Job Interview
A job interview is definitely a good opportunity that can change your life completely. That approximate half hour or little more decides what you are going to be. Hence, thorough preparation is crucial. With adequate home work, you can maximize the chances to get your dream job. There are a number of steps you can take before the interview in order to make a good impression during the interrogation.
Here is how to be prepared effectively for one of the precious days of your life. These tips can definitely help you secure a good job offer.
Before proceeding further, you should know how the organizations shortlist candidates, which types of questions are generally asked and how they select employees.
- Most of the organizations shortlist about 20% of the candidates of total applications received. Hence getting an invitation for an interview indicates that you are among the few who qualify for the job.
- Large organizations generally have defined interview board consisting trained personnel professionals and experienced experts. So you may expect the interview to be very structured to obtain the maximum from you. However, smaller firms generally don’t possess defined interview board. You are more likely to be interviewed either by an external agency or by a temporarily created body which may not have trained interviewers. In some cases you may be confronted by a non-professional interviewer. So you will have to work hard to use the questions as a means of conveying the points you wish to make.
- At a good interview, more than half of questions might come straight forward from your resume. The rest questions of the interview are generally based on specific criterion based or evaluation based queries and test of your personality.
- Knowledge, skill, experience and personality are the basic criteria on which selection or rejection of a candidate depends.
Now come to the steps of preparation.
Research the Organization
It’s crucial to know the organization where you plan to work. In a good interview about 20% of questions come to test your knowledge about the company.
It’s a good idea to browse the website of the company to know about their products and services, client base, milestones, recent achievements, mission statement, organizational strength and forthcoming aspects. Along with the company’s website, you need to search from some other sources. Google on the company and you’ll get many information and insights about the company. A trade publication of the company will be definitely helpful.
In fact, you don’t need all the information you can collect from the internet. An interview also generally doesn’t expect that you should know everything about the company before securing a position there. Hence, make a note of ten important aspects of the company with figures and fact sheet. Company’s mission statements and background knowledge are more important. Write down and reread twice or thrice.
Evaluate the Position
While you applied for a post, definitely you had some idea about it. However, the little general idea about a job position can’t help you better for an interview. Hence, make a strong orientation towards the job profile. Make list of qualifications, experiences, skill and knowledge and personality that best suit the position. Be sure about the hierarchy and your role as a potential employee.
Evaluate Yourself
Evaluate how you mach the requirements and preferences. Do you lack anything else? How to adjust with the assets you don’t possess for the position? If there will be question on something you don’t really have, how to respond such question. The best thing is highlighting your best assets those are crucial for the role in the position. Make a good list.
Prepare a List of Your Strengths and Weaknesses
It’s good to prepare a list of your strengths and weaknesses in relation with the job position you have applied for. Your strengths have to bring opportunities for you, while your weaknesses are challenge levels. Be ready to highlight your strength whenever you get chances and to accept your weaknesses and how can you overcome them.
Reread your Resume
Most of the questions in a job interview come from the resume of the applicant. Reread the resume to be sure what you have already told the interviewers/organization about you. Check-out what possible questions might come out of your resume.
Prepare a List of Expected Questions
A good interview, as I’ve told earlier consist approximately 60% of queries directly from your resume, approximately 20% on your knowledge of the company and job responsibilities and rest 20% on how you are able to handle special situations. Hence, it’s not difficult to expect the probabilities of the questions you’ll be asked to answer. You may prepare a good list of expected questions and their answers. I’m elaborating further. The most possible questions you will be asked in three categories:
- The straight forward questions around your CV including your background, ability, experiences, best skills,
- Your perspectives on the company and its objectives and mission, work culture etc.
- Criterion referenced questions like your role in specific criteria such as teamwork, leadership, negotiation etc.
You may prepare a list of commonly asked questions, such as:
- Introduce yourself.
- What are your educational qualifications and how much you gained from your degrees?
- Why did you preferred for a degree or a institute or both?
- What’s about your experiences till far?
- What has been your most important achievement in life so far? Tell in detail.
- (If you are in a job position) – Why are you thinking to leave the job? (OR if you have left some organization) – Why did you leave your previous job?
- Why have you applied for this job?
- How do you evaluate our organization/company?
- Tell about your strengths, weaknesses and challenges.
- What is your most challenging job till far?
- What experience do you have of working in a team? What role did you play in that team?
- Describe a project you have successfully completed.
- Do you have any query?
In response to the last question, you may have few relevant queries like:
- How will I be rewarded?
- How will my performance be evaluated?
- What are the opportunities for advancement?
Prepare your Responses
Use papers and pen to prepare responses to the possible questions. Make responses in short and simple sentences. You may use field specific jargon, if required. Your responses need to be positive. Avoid any type of negative statement. For example, never make a negative comment on your previous employer such as ‘that was not a good working place’, rather tell –‘I think I have better ability to work in a better organization’.
Rehears Yourself
Practicing interview with proper body language, tone and gesture is very helpful before expressing yourself in the interview hot seat. This will help calm your nerves and present yourself properly at the real interview.
Rehearsing interview with a friend or family member ahead of time will make you comfortable when you’re actually in an interview.
Get your Interview Cloth Ready
Think a while about your interview cloths. Be sure that your outfit is neutral in color and formal in appearance as well as neat, clean and wrinkle free. Be sure to dress to impress positively. It’s good practice to have an interview outfit ready to wear at all times, so you don’t have to think about what you’re going to wear when in need.
Be Careful of What to Bring
- Extra copies of your resume on quality paper
- A notepad and a pen
- Copies of certificates and testimonials
- A pen-drive containing your resume, previous project reports, presentations of project (if any) and any other content that represent you and your abilities.
- A portfolio with samples of your work, if relevant
Reaching the Place of the Interview
Ensure that you’ll reach the venue of interview half an hour advanced the schedule time. If the venue is completely new for you, it’ll be good decision to visit the place one or two day earlier to the scheduled interview. Using Google location tracker is advisable.
After reaching the venue take rest for few minutes. Drink adequate water. Then meet the personnel who is appointed to help you before you reach at the interview table.
Interview for job
During the Main Course of Interview
- Make a positive first impression: natural smile, good eye contact, firm handshake and straight yet comfortable sitting count towards evaluating you.
- Be yourself: Present yourself in most natural way. Be comfortable and be prepared to create a natural impression.
- Be honest: Never tell a lie, otherwise you might lose your credibility
- Pay attention: Listening carefully is most important. Comprehend what they want from you before answering. Never interfere while the interviewers are talking.
- Talk: Start talking when the interviewer stops. Be prepared to make everything clear. Focus on your knowledge, skill and strength. Discuss your qualifications in a way that would impress the interviewers. Talk on your success stories. But never talk a lot. Talk as much as required. Stop talking on something that is not interesting. Watch the expression of the interviewers while you are talking. If you notice they are not paying attention on a point, strategically move to the next point.
- Engage the interviewers: be ready to engage the interviewer. If you are unable to engage, interview will be of shorter duration. Long interview will maximize your chances. A give and take in the conversation is a nice practice. While responding or asking question, building relationship will provide you extra advantages.
- Be in an alert stage of your brain: They may ask something out of the main course or something that you never thought to be confronted with. An alert stage of your brain and mind can save you positively in such situations. Be smart enough to answer the odd questions strategically.
- Ask questions and clarifications: If asked for any clarification you may ask few questions relevant to your salary/prospects, work culture, rewards, location of posting etc.
- Let the interviewers know that you love the job and highly interested. Don’t forget to ask when the result of the interview will be communicated.
- Leave the room with thanks, smile and firm handshake.