Road To

Job Interviews
The most commonly used tools for the selection process is the personal interview. An interview
is a conversation with a purpose between two persons or groups of persons. They are done not
only for the purpose of recruitment or selection for a post, but also to gather information from
someone important. Even though it is a two-way traffic, it is mostly seen that the employed is
the one who asks questions and the interviewee is supposed to reply. Different purposes of a
personal interview are – to rate a candidate for his physical appearance, education achievement
and qualification, level of intelligence, background, interests and aptitude, There are different
types of interviews, like:

1. Informal Interview: This is the type of interview that is conducted in an informal setting.
The interview can be held at the residence of the managing director for the post of a legal
consultant. Similarly, many senior level job assignments are finalized during dinner at some
hotel or restaurant.
2. Formal interview: This is the interview that is conducted most commonly for recruitment of
personnel. In such interviews the candidate is called for an interview at a particular location and
time. The candidate is required to answer questions asked, based on the outcome of which he is
rated for selection.
3. Patterned Interview: To maintain a uniform approach there are few interviews where a set
pattern of questions are asked. In such patterned interview the choice of person conducting the
interview is restricted and the selection criteria are also limited within a set frame.
4. Depth Interview: In such a interview, questions are based upon a specific area of the
interviewee’s interest. In a depth interview the person has to answer in detail. The academic
competence and knowledge is tested thoroughly in such type of interviews.
5. Stress Interview: For the selection of supervisor and executive positions, it is of equal
importance to judge the suitability of individual competence based on stress endurance along
with knowledge and intelligence. Therefore a candidate is required to appear for the stress
interview. In such and interview a person is required to respond to a tress situation and the
assessment is done on the basis of the response.
6. Group Interview: When we are required to perform a task in a group the selection is done in
a group interview and the candidate along with a group is asked to solve a particular problem.
The performance and behavior is, however, assessed and rated individually.
7. Panel Interview: For a senior level position selection, a panel of experts selects the candidate.
The Essentials in Preparing for an Interview

First impression lasts. This is very true in most aspects of life, especially in job interviews.
How you look is fifty-percent of whether you will get the job or not.

Before going out there with your best suit and briefcase in hand, ask yourself if you are dressing
appropriately for the job you are interviewing for. If you are applying as a kindergarten teacher, a
more logical outfit would be casual slacks and a good sweater. If however, you are being
interviewed for the position of vice-president for sales of a multi-national company, then the
attire is just right. Always remember to dress according to the job you are applying for.

The cardinal rule in dressing is: always keep it simple. You don’t want to wear tons of jewelry
that will probably distract the interviewer. He might even think that you don’t need the job since
you can afford all those expensive things. Choose solid colors and stay out of colorful prints.
Black is always a good choice and a simple white shirt will project a calm and professional
image.

You don’t need to buy new shoes. Your old ones will do but make sure they’re clean and
polished. A purse that can fit your resume is a perfect accessory for women and for men, a
leather briefcase or a portfolio will be fine. Keep your hair well-combed. For the woman, tying
your hair in a bun or ponytail will make you look more put-together. Be sure that your nails are
trimmed and clean.

When preparing for an interview, always have several of your resumes handy, preferably kept in
a folder to avoid creases. Make sure that you have at least the basic information about the
company and what they do. And most importantly, always be at least fifteen minutes early for
your interview. This way, you can at least collect yourself and avoid looking flustered during
your interview.

BEFORE INTERVIEW

First of all, prepare your mind in advance, that you are going to have an interview next morning.
Relax yourself and do not get nervous, tense or tired at any cost. Before going for an interview,
pre-planned few things:

1. Learn about the company, organization or educational institution and do some research in
advance.

2. Why should you perform an advance research?

3. Simply to develop good answers and to prove yourself unique.

4. What you have to Research?

5. You can gather information about organizational structure; type of their clients/ students;
departments and its branches; past and present achievements etc. Simply search yellow pages or
ask your friend or family member/relative who are familiar about organization or you can collect
information through newspapers and websites.

Prepare answers to typical questions. Practice your answer and never rote learn it. Here are few
of the sampling questions, which you can practice in advance.
1. What do you feel about our organization?

2. What are your weaknesses?

3. Why do you want to become a part of our organization?

4. Tell me about your self and about your hobbies.

5. Who is your role model and why? If you are lucky to know the name of a person, who will
interview you, then memorizes his/her name properly. Decide what to wear. Remember to Dress
simply but elegantly. Dress should be well ironed without crease. Wear comfortable shoes.
Remember to wear basic hosiery. You can even check what management wears and dress
similarly without over kill. Do not Dress casual or wear Athletic Shoes. Do not spray lots of
cologne or wear lots of jewellery. Do not wear wrinkled attire or flashing tie. Prepare your file
having your portfolio, educational degree copies and extra copies of your resume. Find proper
address in advance, that where are you going in the morning. Last but not the least;get a good
night sleep.

