Having found your desired job from your dream company, you would have applied for it securely through the job portal sites. Now, that they have called you for a face-to-face interview you may presume that having the required qualifications and skill sets aids you in getting the job. But, you have to always remember that a resume and qualifications you have submitted will only land you to the doorstep of the Interview place. To secure a job it is all in the way you perform in an Interview. Here in this blog, we have jotted out the 25 Essential Interview Tips that will help you to ace the desired job and to perform well in the interview.
Firstly, Having received your first call letter from the company, try to gather the key information about the company, details such as when the organization was started, who founded it, on what motto the organization functions on, and what business the organization primarily deals with such as their products and also look for the recent changes they have made in their company. The changes include the market shares they have gained in the recent quarter or the area where they have made major investments currently and about their tie-ups.
You can access all this information through their official website or if you have any referrals in that organization try contacting them to gather this information. As these are the vital information that you must collect before an Interview.
Having surfed about the organization across the social media, you may have few questions such as the work culture, your team members, prospect of growth, leadership and management styles followed in the organization, and so on. Enlist all these questions and be prepared to ask about this when given a chance at the time of the Interview.
Before heading to an Interview keep your certificates and resume properly filed in the correct order. It is advisable to have at least 5 copies of your resume as the resumes shall be circulated among different authorities in an organization.
Usually, it is better to carry a copy of your Government Identities such as PAN Card, Driving License, Voter Id Card and a couple of your passport size photographs as it might help you in case you are provided with an on the spot offer. Apart from that, you should carry some additional white sheets or notepads, and a Pen or a Pencil. As these little things determine how prepared you are for the Interview.
Having complied with your portfolios in the correct order in the file and gathering the additional requirements place them in a bag or a briefcase that is clean and neat. Check out whether it looks professional and also matches with your outfit.
While in the surge to ace a job, it is also important to concentrate on your dress code. You must be aware of what to wear and what not to and it is more important to be well-groomed. Find out from your friends or colleagues about professional attire and what they follow in their organization and try to match those standards. A good professional attire creates the first best impression of you.
Along with your professional attire, it is necessary to have a confident smile along with you during the time of the Interview. Having a smile at the right time, helps the Interviewer to have a feeling that you are a person who is listening and reciprocating.
When an Interviewer puts forth the questions such as Tell me about yourself? It is preferable, to be honest. You should first tell your full name, your educational background, your accomplishments in academics, sports, or other extra-curricular activities. In case you’re an experienced candidate you can mention the previous achievement you made in your earlier organization. This is an important question wherein you can try to be optimistic and concise to create a good impression.
It is the most important thing that one should concentrate more. Please ensure you mention the Qualification with the Department, Year of Passout, Percentage of marks obtained and the name of the institutions where you studied are clearly mentioned. Many candidates simply mention “BE” as their qualification without specifying their department or completely not specifying their year of pass out, which can really make the interviewers feel bad. Many candidates ask their seniors or friends to prepare the resume and come to the interview blindly without going through the same. When an Interviewer asks about something you have mentioned for which you are not completely aware of, the situation will turn out to be an awkward one. It is advisable only to mention things and details that you are aware of. Also, it is better you sit along with your seniors and friends while preparing the resume so that you can learn something new.
Get prepared for the Interview by doing mock-interview practices. Ask out for help from your friends or seniors to act as an Interviewer to ask them questions. Answer them clearly with confidence and take their feedback if any. Try practicing to talk out in an audible voice. Maintain proper eye contact while talking and take clues about their response and acknowledgement and continue to talk accordingly. You can access the unlimited number of mock interview videos that are available on the social media site. Go through it to have an idea about how the questions are put forth to you.
If you are an experienced candidate you can mention your role in the previous organization, and your immediate point of contacts such as Lead, Manager, or HR and their Mail ids and official contact number.
If you are a Fresher you can mention the social volunteer or the group activities you have taken part in and provide the contacts of that community leader or the official authority. It is advisable not to mention your friends and family members for the contact details as it is not ethical in the point of view of the organization. Having a good Reference list on your resume adds credits to your personality.
It is mandatory to have adequate sleep the day before the Interview. It is because only when you get an adequate sleep, you can think and function properly the next day. Inadequate sleep leads to chaos and anxiety the next day.
Nonverbal communication is one of the ways to demonstrate your confidence in an Interview. Give a firm handshake to the interviewer while you step in for the Interview process, stand straight until the Interviewer asks you to sit, and while you talk, you should maintain a constant eye-contact with the Interviewer. Ensure you maintain eye contact to the interviewer for whom you are answering, in case there are multiple interviewers. You can also switch and maintain eye contacts with every of the interviewers if you are explaining something in general. It is important to maintain a good eye-contact with the Interviewer. When you avoid an eye-contact, it creates an image of suspicion about yourself to the Interviewer.
