INTERVIEW 1.3

 INTERVIEW 1.3

[Preparing for a Winning Interview]

Impressing Recruiters/HR, to bag your dream job has become more challenging for students now-a-days. In an increasingly competitive environment and make-or-break placement interviews, Here are some 'Super Tips' for you to put yourbest foot forward,

Preparing for an Interview: One of the most fundamental factors that contribute to the success of an interview is the time and quality of preparation made by you. The degree of preparedness for an interview helps reduce the uncertainty and anxiety prior to the interview. The amount of effort you wish to put into preparation is directly proportional to the importance of the interview.

Know the Organization: Conducting thorough research about the companies that will be interviewing you and the industry is a must. There can be no excuses on this front, given the amount of freely available information on official company/ corporate websites. Industry is changing at a rapid rate, educate yourself on the trends. It is very important to know the background of the organisation you apply to. Your interview process starts even before you go to meet your prospective employer. Start by preparing for the big day. Check their website, read whatever published literature you can find about the company, and if you know anyone who works there, talk to them. This will give you a better insight into the company and their work. It will also show initiative on your part. It is important for the following reasons. From the interviewer’s point of view the good applicant is one who has done some homework about the organization.

Practice & Prepare Responses: If you are very nervous about the interview, ask a friend to go through a dry run with you. Practice a mock interview at home, ask for feedback and try to iron out all wrinkles in your responses before you go for the interview. One needs to prepare responses to standard questions such as, Introduce Yourself or Why Our Company only. Think aloud during technical interviews. Often interviewers are interested in your thought process, and your approach towards problem solving. They may even support in the right direction through helpful hints. In questions where you are asked to describe yourself, always describe by example. Simply attaching a string of adjectives is not the best idea rather; describe an incident or experience that shows the desired quality in you. Here, the trick is to be genuine and effectively showing the best part of your personality.

Communicate Well with Enthusiasm: Believe in what you say; be passionate and convincing. Companies love a positive attitude towards learning and the adaptability to change. It’s better to admit that you don't know an answer rather than go in for guesswork or manipulation. But you need to follow that up with evidence that you are keen to learn. Remember, your confident communication plays a major role to create a positive mark. The interviewer normally pays more attention if you display an enthusiasm in whatever you say. This enthusiasm comes across in the energetic way you put forward your ideas. You should maintain a cheerful disposition throughout the interview, i.e. a pleasant conversation holds the interviewers interest. 

Know Your Skill Set & Play to Your Strengths: Are you great at developing processes but don't know how to use the latest software? Are you good at design but hate conceptualizing? Know what your strengths and weaknesses are, so that you can play up your strengths at the interview table. A common interview question often is: "What are your three greatest strengths?" Try to come up with an answer that can be backed with examples, numbers or concrete results. In fact, you don't need to aim blindly for the usual glamorous brands or big companies just because everybody else in your batch seems to be doing so. Look for roles which will leverage your strengths. Don't go with a mob mentality while deciding on roles and organisations. Go with an open mind. And decide yourself what suits you best.

Be Presentable: A sloppy appearance can undo all the effort you put in to prepare for a good interview, so make sure you put your best face forward. Present a neat appearance. Sometimes, small things like not getting a proper haircut or not wearing professional looking attire can create a negative impression in the recruiters mind. The trick is that in an interview, you don't need to look like a hunk or a rock star, you just need to look smart.

    

 [to be continued...]