Getting that interview call seems like you are almost there, isn’t it? Well, it’s not that simple. 2 out of 3 people, who make it to the interviews, do NOT make it to top B-schools like ISB. Hence, it is extremely important for one to leave a lasting impression on the interviewer.

Here are the top 5 mistakes that should be avoided in your interview:

  1. Lacking structure and consistency: Structure is very important, be it written communication, or oral communication. It is important to not just jump from one point to another. There has to be a flow to it that must make sense. Also, deviating from what is written in your application, or from what you have said earlier in the interview is a big turn off. Consistency is what an interviewer looks for.
  2. Falling into the interviewer’s trap: This is true for any interview, whether its ISB or any other B-school. One of two things can happen, you can either lead the interviewer into asking you questions you want to be asked, or follow his trail and let him ask the questions he desires. Your next question almost always depends on the answer to your previous question.
  3. Repetition: Throughout your interview, the interviewer wants to get to know as much about you as possible and how you would add value to their community. While maintaining coherence, try to cover as many different aspects about yourself as you can, rather than repeating the same points over and over again for various different questions.
  4. Not adding a personal touch: The biggest advantage of a Face-Face interview is that you can actually show your passion for what you want to do through your body language. While talking to the interviewer, try to make it a conversation rather than a question-answer session and show different aspects to you personality along with your professional achievements and goals.
  5. Not asking a question at the end: One of the most common mistakes that candidates make is that they don’t ask any questions at the end or they ask an irrelevant question. An interviewer almost always asks if the candidate has any questions. Always ask a question! This shows curiosity and interest, and if the right question is asked, it adds brownie points.

Avoiding these mistakes give you an edge over the other candidates who make these mistakes! Just be yourself and don’t fake it to impress the panel. They will always know!