Academic Counselor

01.1Resume

CoreBeginner3–5 h

A one-page resume you can defend line by line.

What this covers

• One-page format — Reverse-chronological, clean fonts, no photos or tables that confuse parsers.
• Project bullets — Action + what you built + a number (users, speed, accuracy).
• Skills section — Only skills you can answer questions on for two minutes.
• ATS readability — Export a text-based PDF and check it with a parser.
• Working links — GitHub, LinkedIn and a live project link that open.
• Tailoring — Reorder bullets to match the job description.

What to practise

• Run your PDF through a parser test
• Rewrite each bullet as action + result
• Remove any skill you can't explain for 2 minutes

Common questions

• Walk me through your resume.
• Which project here are you most proud of, and why?
• Why is this skill on your resume?

Free resources

• OpenResume — Free ATS-friendly resume builder and parser test (Free)
• Jake's Resume (Overleaf) — The LaTeX resume template most SDE freshers use (Free)
• Resume Worded — Resume and LinkedIn scoring (Free plan)
• Jobscan — Match your resume against a job description (Free plan)

Free courses

• Professional Resume Writing — Alison (Free course)
• Resume, Networking, and Interview Skills — Fullbridge (Free to audit)

01.2Tell me about yourself

CoreBeginner1–2 h

A 60–90 second answer: present, past, why this role.

What this covers

• Present — Who you are now: degree, year, focus.
• Past — One or two proof points: a project, internship or result.
• Future — Why this role and this company next.
• Length — 60–90 seconds; stop before you list everything.
• Delivery — Calm pace and eye contact, not a memorised script.

What to practise

• Write it, then say it out loud 5 times
• Record yourself and cut anything over 90 seconds

Common questions

• Tell me about yourself.
• Why should we hire you?
• Where do you see yourself in a few years?

Free resources

• Google Interview Warmup — Free spoken mock interview that prints your transcript (Free)
• BBC Learning English — Structured free English lessons and podcasts (Free)

Free courses

• English@Work: Basic Job Interview Skills — The Hong Kong Polytechnic University (Free to audit)
• Job Interview Preparation For Tech Professionals — University of Cape Town (Free to audit)

01.3Experience & project questions

CoreBeginner2–3 h

Talking about internships, projects and jobs with clear ownership and results.

What this covers

• What you did — Your part, separate from the team's.
• Why it mattered — The problem and who it helped.
• Results — Numbers where honest: time saved, users, marks, money.
• What went wrong — A real difficulty and how you handled it.
• What you learned — One lesson you now apply.

What to practise

• Prepare a 90-second story for each resume line
• Note one number for every project or internship

Common questions

• Walk me through your internship.
• What was your exact contribution?
• What would you do differently?

Free resources

• Tech Interview Handbook — Free guide to coding and behavioral interviews (Free)
• Indeed career guide: interviewing — Articles on common interview questions and answers (Free)
• Google Interview Warmup — Free spoken mock interview that prints your transcript (Free)

Free courses

• Job Interview Preparation Videos — Programming with Mosh (Free video)
• Before you start interview preparation — Hitesh Choudhary (Free video)
• Java + DSA + Interview Preparation Course — Kunal Kushwaha (Free video)

02.1Counselling & guidance

CoreIntermediate4–6 h

Guiding students on courses, careers and stress.

What this covers

• Active listening — Reflecting and asking open questions.
• Career information — Courses, exams, admissions.
• Ethics & confidentiality — Limits and referrals.
• Parents — Balancing student and parent views.
• Stress & wellbeing — Recognising when to refer.

What to practise

• Role-play a counselling session
• Build a one-page guide on three career paths

Common questions

• A student and parent disagree on a course. What do you do?
• How do you handle a student in distress?

Free resources

• Edutopia — Free articles on teaching strategies (Free)
• SWAYAM — Govt platform, credit-transfer courses (Free)

02.2Spoken communication

CoreBeginner4–8 h

Clear, structured answers in simple English, at a calm pace.

What this covers

• Structure first — Answer in one line, then give reasons or an example.
• Simple English — Short sentences beat fancy words.
• Pace and pauses — Slow down; a pause is better than a filler.
• Listening — Answer the question that was asked, then stop.
• Online calls — Camera at eye level, look at the lens, check your mic.

What to practise

• Record a 2-minute answer daily and note fillers
• Read aloud for 10 minutes a day
• Join one English conversation practice a week

Common questions

• Tell me something interesting you learned recently.
• Explain your final-year project to someone from another field.

Free resources

• BBC Learning English — Structured free English lessons and podcasts (Free)
• Google Interview Warmup — Free spoken mock interview that prints your transcript (Free)
• LanguageTool — Grammar checking that isn't Grammarly (Free plan)

Free courses

• Smart English for Professionals — Great Learning (Free course)
• Spoken English — Great Learning (Free course)
• Speaking And Writing English Effectively — Alison (Free course)

02.3Customer support

CoreBeginner3–5 h

Solving problems calmly over chat, email and phone.

What this covers

• Empathy & tone — Acknowledge, then solve.
• Troubleshooting — Ask, test, confirm.
• De-escalation — Angry customers and staying calm.
• Ticketing & SLAs — Priorities and response times.
• Writing replies — Clear, short, friendly.

What to practise

• Rewrite five poor support replies
• Role-play an angry-customer call

Common questions

• A customer is shouting at you. What do you do?
• How do you handle a request you cannot fulfil?

Free resources

• HubSpot Academy — Marketing, sales and content certifications (Free)
• Salesforce Trailhead — Free CRM, sales and service learning (Free)
• LanguageTool — Grammar checking that isn't Grammarly (Free plan)

Free courses

• Enhance representative productivity with Customer Service workspace — Microsoft (Free course)
• AI for Customer Service Professionals — Microsoft (Free to audit)
• Customer Service Analytics — Microsoft (Free to audit)

04.1Mock interviews

CoreBeginner3–5 h

At least two full practice interviews before the real one.

