The NIFT University interview questions can be quite nerve wracking, if you’re not well prepared in advance.It can be advantageous to prepare answers to questions in advance. It’s helpful to understand what the interviewers are trying to find out. After a diligent research of interview patterns, it has been found that the questions asked in the interview are mostly based on:
- Your work and Portfolio – where you get your ideas and inspirations from, how you go about researching a new brief, and so on.
- Your interest in Fashion – what designers inspire you, what magazines and blogs you read, why you want to study fashion design, and so on.
- Your plans after University – where you see yourself in five years’ time and what kind of job profile you would want after university.
Take a look at some of the commonly asked NIFT interview questions and the best possible way to answer them.
1.Tell me about yourself.
This doesn’t essentially mean “tell me everything”. It just means mention things about yourself that would make you a good fit to the course. You can tell about your study habits, daily schedule, aims and objectives, your ideal job and company etc. You can also talk about your fitness, sports, your role model. While these are the common things that everyone says, in order to stand out of a crowd you should tell them about your understanding of anything and everything.
Your wealth of knowledge, which can be acquired not only by learning books but also by learning life lessons, that brings you from a state of immaturity to higher levels of maturity.
2.Why do you think we should give you admission in our college/What special quality do you possess that we should consider you for our college?
Tell them about your life goals and study ambitions, and how the college resonates with what you are aiming for. Talk about your activities in prior schools, and how you can continue to contribute to this institution. Most importantly, tell why you intend to study this course.
Take a look at the college course info and the college website to learn more about the college. Your answers will be more in tune with what they may ask you that way.
3.What are your greatest strengths?
Tell the interviewer about your strengths which you believe would help you be successful during your course. Example: “I thrive on challenges and do not hesitate to work long hours to get the work done. I also have strong time management and organizational skills which would benefit me during the course.
4.What are your greatest weakness?
Be very careful while answering this. Do not emphasize more on your weakness and especially do not highlight a weakness that is core to your education. Show that you are aware of your weaknesses and what you have done to overcome it. Make it evident that you are self-aware.
5.What are your career goals, and how do you plan to achieve them?
Always make sure you can name career goals beyond “getting hired.” You want to show that you are a long-term thinker, with ambition for your future. A fitting answer would be a description of the active strategy and steps you’re taking to achieve those goals, which also speaks to your motivation and call to action.
6.Where do you see yourself 5 years down the line?
It tells a lot about the personality of the person and how they analyse things. It’s not so much the answer that matters, but how you respond to it.
Replace whatever you want* in 5 years’ time to what do I need to to get there? What network do I need to build? What skills do I need to get? What experience do I need? What results do I need to show? It takes away some of the spontaneity of life, but it helps reach your goals.
7.What are your hobbies and interests?
Speak about your hobbies and things that make you happy! Your enthusiasm will surely infect the interviewer.
Example: I take pleasure in listening to music. I never really thought that this was my hobby, but I’m beginning to comprehend that it is. I understand that hobbies are activities that a person actively follows and enjoys. Jazz and Blues help me recharge and bring me joy. Hence, in that case, my hobby would be listening to music.
8.Who is your role model/Who inspires you?
Finding a fellow human that embodies who you want to be isn’t meant to be easy. That is why it’s a good question. So take your time. Think about the traits you actually aspire to have, the things you actually want to achieve. Assess whether that stereotypical super(wo)man is your super(wo)man. Remember, they don’t have to be famous, or they don’t have to be like you and it is also ok to have more than one. Example: “My grandfather is my greatest role model because he had exceptional determination and ambition in his own career, but also took time to help those less fortunate. It’s these traits that I respect in Melinda and Bill Gates, and aspire to emulate in my own life”.
9.What does fashion mean to you? Is it important? Why is it important?
Start with a personal outlook as to what you think of fashion and move on to explain the why!! Example: Fashion is something that allows a person (man or woman) to look their absolute best. And when you look your absolute best you feel your best.
Clothes are much more than protection from the elements. Clothes can make people feel confident or powerful. Or they can be comforting. Clothing can be an artistic expression—a projection of the image people want the world to see. More than self-expression, fashion is a mean of self-empowerment and confidence.
10.What fashion designer’s design? What is fashion design?
