Nterview Tips - LPDP Scholarship Program: Interview
Nterview Tips - LPDP Scholarship Program: Interview
Nterview Tips - LPDP Scholarship Program: Interview
Hi there, how are you? I'm currently feeling fantastic here in my 6th floor
college resident house room and suddenly just feeling like writing.
Before continuing on, I would like to remind you that I'm writing in English
NOT because my English is perfect (clearly this is not the case, lol), but I
would like to encourage all of us to learn communication skills seriously
and English is (whether we like it or not) one important part of global
communication skills. Mind you, this is very important as investing time to
learn English properly will simplify your life later on.
So, without further ado, I'm now here to give my long-delayed
experience/tips. This is not really a guideline because basically I'm just
sharing my experience, and what I thought I did or should have done.
Interview
The interview is, I suppose, similar as any company's interview. Basically,
they want to know whether we are the one their looking for. We should
meet their requirements, not only in academic skills but also interpersonal
skills and personality.
I was interviewed by 3 gentlemen, one of them is a psychologist. The
psychologist was supposed to be able to read my body language and my
thought path to generate an opinion whether I am the right person for this
scholarship or not. The other 2 gentlemen was professionals in the field of
education.
1. Know what they're looking for.
By that, I mean not only what is written in the 'requirement' section in
their website. You should know the core of the
scholarship/organisation itself. As far as I know, my scholarship
program (LPDP Scholarship - Ministry of Finance, Republic Indonesia) is
searching for "potential leader for the nation". Thus, in my opinion, the
interviewee should show signs of (at least) leadership (for instance,
proven with your organizational experience. Also, how you present
yourself matters; your body language, the way you speak, etc.), integrity,
vision, and awareness to national and international issue (whether it's in
the field of your expertise, or social/political issue). If you would like to
know more about what they're looking for, please check out their website
here.
2. Know what you have.
What can you offer? Why do they need you to be the next leader? Think
hard about your strong points. Think about what you did in the past that
adds to your skills and vision. Be proud of it, but at the same time, be
humble about it. Don't focus on your whole long curriculum vitae. Talk
about what makes a difference the most. In proper times, you have the
chance to elaborate what difference did you make on yourself and your