What this covers

• Realistic setting — Same format, time limit and dress as the real round.
• Common questions first — Introduction, motivation, experience, weaknesses.
• Feedback — Ask what was unclear or too long.
• Recording — Watch yourself once; fix fillers and pace.
• Role questions — Add 3–5 questions specific to your field.

What to practise

• Do two mock interviews with a friend or senior
• Use a spoken practice tool and read the transcript

Common questions

• Tell me about yourself.
• Why this role?

Free resources

• Google Interview Warmup — Free spoken mock interview that prints your transcript (Free)
• Pramp / Exponent peer mocks — Free peer-to-peer mock interviews (Free plan)
• Tech Interview Handbook — Free guide to coding and behavioral interviews (Free)

Free courses

• Software Engineering Job Interview – Full Mock Interview — freeCodeCamp (Free video)

05.1Behavioral & STAR

CoreBeginner3–4 h

Stories about teamwork, conflict and failure, told with STAR.

What this covers

• STAR structure — Situation, task, action, result. Spend most of the time on action.
• Story bank — 6–8 real stories you can reuse across questions.
• Teamwork & conflict — Disagreeing respectfully and what you changed.
• Failure & weakness — A real one, what you learned, what you do now.
• Ownership — Times you took initiative without being asked.
• Common HR questions — Why us, why you, strengths, relocation.

What to practise

• Write 6 stories in STAR form
• Map each story to 2–3 common questions
• Practise one story with a friend

Common questions

• Tell me about a time you failed.
• Describe a conflict in a team and what you did.
• What is your biggest weakness?

Free resources

• Tech Interview Handbook — Free guide to coding and behavioral interviews (Free)
• Google Interview Warmup — Free spoken mock interview that prints your transcript (Free)
• Pramp / Exponent peer mocks — Free peer-to-peer mock interviews (Free plan)

Free courses

• Master Behavioral Interviews (for Software Engineers) — freeCodeCamp (Free video)
• Behavioral Interview Practice for Computer Science Students — CodeSignal (Free to audit)
• Soft Skills For Tech Professionals — University of Cape Town (Free to audit)

05.2Strengths & weaknesses

CoreBeginner1–2 h

Honest strengths with proof, and a real weakness you are working on.

What this covers

• Strengths with proof — Pick 2–3 and back each with one short example.
• A real weakness — Not a disguised strength; something you are actively improving.
• What you are doing about it — The habit, course or system that shows progress.
• Fit to the role — Strengths that matter for this job, not any job.

What to practise

• Write three strengths with one example each
• Practise the weakness answer until it sounds calm, not rehearsed

Common questions

• What are your greatest strengths?
• What is your biggest weakness?
• How would your friends or teammates describe you?

Free resources

• Google Interview Warmup — Free spoken mock interview that prints your transcript (Free)
• Indeed career guide: interviewing — Articles on common interview questions and answers (Free)
• Tech Interview Handbook — Free guide to coding and behavioral interviews (Free)

Free courses

• Software Engineering Job Interview – Full Mock Interview — freeCodeCamp (Free video)
• A Complete Job Interview Skills Guide — Alison (Free course)
• English@Work: Advanced Job Interview Skills — The Hong Kong Polytechnic University (Free to audit)

05.3Common HR questions

CoreBeginner2–3 h

The questions almost every HR round asks, answered honestly and briefly.

What this covers

• Why this company — Specific reasons from your research, not praise.
• Why should we hire you — Match two needs of the role to your proof.
• Gaps and changes — Explain gaps, backlogs or a branch change without excuses.
• Relocation, shifts, bonds — Know your real answer before the interview.
• Career goals — A realistic next step, connected to this role.
• Notice period and joining — Facts you should have ready.

What to practise

• Write short answers to ten common HR questions
• Say them aloud to a friend and cut anything over a minute

Common questions

• Why do you want to join us?
• Where do you see yourself in five years?
• Are you open to relocation?
• Why did you choose your branch or degree?

Free resources

• Indeed career guide: interviewing — Articles on common interview questions and answers (Free)
• Google Interview Warmup — Free spoken mock interview that prints your transcript (Free)
• AmbitionBox interviews — Interview experiences and company reviews from Indian candidates (Free)

Free courses

• Software Engineering Job Interview – Full Mock Interview — freeCodeCamp (Free video)
• A Complete Job Interview Skills Guide — Alison (Free course)
• Interview Preparation Skills for Accountants — Alison (Free course)

06.1Company research

CoreBeginner1–2 h

The product, the role, the job description and recent news.

What this covers

• The business — What it sells and to whom.
• The role — What the job description really asks for.
• Recent news — Launches, results, announcements.
• Interview format — The rounds, if the company shares them.
• Your fit — Three reasons, matched to the job description.

What to practise

• Write 3 reasons you want this role
• Match 3 JD lines to your experience

Common questions

• Why do you want to work here?
• What do you know about our product?

Free resources

• GeeksforGeeks — Company-wise questions and theory (Free plan)
• Tech Interview Handbook — Free guide to coding and behavioral interviews (Free)

06.4Final checklist

CoreBeginner30 min

Logistics, documents, setup and a calm night before.

What this covers

• Logistics — Time, timezone, link or address.
• Documents — Resume copies, ID, certificates if asked.
• Tech check — Camera, mic, internet, charger.
• Night before — Sleep, light revision, no new topics.

What to practise

• Do a 5-minute tech check the day before
• Lay out documents and clothes the night before

Free resources

• Google Interview Warmup — Free spoken mock interview that prints your transcript (Free)