Preparing for an Interview

Interview

"To be a great champion, you must believe you are the best. If you’re not, pretend you are."—Muhammad Ali

Interview is a face-to-face interpersonal role situation in which the interviewer asks the candidate specific questions in order to assess his suitability for admission, recruitment, promotion or for an opinion. In other words it is a conversation between two or more people (the interviewer and the interviewee) where questions are asked by the interviewer to obtain information from the interviewee. Interviews can be divided into two rough types, interviews of assessment and interviews for information. Campus interviews are of first type. In Human Resources and Recruitment, Interview is commonly shortened to "IV" for faster communications within an office workplace.

Following is the list of the top ten critical success factors that nearly every employer is seeking:

Positive attitude toward work

Proficiency in field of study

Communication skills (oral and written)

Interpersonal skills

Confidence

Critical thinking and problem-solving skills

Flexibility

Self-motivation

Leadership

Teamwork

Show your competence in as many of these critical success factors as possible and you will rise above the competition.

The following points must be kept in mind when presenting yourself in an interview.

1) Sense of time:

Make sure that you are punctual.

2) Appearance:

A well-dressed candidate leaves an excellent impression and projects the image that he or she really cares about this interview.

Your clothes must look neither too casual nor conspicuously formal. The dress must be clean and ironed

wear conservative long-sleeved shirt/blouse.

Avoid gaudy clothes and colours.

Clean, polished conservative shoes.

Well-groomed hairstyle.

Clean, trimmed fingernails.

Minimal cologne or perfume

Empty pockets—no bulges or tinkling coins

No gum, candy, or cigarettes

No visible body piercing (nose rings, eyebrow rings, etc.) or tattoos

Girls should wear minimum jewellery and keep makeup simple and natural (it should not be too noticeable)

3) Body language:

A soft pleasing expression with a hint of a smile enhances your personality.

Maintain Eye Contact. If you have difficulty maintaining eye contact due to discomfort at looking someone directly in the eyes, simply stare at them directly in the nose. The person you are speaking with will perceive that you are making eye contact.

Facial Expressions

Posture You should appear cheerful and confident.

Gestures should be very limited during the interview.

Walk into the room with your back straight.

Do not loll in your chair in a relaxed way.

Do not get too close to the interviewer.

Do not cross your arms.

Do not place your hands or fingers over your mouth when you speak.

Avoid the following which indicate

Nervousness -whistling, pinching skin, fidgeting, jiggling pocket contents, running tongue along front of teeth, clearing throat, hands touching the face or covering part of the face, pulling at skin or ear, running fingers through hair, wringing hands, biting on pens or other objects, twiddling thumbs, biting fingernails (action itself or evidence of), tongue clicking

Untrustworthy/Defensive — frowning, squinting eyes, tight-lipped grin, arms crossed in front of chest, pulling away, chin down, touching nose or face, darting eyes, looking down when speaking, clenched hands, gestures with fist, pointing with fingers, chopping one hand into the open palm of the other, rubbing back of neck, clasping hands behind head while leaning back in the chair

4) Anticipate questions:

It is better to anticipate questions you will be asked. Preparation makes a big difference in how you'd perform in answering the questions. Prepare answers to questions based on your personal and academic details- Your elective subjects, project report, part-time job, hobbies, prizes won etc.

Try to know what the job is about and what the organization is doing. Speak slowly and clearly. An inaudible reply tends to make the interviewer impatient. At the same time you should not speak too loudly. Be natural, confident and energetic.

Know the Company

Spend time to learn about the company - but not too much time. The interviewer would expect the interviewee to know the basics of the company.

‘Tell me about yourself.’

This is the most often asked question in interviews. It’s an open invitation to offer up anything you want to impress the interviewer and get the job.

Prepare answers to the following questions and discuss with your friends. Anticipate a few supplementary questions based on your responses.

What goals do you have in your career?

How do you plan to achieve these goals?

How do you personally define success?

Describe a situation in which you were successful.

What do you think it takes to be successful in this career?

What is your most important accomplishment to date?

How would you describe your ideal job?

Why did you choose this career?

When did you decide on this career?

What accomplishments have given you the most satisfaction in your life?

If you had to live your life over again, what one thing would you change?

Would you rather work with information or with people?

Are you a team player?

What motivates you?

Why should I hire you?

Are you a goal-oriented person?

Tell me about some of your recent goals and what you did to achieve them.

What are your short-term goals?

What is your long-range objective?

What do you see yourself doing five years from now?

Where do you want to become ten years from now?

Do you handle conflict well?

Have you ever had a conflict with a boss or teacher? How did you resolve it?

What major problem have you had to deal with recently?

Do you handle pressure well?

What is your greatest strength?

What is your greatest weakness?

If I were to ask one of your professors (or a boss) to describe you, what would he or she say?

Why did you choose to attend your college?

What changes would you make at your college?

How has your education prepared you for your career?

What were your favourite classes? Why?

Who were your favourite professors? Why?

Why is your GPA not higher? / What are the reasons for your poor performance in the board examinations?

Do you have any plans for further education?

Why do you want to work in the _____ industry?

What do you know about our company?

Why are you interested in our company?

Do you have any location preferences?

How familiar are you with the community that we’re located in?

Are you willing to relocate? In the future?

Are you willing to travel?

What kind of salary are you looking for?