How to Prepare for an Interview

How to Prepare for an Interview

An interview is a meaningful conversation between an employer or an institution providing admission and a candidate to learn more about each other for the purpose of filling a position within a company, organization, government department of academic institution. Candidate and the interviewer each have a need: you want admission or job and the interviewer wants to find the right person to fill the job or seat. The interview is an opportunity for further screening. Through an interview both parties start to form impression of whether a 'fit' exist between your qualifications/personality and the organization/ academic institution. Interviewers look at areas such as your motivation initiative, creativity, Problem solving ability and team work skills.

Interview is the measuring rod of a person's knowledge, personality and ability of expression through face to face contact. A popular quotation best describes the purpose of an interview. An interview provides an inner-view of an individual. Interviews are most widely used as a selection technique. The primary objective lying behind is to select the right person, no matter how impressive a resume may be, no matter how high the ranking in the written test, the aspirant must be well aware of the significance of an interview. The two important factors which play a decisive role in the interview are- your knowledge and also the power of expression. An aspirant must undergo mock interviews. They enable you get an actual feel of what facing on interview could actually be.

Interviews are typically thought of one of the most stressful aspects of admission in a reputed management institution or the job search. It is natural and expected that a candidate will be a little nervous for an interview. In fact having some adrenaline is good: it means that you care and it will keep you on your toes. The key however is not to reach a level of such anxiety and tension that it begins to have a negative impact on the interview. The key to maintaining your nerves is preparedness. It is common to hear students say," Interviews are hard because I don't know what they are going to ask me," or 'I have no way to prepare". How many times have you gone into an interview and left thinking, 'why did I say that?" or "why didn't I say that?" The idea that you can't prepare for an interview is completely false. There is a great deal of work you can do prior to an interview that will make you much more competent in your answers and much more comfortable in your demeanor. The saying 'knowledge is power' particularly rings true for interview. The more you know about the interview process, the more comfortable you will feel, which will be reflected in your eloquence and professional demean our.

What to Do

Prepare yourself sincerely. Schedule a mock interview with friends, family and even in front the mirror.

Self-Assessment: Conduct a careful self-assessment of yourself. Review your resume with a particular focus on experience related to the position at hand. Objectively evaluate your qualifications, skills, goals, interests and abilities, both inside and outside of the classroom, and think about how they contribute to the position for which you are interviewing. Anticipate your weaknesses and decide how you will respond to any questions that dip in to this territory.

Develop an Interview Strategy: Based on your self assessment and research, identify the qualification and criteria the company will look for in an "ideal" candidate. Develop a list of five "success stories" instances in which you've been particularly effective and proud of your performance. You have no way of knowing exactly what questions will be asked of you, but if you have five strong examples prepared, you'll have them immediately available to draw upon in your answers. Additionally, find out who you will be interviewing with, for how long, and the anticipated format. This information will help you prepare by giving you a sense of the "flavor" of the interview. A 30-minute interview with a human resources representative will have a completely different feel than a half-day interview with a departmental hiring manager, and requires different preparation.

Practice commonly Asked Interview questions:  You have no way of knowing what specific questions will be asked of you during an interview. However, there are certain questions that are asked in nearly every interview, such as:

·         Tell me about yourself.

·         Why are you interested in working for us? What do you know about us?

·         What are your greatest strengths and weaknesses?

·         What are your short term/long term goals?

·         Why are you the best on the position?

·         What questions do you have for us?

Day of Interview: Arrive about 15-20 minutes prior to your interview. You want to be prompt, but not too early. Camping out in the lobby for an hour doesn't make you look professional but instead shows a lack of scheduling ability.

There is no excuse for being late to an interview; in fact, this is one of the most damaging things a candidate can do. If you are unfamiliar with the interview location, locate the company, building and specific office prior to the interview. Keep in mind traffic time, particularly if you are interviewing in a large urban center. For example, if you checked out the location at 10p.m. Chances are it is going to take you much longer to reach your destination at 8a.m. Also, keep in mind how long it will take to find appropriate parking and any packing details in advance (i.e., if you will need a parking pass or special entrance to the facility).