When an interviewer asks you something and that you have answered for what the Interviewer has asked for. Give them the space to think or analyze, don’t pile them up with more questions or answers than required. Sometimes the Interviewer may stay polite to check as to how you react.
Impolite doesn’t always mean the way how you respond to the Interviewer. It also includes the following points,
As soon as you step into the employer’s building, it indicates that you have started your Interview process. Don’t constantly peep your head into mobile phones. Look around, breathe in, relax, and stay composed. Also, before walking ahead to the Interviewer’s room, place your mobile phone in the silent mode and keep it inside your bag. Ensure it doesn’t Vibrate as well.
Below we have explained how to answer this question for both freshers and experienced candidates.
Fresher:
Though I am a fresher graduate, my coursework coincides with this position. Also, I have gained the basic job experience during my Internship program. Moreover, I am a quick learner with an enthusiastic character who can adapt to any situation flexibly, and also to get placed in this firm is my long-time goal.
Experienced:
In your job posting, you have mentioned that you are specifically looking for a candidate who has an intermediate level of experience. I have five years of experience in my previous marketing company, where I individually increased the profit of sales by 43% while cutting overhead. Also, I was nominated and elected the digital marketing head for a tenure of 7 months. I firmly believe that my experience along with my enthusiasm and my work ethics makes me more suitable for this job profile.
Please note that for experienced professionals, it is always better to highlight their achievements precisely and that too in terms of productivity or numbers will be more impressive.
If an Interviewer asks you do you have any concerns or questions? Most of them reply as No and this is the most inappropriate thing to do in an Interview. Rather, you can ask about the work culture, payroll system, workload, and work cycle. You can even ask about the Interviewer’s work position or their experience in this organization. Only when you question them they will get to know the other perspectives of you. When you say “No” most often it is assumed that you fear a lot. And maybe this leads to missing the chance of getting this job.
Though you are desperate about your dream job don’t portray as if you are in dire need of this job or follow the approach of ” Please hire me”. When you seem too desperate it pictures as though you are less confident about you and your skills
Incase if you are taking the Interview through telephone or video conferencing then ensure that you are clear about what you speak. Always have a water bottle near you so that you can save yourself from drying the throat. Also, check your network connection before stepping into the Interview. Getting disconnected between a call would make a bad impression of yourself. So ensure your network connections are good. Also ensure you are in a place where there is no noise and there is no one to distract your attention during the interview. TV Noise, Audio Players, Fan running at High Speed, Sitting close to the AC, Childrens chatting or shouting, Kitchen works, Pet Animals – these noises are well captured by any mobile phone and can cause the interviewer not to hear you properly.
Here is where most of the people fail to outperform well. Always listen carefully to the Interviewer and react accordingly to it. At times the Interviewer may give you the information indirectly and only when you are a good listener you can respond properly. If you fail to be a good listener, chances are there you may miss the opportunities.
It is the most important thing in an Interview. Be aware that you don’t use inappropriate words or slang. Also, don’t be in a rush to talk, though you are not a good speaker, talk at a normal pace. How Clearly you speak is more important than how fast you speak. When you rush up, often it is assumed that you have memorised the responses that you need to speak. Even if you make mistakes it is fine, it is like you are trying to do better, so talk at a normal pace.
While concentrating more on the non-technical aspect, don’t fail to focus on the technical aspect as well. This is the most important thing that helps you to secure a job. Have a good brush up of your technical knowledge. Ask the help of your friends and seniors or peers of the recent changes that have taken place in the market. Update yourself with it. Glance through from the basics a day before the interview.
Ensure that you have taken up any course or training which are relevant to your job expectations. Companies feel that Trained resources are immediately usable with less or no training expenses from their side and hence prefer them. If you are Trained and Certified, it is one of the best possibilities for you to get the job easily.
It is important to carry the gesture of appreciation. While you leave the room thank your Interviewer also send the thank you email within 24 hours as a cordial gesture. It adds a good impression of your personality.
Last but not least, it is important to report yourself on time during an interview. It is advisable to be present at the given venue 15 minutes earlier before the scheduled time. It is because you will have sufficient time to relax and also it showcases how determined you are about the job
Hopefully these 25 Essential Interview tips were useful for you. Go through these tips and try to implement them at your Interview process to secure the job.