Have a well-rounded answer to this question. Even if it’s not technically perfect its ok but make sure you know the gist of it. A good answer would be “Fashion designers attempt to design clothes which are functional as well as aesthetically pleasing. They consider who is likely to wear a garment and the situations in which it will be worn. They have a wide range and combinations of materials to work with and a wide range of colours, patterns and styles to choose from. Though most clothing worn for everyday wear falls within a narrow range of conventional styles, unusual garments are usually sought for special occasions such as evening wear or party dresses”.
Fashion design is the applied art dedicated to the design of clothing and lifestyle accessories created within the cultural and social influences of a specific time.
11.Why did you decide to choose fashion design as a career?
This question is asked to know the interest behind this field. Fashion designing is a type of field where a person has to have in-depth knowledge of the field. Answer this question by mentioning the reasons why you decided to pursue this field, such as your passion for the field, and experience in your childhood.
Example: “I decided to pursue a career as a Fashion Designer because this is the career I’ve been wanting to pursue for as long as I can remember. My mother was a Fashion Designer and introduced me to this field when I was a child.”
12.How would you relate past and present fashion trends?
This question will determine your quality of making comparisons. Your knowledge and skill in the fashion industry will not be the only factor that would be assessed but you also need to showcase a few behavioural traits in the interview process.
If we don’t know about the history of fashion, its course and transformations, it’s difficult to evaluate today’s fashion trends. It’s vital to keep yourself up to date. You could start your answer like this” Old fashion trends repeat themselves after some years. Those trends that were followed in the 18th or 19th centuries are now again fashionable. The only difference in these fashion tendencies is their modernization” and continue to say how it has changed.
13.How would you describe your personal style?
Examples to define your personal style could be “quirky, polished, bold, experimental, cheerful, comfortable, sleek”. Keep your answer short and to the point. You could say – I would describe my personal style as “Polished, comfortable and sleek”.
14.What are your expectations from this design course?
Start by telling the different elements that you will be studying in the course and how you plan on implementing it in your career in the future. You could say “I would like to understand everything about fashion design history, manipulating clothing textiles, sketching and drawing clothes, fashion events, or managing a fashion house. During the course I am hoping to figure out my niche and pursue my career under the same”
15.According to you, who is the most stylish celebrity?
You can talk about a celebrity’s whose fashion trends you diligently follow and like. Why you like it? What makes it stand out for you? Why that style sets them apart from the rest?
16.Name some of your favourite fashion writers, stylists, photographers etc.
They pose this question to know how genuine your passion is for the field, if you are up to date with fashion and if you follow current fashion trends and the people behind it! Make sure you update yourself by reading the fashion magazines, blogs etc to know about trending successful people in their specific Genre.
17.Describe something that excites you about the fashion Industry?
Knowing a lot about the industry is a great first step to getting your foot in the door. Being able to demonstrate that knowledge during an interview is even better. Talk about how it connects with your long term goals, show that you’re genuinely passionate about the current fashion trends, or the transition from the past to current trends, you can talk about a specific field in passion that excites you and how you think you could do well in that field.
18.Are you passionate about something apart from fashion?
Your personal values and interests are part of what makes you unique, and talking about them is a great way of showing how your passions have shaped who you are both personally and professionally. Talking about what excites you is also a great way to humanize yourself in the interview. You can talk about a hobby or interest that you have been pursuing for a long time. Talk about something you truly enjoy doing apart from fashion. Speak honestly. The interviewer can always tell if you’re meaning it or not.
19.How do you stay up to date with fashion?
Your knowledge about the current fashion trends determine your interest in the course. So, its necessary to stay up to date with the industry norms. When asked this question you could say “I stay up to date with fashion by reading magazines, browsing the internet, and studying technical manuals. I also study the history of fashion to better understand its development and current tendencies”.
20.Should fashionable clothes be allowed in colleges or should there be uniform clothing for all?
Give your personal view on this. As an aspiring fashion student, you could explain why and how fashionable clothes could be a positive impact for students. You could start by saying something like “Fashion is an extensively wide topic that cannot be conformed in a nutshell. While the topic is hugely debatable, in my personal opinion students should be allowed to wear what makes them comfortable and confident. Fashionable clothing doesn’t have to necessarily be revealing or short in general. Each individual has their own dressing sense, and being college students I think we are mature enough to make dressing choices that are apt to our surroundings.
Last but not the least, make a good impression, smile, maintain eye contact, keep up your posture, listen actively and show enthusiasm. Be gracious as the interview ends, and thank your interviewer for his or her time. And reiterate how excited you are about joining NIFT.
Also read The Know-How of The NIFT Situation Test to diligently understand the steps to be followed during the test.
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