"Tips for Interview"

During March this year as usual I received queries pertaining to undergraduate law study. One of the e-mail was titled "Enquiries of um law from a desperate f6 leaver". This young girl is asking me about "tips for interview" and as how the e-mail title showed, she seemed a little bit anxious.

Later on she told me that the reason she was that nervous was because there were some people who told her a lot about "interviews" and what she needs to "prepare". While more information adds more options to life, it can backfire sometimes especially causing damage to our psyche. 

I answered a little bit differently this time compared to the past and I think my answer worth being re-posted as follows:-

Hi Miao,

Thank you for your e-mail and well done for your examination results.

My blog entry was a record about the interview I attended in UKM for its law degree in 2011. I did not attend any interview for UM's law degree as UM's Faculty of Law only introduced the interview mechanism around year 2013 or 2014.

Anyway UKM's law degree was my 2nd choice and UM's law degree was my 1st. At the end I was offered UM's law degree in year 2011 and I graduated in year 2015.

You are asking for "advice for attending interview of UM's law degree". I think you might be assuming the below:-

1) Your performance in the interview of UM's law degree is something important as it will decide whether you will be offered the course

2) You need "advice" or you need to "prepare" for an interview

1) Your performance in the interview of UM's law degree is something important as it will decide whether you will be offered the course

University admission officers normally consider:-

a) Your academic result (including MUET)

b) Co-curricular activities

c) Other bunch of random factors (How many seats are available, consideration of racial quota systems, budget of the university etc.)

Until few years ago only they thought that "Oh I think we should also at least see the faces of them so that at least we can feel/grasp who they are, how they behave etc since we never try that in the past" then they started introducing and mandating the requirement of interview. 

So how much will your performance of interview affect the selection of students? not much. They need to interview thousands of students within few weeks and even the so-called brightest guy/girl in that 30 minutes won't sway their decisions too much, or not at all. The officers are bound to follow the traditional way of selecting students, i.e. through academic results. 

You can try spending a lot of time preparing for the interview, but it is near to useless. It's like trying to cook using wood and charcoal. There is gas stove (other better things to do). If you wouldn't accept using charcoal to cook, then you shouldn't try preparing for this interview.

2) You need "advice" or you need to "prepare" for an interview

If you enter "how to do well in interview" on Google Search there are 1.18 billion of results, and your teachers, parents, seniors will all tell you about "tips" for interview like "speak confidently", "dress well", "be polite", "ask good questions".

The original meaning of the word "interview" means "to see each other". So what an interview really is, is for two parties to meet each other and try to know each other within that meeting, that's all.

Imagine your friend want to introduce some of her friends to you next week, are you going to "prepare" for it? Are you going to think "How should I impress them?" and then start searching on Google for "tips"? If it sounds insane, that's what I mean.

You are who you are, the product of your past 19 years of life and all the things you have done in the past 19 years. Any "tips" won't "improve" you. And you probably don't need "improvement" at all. You don't need to try hard to be great or to impress someone.

The University Admission Officers (They are the one who are going to be your interviewers) are no ordinary person than your friends. They are just normal person like you and I. You don't have to work hard to impress them. You don't even have to see them as someone superior or senior. See them as your peers and talk to them like how you talk to your friends. 

And since they always meet students who are afraid of them, if you are not afraid of them, they might be even thinking "Oh this kid is so natural, genuine and humble. She just be herself and speak loudly on things she know and admit directly on things that she is bad at. She just be herself. Meanwhile some students want to try hard to impress me, they look so fake and hypocritical. I like this girl!"

"What if?"

"But what if I can't answer anything if they ask me some law questions? Isn't that stupid? Shouldn't I prepare for it?"

That's exactly my points above.

I have said above that interview means almost nothing in assessing students, they are bound to consider your academic results primarily.

You already have CGPA 4.00 and MUET band 5, now because you can't answer in interview you are disqualified? Seriously?!
If they really do so they will have to answer to their Minister on what kind of grand rocket science question that justify them on disqualifying a CGPA 4.00 student.

"what should I know beforehand so I won't end up like a fool in front of people, especially the interviewers?"

You already have CGPA 4.00 and MUET band 5, and then because of that 30 minutes of interview you let the world to define you as a 'fool'? Seriously?!

What and who is 'fool' is 100% subjective. The greatest fool of all is those who act know-it-all. Admitting that "I don't know" and say it out loud is not a sign of foolishness, but humillity. And humility is the beginning of intelligence. 

"What should I do"?

So I have said a lot of things that seem cynical and dismissive. You don't have to prepare for interview, you don't have to have law knowledge, you don't have to even do anything! Then what should you do?

What you should do as a 20-year-old now is: Try everything that you are interested in.

Think music is very cool? Go play that piano/guitar or just sing!

Think designing/painting is such a great beautiful art? Pick up that pen and just draw!

Always admire people who speak confidently? Go to youth camps, volunteer to speak on stage, the larger the crowd the better the training is.

A 20-year-old isn't supposed to know what he/she exactly wants. In fact any 20-year-old who tells me that he/she is so sure that his/her ambition or passion is ABC or XYZ. I will not only be shocked but think that he/she is likely to be mistaken.

I did matriculation not STPM, so in 2011 I only had 4 months holidays while waiting for the university application results:-

- I was so interested in photography, so I went to work for a job selling credit cards for 3 months, made RM3000+ and went to buy a DSLR camera, then I started playing it.

- I hated myself for being so shy and introverted and I was determined to learn how to talk and be more extroverted. So I signed up Famine-30 camp under World Vision and the experience opened up my world!

- Ended up I also learned a lot from my job of selling credit cards even though I hated it so much in the first place.

I did worry a little bit about my UKM law interview and intended to "prepare" for it. But I didn't know what to do and who to ask for (Google search wasn't that common that time), so I just ignored it. At hindsight that was a great thing. I didn't waste time "preparing" for interviews. I focused on what I am interested.

Now looking back I feel that I should have even pushed further.

Why only sell credit cards? I should try selling some more expensive items and challenge my sales skills!

Why only join Famine-30 Camp as a camp member? I should be camp leader and start one myself!

If you don't know what is your interests, just do something that scares you.

Last

Since I published this UKM Interview experience in 2011, I received more than 20 enquiries. More than 20 ambitious kids (like you) have approached me and asked me the same question: Tips and Advice for interview.

At first I thought "Ohh cool these kids know what they want and they work hard to 'prepare' for it". After a while I started to worry for them.

Kids who like to ask for "advice" and "tips" seem smart, but it is a danger sign that they like to "hack" and treat things like a game that they can optimise. Most importantly they always tend to focus on the wrong game: Starting from aiming for that so-called prestigious course and university because someone else told them that it is good, then after graduation aim for that so-called prestigious company because someone else told them that it is good, then after started working aim for that so-called prestigious position and titles because someone else told them that it is good, treating life like a checklist crossing one after another because someone else told them that it is good.

You already have 4.00 and Band 5. What is the worst that could happen? Even if you talk like an idiot in that 30 minutes, they will still accept you. And I know that someone who bothers to e-mail me to ask for advice is not and will not talk like an idiot.

Unless your passion is "prepare for interview", do things that you really like.

If you bother, read What You'll Wish You'd Known .

Take care :)