How do you prepare your CV and get ready for the interview?
– Learn from the experts!
A workshop on CV writing and facing interviews was organized by the Rotaract Club of Faculty of Science, University of Colombo as the first phase of the project “Future Challenge”. This was organized in order to help the undergraduates to be better prepared for the career fair. The workshop was held on the 25th of January at the New Arts Theatre, University of Colombo with the participation of over hundred undergraduates. The session on “CV writing and facing interviews” was conducted by Mrs. Madhavi Shilpadipathi and Mr. Prageeth Wanigasekara from MAS Holdings while the workshop on “industry expectations from a candidate” was conducted by Mr. Suneth Kotuthenna from Fonterra Brands Sri Lanka.
Here are some tips from the experts of the industry on preparing your CV and facing the interview.
Important points to consider when preparing your good CV,
- Targeted on the specific job which you are applying and brings out the relevant skills.
- Be honest
- Organize information in points and in a logically ordered manner.
- Accurate in content spelling and grammar.
- Be concise.
After discussing about CV writing, with the assistance of an interesting video Mrs. Madhavi explained how to face an interview.
Once you receive the call,
- Get to know everything you want from the first call itself.
- Jot everything down in a clear piece of paper.
- Things you need to jot down includes place, time, date, direction to get there, whom to meet and call back number.
Before the interview,
- Do background research.
- Select what to wear for the interview.(wear something that is clean, neat and comfortable)
- Be prepared.
- Make prior arrangements to get there on time.
During the interview,
- Greet the interview board.
- Introduce yourself maintaining a clear flow.
- Behave yourself from the very first moment you enter the company premises.
- Be prepared to say the date that you can start working.
- When closing the interview thank the board for the opportunity, shake hands and push the chair back before you leave.
The next session was done by Mr. Suneth from Fonterra and it was about what industry expects from a candidate. Apart from the session Fonterra was also the official sponsor of the refreshments for the day.
Here are some interesting points from the session that you must keep in mind.
What they’d expect you to know,
- Modern technology
- The macro- economic environment
- Self-awareness
- Functional competencies
What they’d like you to bring,
- Experience through leadership roles.
- Experience of victories and defeats and how you bounced back.
- Your academic profile.
- Experience of working with diverse individuals/teams.
What they’d like you to have,
- An excellent attitude.
- Effective communication skills.
- Ability to think innovatively.
- Learning ability.
- Inter personal skills and ability to understand others.
You should be,
- Trustworthy and honest
- Have your own personal learning
- Humble
- Courageous
We wish everyone who is going to face the interviews at the career fair all the very best. I would like to end with a few of the great quotes that Mr. Suneth mentioned during his session.
“Start working now because tomorrow belongs to those who prepare for it today..
Believe in a tomorrow that is better than today..
Just do it because what we do today makes tomorrow possible..
You will do things tomorrow that you can only dream of today..”
Special thanks to MAS Capital, MIT and Fonterra Brands Sri Lanka for sponsoring this event.
Photo credits goes to Colombo Beacon.
Written by: Rtr. Akshila Anurangi
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