What do you do if your interview schedule is overwhelming?

If you are in an urgent need for a job change, it is alright to apply at many places. But if you get too many calls and your schedule goes bonkers, you have to prioritise the companies in which you want to go ahead with interview process. Out of the orgs for which interviews are lined up, choose the ones which are relevant to your role, salary structure, growth opportunities or location preferences. Focus your time and efforts on those specific organisations. For others, politely say No, or defer their interview process to a few weeks. Respect their time and efforts, interview process is a tiring and lengthy process for them also.

Prepare in advance for the interviews, make sure you know about them and the role clearly before the interview happens. Research about the org, their culture, stability etc. Understand your must-have requirements and ensure that your aspirations match what the org offers. Being better prepared would help you as well as the interviewer. You will come confident during the discussions and can respond to queries faster. I have seen cases where the overall interview process happened swiftly and took less back-and-forth when candidates were better prepared.

Being organised is more of a must-have (a necessity) these days rather than a good-to-have. If you are unorganised and clumsy, it can cause a lot of embarrassment during the interview session. You can be seen as unprofessional or under-confident, and can ruin the pace of your interview. Your knowledge level and aptness to the role can be spot-on, but any negative marks on your professionalism and soft-skills can prove detrimental to your prospects. Always be ready with all the artefacts you would need during the interview. Prepare in advance. Keep a list of probable resources handy - things like your experience letters, Government IDs, resume(s), references etc. depending on your profile and position being applied for.

Take proper rest before the interview and relax. Avoid too much caffeine or tea. Eat light yet nutritious food before the interview, don't stuff yourself too much - that'll only make you sluggish and sleepy. Wear proper attire that suits the position and role being applied for. If you need to wear a particular dress (like coat, specific colour combination or tie), ensure you have the dress ready one day prior. Otherwise you'll end up running around stressed, draining away your energy before the actual interview. Even for online interview, don't assume that you can wear anything and no one would notice. Don't wear shoddy clothes or wear a deserted look on your face. Smile and remain active, be attentive and show interest.

If you have a reference or known person in the company, try to get more information about the interviewers. Even if there's no reference, you can try to find the interviewer on LinkedIn and familiarise yourself with his/her work history and background. NOTE - This is NOT to influence the interviewer or use unfair means, but to know about the specific needs and structure of the team you are being considered for. Each interviewer has a unique style of evaluation and in my opinion, it is NOT WRONG to know upfront about the interviewer in advance. AGAIN - not to nobble or use unfair means, just to be better prepared.