ON THE DAY OF INTERVIEW

Take a bath. Do not apply heavy makeup. Always carry a purse or a small handy briefcase with
you. Do carry your portfolio file. Dress effectively. Do not eat anything containing garlic or
onion in your breakfast. Arrive 15 minutes earlier to show your prompt and seriousness.
DURING INTERVIEW Start it off winner. Offer your hand and give a firm shake, else greet
them with your pleasant smile. Take a permission to sit on a chair. Show a positive confident
attitude and introduce yourself. Don’t get tense. Be comfortable and face the interviewer
effectively. Listen to their questions effectively and answer it genuinely. Answer every question
with confidence. Have a proper eye contact towards your interviewer. Remember that the
interviewer might be more than one, so keep your eye contact with every individual interviewer
to make them feel unique. Whatever you want to answer, speak clearly with a normal tempo
voice. Do not shout. Show your confidence level at every moment of an interview. Show your
certifications or achievements only when they ask you to show. Always sit straight. It might help
them to analyze your personality and your traits. Use the medium of answer, in which you feel
comfortable. Remember to use good grammar and strong vocabulary with neutral accent. Always
clarify your answer. Do not say Yes or No. Never complain about your past organization or
employees. While giving effective answers do not argue and always give respect to your
interviewer. Always keep neutral thinking and try to mould your answer according to your
interviewer personality. Do not eat chewing gum, while answering questions. If they give you a
chance to ask any query or question, only ask relevant question.

Preparing for Typical Interview Questions

  "Tell us a little about yourself".

When asked this question think about your personality and the skills required for the job and then
answer the question as honestly as you can. The person conducting the interview will need to
know how well you are tailored to the job and make a judgment about whether or not you will be
able to deliver in the medium to long term. Prior to attending the interview find out about the
skills needed to carry out the job and then you will be able to tell the interviewer why, in your
opinion, you are the candidate to choose.

 "Do you work well as part of a team?"

Many organizations look specifically for team players as the majority of jobs require a team
effort to succeed. At this point of the interview, it is the time to mention the best team moments
from your past employment history, in order to show the interviewer that you have succeeded as
part of a team before. You will also need to demonstrate how you have motivated teams in the
past, resulting in excellent outcomes if you are being interviewed for a senior position.

 "Tell me about what you consider to be your strengths and weaknesses".

This question gives you the opportunity to present the interviewer with your portfolio of skills.
The evidence will be right in front of the interviewer's eyes and he will be able to see that your
strengths compliment the requirements of the job. With weaknesses, you have to be honest and
hope for the best. However, it helps if, once your particular weakness has been described, you
can offer a way to overcome this problem and turn it into a positive.

 "Why do you consider yourself to be better than anyone else for the job?"

This is the time to sell yourself. Say what you have to say with confidence and in a calm manner.
Slip in bits of information you have gleaned from your research along with your own personal
experiences and apply it to real life situations you are likely to find yourself in at the same time
as offering your thoughts and solutions. You can more or less count on getting the job if your
interview answers are thorough and your ideas are both practical and imaginative.

 "Do you have any questions you would like to ask?"

After getting this far you do not want to appear to be lacking in initiative and uninterested in the
company and the job on offer, so make sure you have some intelligent questions to put to the
interviewer. You can get an idea of what questions to ask when carrying out your initial research
about the job you are applying for and the company you are hoping will be your next employer.
Signs Bad Interview

There are always the dos and don’ts in everything, even in job interviews. You might be very
confident during the interview and think you are doing well but the truth is, you should be wary
of signs that show you are going the other way.

1. You are late. This is a bad, bad sign. No employer wants a tardy employee and your interview
is considered a dry run of how you will perform as an employee. So unless the bridge that you
need to cross collapses and there is no other way around, you have no reason to be late for an
interview.

2. Sloppy attire. Most companies can be very particular about this, especially if they have a
certain dress code that dictates daily corporate attire. Always dress to impress. Put on your best
suit and have it neatly pressed beforehand. Wear nice and sensible shoes. And at least take a
shower before you go to your interview.

3. Pardon? Not paying attention to the interviewer is a big no-no. Just because you have a lot of
things on your mind (family, bills, relationship problems) doesn’t excuse you from giving your
potential employer your undivided attention. This will also show how professional you are that
you can separate personal life and work.

4. What does your company do again? This is a killer question, for you, the applicant. You
should always go to an interview well-prepared and well-researched regarding the company,
their mission and history, if applicable. Taking time to research will impress the employer and
will demonstrate how you value the job that you are applying for.

5. Don’t call us, we’ll call you. This is usually a bad sign. This signals the fact that you will not
likely get the job. When employers find a potential applicant to fill the position will usually
schedule a second, more in-depth interview or will give a specific time or period when you can
expect their call. A vague reply like this basically means you have to consider your other options
Exercise 1

Write answers in about 150-200 words to the following questions in the space provided.

Tell me about yourself.

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Do you consider yourself successful?

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Why do you want to work for this organization?

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What kind of salary do you need?

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How long would you expect to work for us if hired?

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Why should we hire you?

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Tell me about your dream job.

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Would you be willing to relocate if required?

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Do you have any questions?
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