The world of education has become more competitive than ever before. Employers today look for fresh graduates who can ‘gel in’ well within an organization. While screening candidates, they browse through the resume, looking for various things an applicant can offer to the organization.
If we go one level down into the academic race, graduate schools worldwide look for undergraduate students who can contribute to the classrooms. When admitting students, undergraduate colleges consider their potential candidates’ extracurricular activities. Thus, experts strongly recommend participating in academic competitions to students who wish to become a prestigious institute in the future.
One of the best ways to showcase your talent to your interviewer is to talk about how many academic or extracurricular competitions you have participated in and what you learned from them. This helps a recruiter understand that you have the ambition and drive they seek in a potential candidate. One myth that plagues the academic world is that you lose the chance for an interview if you lose a competition. That is not quite true.
If you can convince your interviewer that you learned from all the competitions you have participated in, you have a good chance of landing your dream job.
Tips for winning students’ arm Race
Here are some useful tips to win student competitions and prepare a portfolio of successful matches for your next academic or professional interviewer.
Start preparing ahead of time.
To come out as a winner in any academic competition, you must start preparing yourself beforehand. The sooner you create the competition, the more time you will have to grip the subject.
When you enter the competition, judges usually look for how well you have prepared for the subject and how well you apply your knowledge to the practical world. When you start training, you can conduct thorough research on the internet and scour through many different books and resources by clicking resource.
Manage time effectively
Since the internet is accessible to virtually everyone, competitions today usually take over the internet. This means that you might be competing with thousands of students from all over the world.
All of them would have access to the same material over the internet as you do. Some might even be more equipped than you, but what will set you apart from the rest of the crowd is time management. Prepare a daily schedule based on how much time you want to dedicate to your competition, how much time you want to allocate to your homework, and how much time you need to relax.
Look for mentors
Did you know that some of the most successful people in any field have always had a mentor who guided them to success? Hence, to achieve success, you need to find someone who has already trodden your path and achieved success.
A mentor helps you see things from multiple perspectives and guides you to become a better person and be more competitive than you currently are.
Practice
Once you have managed your time more effectively and have someone to guide you at every step, you should start practicing for the contest. Look for sample questions or case scenarios to prepare you for the big day.
Solve as many questions, quizzes, or practical case scenarios as possible. You will feel more confident and competitive as you start solving more quizzes or tests. It does not matter if you win a competition as long as you learn from the experience.
Never give up
Losing a competition is not the end of the world. When you sit in front of an interviewer, they might be looking for someone who dares to learn from failures and look ahead to more challenges. Hence, it would help if you never stopped participating in competitions as each test prepares you for the next one.
As you start participating in more competitions, try to make a story from your journey that you can share with your interviewer. If the person interviewing you is impressed by your dedication and persistent attitude, they might choose you even if you have never won a competition!
Things that you should never do to win an ‘arms race.’
There are a few things that you should never do, no matter what, in an arms race. It would help if you never lay or cheat because that will always go against you in the long run. Never lose your nerve during the competition.
You should always try to remain calm and take a deep breath if too much pressure is on you. If you are working in a team, try to listen to everyone’s perspective before giving your verdict. Being a good listener is one of the best qualities to be a winner in every walk of life!
Competitions are a great way to develop your experience and prepare a story you can tell your interviewer at any stage of your academic and professional career. If you train hard and keep yourself open to learning with every passing competition, you should succeed in every walk of life!
