Tips for Scholarship Interview

Hello Beautiful Readers,

I have always wanted to share this with you , who are seeking for scholarship interview tips (especially Malaysian) . I wrote this based on my experience attending several interviews (exxonmobil,mmc,maybank,bank negara, um,mara) and I really hope that you find it useful.



1. Prepare all the documents needed *asap! *don't procrastinate 

Highly recommended to use clear file like this for certs. It would be easier for the interviewer to browse through them.
You can use normal file for other documents, it would be better and hassle-free to be organised .

2. Plan out the COMFORTABLE outfit that you will be wearing

This is very important especially to ladies. I know it can be very tricky especially if it is your first time. Rest assured because I have several tips for ya! These are based on my observation during my interviews. 

    

<3 Baju kurung ; in my opinion, the plain kurung seems more formal and classy-looking. I wore the plain top and printed kain. But u can wear any pattern that u like. Modest and nice.

Choose the colour that you think can give positive vibes!  

<3 You can also opt for skirt or pants ( either long or short(knee length) ) , blouse and blazer is optional.

<3 Wear comfortable court shoes. Avoid flip flop, sandals and stiletto. I don't think you want to hurt yourself all day long, right? 

<3 Whatever outfit that you wear on that day itself, be confident ( even though other people might think that you look weird ) Just be confident and bring it on !

3. Prepare for IQ test or any aptitude test

Some scholarship interviews require candidates to complete IQ test. So, it is very helpful if you can do exercises beforehand. There are a lot of IQ tests exercises that you can do (google!), this can help sharpen your reasoning skills because usually it involves patterns, numerical, diagrams.

4. Be prepared for any phone interview.

Usually the sponsor will notify you via email if they want (means not all sponsor do this) to carry out phone interview as a part of the whole process. So, make sure your phone is not silent, always keep it near to you and  it would be better to tell your family members about it so that they can alert and remind you if you are say; sleeping all the time  take a nap at noon. 

5. Research course and sponsor

<3 If you are applying for a specific course; which most scholarships offer, the you gotta work your ass off in knowing in depth about it. Well, you won't look good if you can't answer about the subject that you want to pursue. Feed yourself with as much information that you can get via reading online , and asking people working or studying in that field . You will enjoy this process as much as I did if you truly into it . Come one,a little bit too much of enthusiasms is really beneficial !

<3 It is wise to at least having a rough idea about the background of your potential sponsor . Well, you don't have to memorise all the contents of (e.g Khazanah Nasional, PNB,Maybank) their websites, because sometimes if you act like you KNOW evertything about them, which in fact you don't, they might use it against you (like asking deep question say;explain investment revenues etc) . Stay humble and at the same time show your openness to learn something new.

6. Be early !  Plan your journey ahead!

 <3 Get ENOUGH SLEEP the day before. Our brains cannot function efficiently if we are sleep deprived. Very important!

7. Mingle with other candidates. Make as many friends as you could.

Remember dear friends, even though we are technically competing with one another, there's nothing to lose in getting to know new friends. This is the fun part ! Have chat and it can helps you feel more comfortable, less intense and make it more memorable experience I hope :) 

8. Have positive minds, attitude and behaviour

It is essential that you set your eyes on getting it, however you don't want to over do it. Keep it genuine, don't be pretentious and show the best version of yourself. Because psychologically, people can sense if you are being pretentious instead of genuine especially during group interview. 

Group interview is not meant to assess who is the most outspoken and what not, but it is to observe teamwork. If you are a leader, you are expected encourage team members to bring out the best out of them in the progress of completing a particular task. However, if you are not the leader, just a normal team member, don't be upset about it because the position does not affect anything as long as you try your best to contribute brilliant ideas and help leaders to decide. Basically work together as a group! Overshadowing other people and conquering the whole discussion may results in slim chance in getting the scholarship. Take note , very important.

Wish you best of luck and have fun!

For further questions, feel free to drop comments or email me (missnuhanaila@gmail.com)

Bye. Happy days ahead !