Explaining low score during a fresher interview can be quite a task. After all, how do you explain to the recruiter that though you have scored low, you are still a very solid candidate who will serve the organization?
As you sit there, wriggling your hands nervously under the table, you might find yourself at a loss for words – how do you actually explain a low grade at such an important juncture?
Should you be honest in your approach, make some excuse or just grunt and ignore the question. What?!
Take the honest road
The better way to approach this problem would be, to be honest, yet smart about why you scored low. And, by honesty, we don’t mean you should tell the interviewer that you were busy playing football and that is why you scored low.
Instead, a smarter way to handle it would be to point out how you were busy learning more practical and hands-on skills. How you have emerged as a team player during your escapades and that now you know how to manage time effectively.
Your skills and co-curriculum activities are an important aspect of your personality and most interviewers recognize it as so. Therefore, if you play the strikes right, you can score a really good answer.
Don’t make excuses
Whatever you do, however much you might want to hide behind a pile of excuses rather than answer why you scored low grades during the fresher interview, resist the temptation. Making excuses won’t get you anywhere and might even set the interviewer against you.
Making excuses is just whining about the problem and will make you come off as a negative person. So, don’t tell the interviewer that “I scored less marks because I was busy participating in the college club activities…”
Instead, focus on what you learned during this time period. Talk about your achievements and accomplishments.
Highlight your accomplishments
Your accomplishments and achievements define you during a fresher interview. When the recruiter doesn’t have a lot to rely on, they look at how active you were building yourself and what goals you fulfilled. However, if you were just being plain lazy and not working on your grades, then you might be in some trouble here.
But if you have participated in college activities, then you have some practical knowledge and skills to speak for you.
You can tell the recruiter that while you did not perform very well or achieved a lot academically, you did accomplish a lot of things in the meanwhile and gained skills and experiences which you are sure would help you on in your professional journey.
Saying this will obviously draw the focus away from your marks and what you have learned so far. It will also give a sense of positivity to this otherwise dreary and scary topic.
If you did not score well in the first few semesters but really caught yourself up towards the end and tried hard to make a comeback, then you have a better chance of explaining yourself during the fresher interview.
So, talk about –
How you made a comeback
The fact that you made a comeback and put some real effort into salvaging your grades will surely impress the interviewer during the fresher interview.
So, talk about how you learned from your mistakes, realized you needed to focus more on your studies and the efforts you made to do better. Talk about what made this difference.
If you can admit to your mistakes freely (doesn’t mean you start pouring out your shortcomings) then the interviewer will see you as an honest candidate who doesn’t think he is above being at fault.
The credentials you earned
Sadly, scoring good marks towards the end of your college term won’t have a lot of effect on your CGPA. To make up for that, you can try and earn some credentials.
You can do so by taking up internships and projects and gaining relevant experience in your domain. If you find yourself short on time then do virtual internships or part-time internships. LetsIntern can really help you here and assist you in finding the right internship for you.
However, whatever you do, stay calm, composed and maintain a confident body language. If you blabber nervously during the fresher interview, then the interviewer will reject you, no matter how good and nicely crafted your answer is.
The best way to have a kick-ass body language is to perform and practice in front of the mirror or opt for online interview applications like Mock-AI.
Mock-AI can give you the feel of a real job interview and the detailed analysis provided at the end of it can be really beneficial in helping you perfect your interview giving skills.
Job interviews, whatever people might say or believe, are not just about how much you scored in your exams. There are so many other things that are taken into consideration while selecting a candidate.
Your skills set, the experience you have, and how amiable yet confident you are – all this goes into selecting the right candidate.
So, work on all aspects of the fresher interview; be confident, smile, know your answers and tell the interviewer you are a driven and passionate individual, and you will have the job in your pocket.