Sometimes there are just "flukes" that happen that will make you late. A flat tire or accidents on the road are things you just can't plan for. If you are running late for a legitimate reason, immediately call to let the employer know the situation. Find out if he or she can wait for you, or if it is simply better to reschedule. It also bears mentioning that you should never cancel an interview, unless in the ca-e of an extreme emergency. You may never get a second opportunity to interview, and certainly not get a second chance to make a first impression.

Have your clothing figured out in advance of the interview. Also bring an extra copy of your resume and references in a professional portfolio; a notepad and pen/pencil; your list of questions to ask the- interviewer; and any information you might need to fill out a job application. You may not need any of these "tools," but it's better to be over prepared.

Once you get into the interview room the interviewer will show you where to sit. If there are other people in the room, the interviewer will typically introduce them at this time. Say hello to everyone and, if possible, try to shake each one's hand depending on the seating arrangement.

The interviewer will then do a quick introduction to the interview process. If you have any questions feel free to ask. For example, if you were not given any time duration, you can ask how long the interview is and approximately how many questions in order to gauge the amount of time you need to respond to each question.

Discussion of Your Background, Education, Activities and goals: This is a stage when a standard list of questions will be asked for you to answer back to the interviewer(s). This is typically the largest stage of an interview.

Listen carefully to each question and answer directly. Don’t be tempted to answer if you don't fully understand the question; it is always evident when a candidate doesn't understand the question and tries to make something up. Do not be afraid to ask for a restatement or clarification. If your mind blanks at that moment, politely ask if you can go back to that question later in the interview, or if you may have a few moments to think about the question. It is perfectly acceptable to pause for a moment before "launching" into a response.

Give concise answers. Provide specific and concrete examples rather than generalities. Don't be afraid of pauses. a silence of pause can be very positive and powerful. Avoid filling what you may feel is an uncomfortable silence with "you know" or "uh."

Stay positive and emphasize your strengths. Interviews, by their very nature, should have a positive focus, even when you are asked to venture into “negative territory” (e.g., “What is your greatest weakness?”). Always strive to highlight the positive in a situation, or to communicate what you learnt from a negative experience. Keep answer to “negative question” brief, and elaborate on your answers to “positive questions" that ask you to talk about your skills and strengths.

Eye contact is important. However, avoid extreme behavior like never looking at the interviewer or never looking away. Do what feels natural in a professional conversation. Before leaving the room, extend thanks and good wishes to every member of the interview board.

Important Guidelines

·         While facing the interview board, it is advisable that the candidate keeps an eye contact with the interviewer. It is pertinent to look into the interviewer's eyes. It gives a negative impression to look down or look away from the interviewers.

·         A candidate should reasonably have a pleasant face. In fact he/she should appear not only pleasant but also enthusiastic. He/she must be self-confident.

·         As a further step, a candidate should try to sit comfortably and reasonably upright with no sprawling or slouching. Indeed, comfort is important for relaxation in the interview, but at the same time it must not give a lazy image. It is better to lean slightly forward than to lean backward. It communicates interest and attentiveness.

·         A candidate should not chew gum or betel or anything else during the interview. This habit distracts the board and also creates an impression of casualness on the part of the interviewee.

·         A candidate should be attentive and alert during the interview. She/he should listen to the questions asked very carefully and give himself/herself a few moments to frame the reply in mind.

·         One should always be conscious that if he/she is speaking much faster than the normal. However, do not go too slow deliberately

·         If a candidate does not understand the question asked, he/she should not hesitate to reframe the question and ask Stay positive and emphasize your for confirmation of some other way so that he/she is clear about the intent of the interviewer.

·         Sometimes interviewers ask multiple questions. In such a situation, do not worry too much about the order of the questions or their totality. Your one answer can give birth to other questions.

·         Several candidates speak so quietly and softly that the interviewer cannot understand. Hence, a candidate must speak in clear, audible and self-confident manner as far as possible.

·         A candidate must guard against too much talking. Let your answer not ramble on too long.

·         Sometimes an interviewer may misunderstand or misinterpret your answer. If such a situation arises, never be reluctant to interrupt. A candidate can say. "I am sorry, That is not really what I meant".

·         Sometimes a candidate's views may be sought on controversial or hotly debated issues. In this situation the candidate should try to argue with the interviewer. While expressing one's views on such matters, do not be assertive. Express one's views in a modest manner corroborating reasons therefore. It is better to avoid firm expression of disagreement with the interviewer.