided to the interviewee in order to test the capability of solving an issue as swiftly as possible. This skill is, therefore, necessary to adjust in any kind of situation in the future. The winds might always not be favourable for any individual while working in any profession, therefore, the individual must possess the ability to come out of such a situation and instead help the company or the client from the same. This skill can be built up by raising the inquisitive nature within oneself so as to gain the understanding capability in different circumstances. 
3. Leadership: Not everyone is born a leader, rather one tries to be a leader. In the legal profession, leadership quality is something everyone looks forward to. Handling clients by wracking the brain peacefully and diligently is something that every company looks forward to in a lawyer. Leadership is required to carry out the methods of planning and preparing with a strategy to find solutions easily and thereby clear out the difficulties. 
4. Being honest: In every profession, the skill of honesty is demanded that helps in gaining trust among co-workers. During an interview, if someone is honest with whatever one delivers then it becomes clear for the interviewer to figure out that the same individual can be helpful for the company or the profession and thereby can work in a team gaining success in the same. In the world of decisiveness and fraudulent activities, an honest employee is always looked forward to by any firm.
5. Working in a team: Although the legal profession, like all other professions, can be exercised independently, there arise several other professions within the legal domain or outside it where working together in a team is required. What is expected from any individual is to work in the team being together without much chaos and with the aim to fulfil the appointed goal? Therefore, this skill is also necessary to be present in any interviewee. 

Conclusion 

For many people cracking an interview is an easy task while for the others it might sound to be filled with hurdles. It all depends on how an individual perceives the same. Any interview requires essentialities that should be acquired or adopted in order to successfully crack the interview.  At times, although the skills are present, the individual fails to crack an interview. Therefore, what can be inferred from the same is that it is all within oneself to be successful in an interview. Therefore along with the skills, self-confidence, willingness and determination must be adopted to crack any interview easily and efficiently.  

Reference 

• https://career.guru99.com/how-to-prepare-for-an-interview/
• https://www.robertwaltersgroup.com/news/expert-insight/careers-blog/eight-ways-to-prepare-for-a-legal-job-interview.html
• https://hiring.monster.com/employer-resources/recruiting-strategies/interviewing-candidates/legal-job-interview-questions/
• https://www.indeed.com/career-advice/interviewing/how-to-prepare-for-an-interview
• https://www.firstnaukri.com/career-guidance/top-skills-need-to-crack-campus-placement-interviews
• https://www.naukri.com/blog/21-interview-skills-you-need-to-crack-an-interview/

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