New job opportunities are arising fast every day in every part of the world. We all can see the rapid modernization, and along with this modernization, our demands and needs are also rising. Hence to fulfil all these demands, companies are daily looking out for some new talents to help them grow more in the market. Every day new institutions are opening to prepare aspiring young men and women for lucrative jobs in the public and private sector. Interview for a potentially lucrative post is a very important step in the professional life of a young person. Despite trying their best for this moment things do not go the way that a candidate expects.

An interview is a formal conversation between two or more people, usually candidate and employer himself or HR-staff, where questions are asked by the interviewer to judge academic as well as general knowledge of the candidate along with his attitude and ability to perform. Nothing confuses a man more than facing interviews for the job. The biggest challenge for youngsters are facing today is to face their interviews successfully and to secure a job in big and multinational organizations with a good salary. There are times when in spite of holding big degrees and having the capabilities, people fail in clearing their interview. This can be attributed to rising competition and the demand of perfection by the organizations.

Aim of Interview

A job interview is aimed at following three basic purposes:

• To check out if the candidate is a right person for the job or not.
• To assess the potential, mental and academic level of the candidate appearing for the job.
•  To decide whether the candidate is appropriate for the environment of the company or not.

The process of the interview may take any possible duration of time, but the main purpose of the interview remains the same. A candidate is judged on his skills during the interview, which is done by a questionnaire which can be in the form of a written test, an oral questionnaire or both written as well as in verbal form. During an interview, the candidate is tested on various skills which would be used in the job that he/she is appearing for. To test all these qualities the candidate may also be asked about some practical question or may be asked to demonstrate some practical skills. Hence it is advised to be thorough with all such skills if needed for your job, and it is also advised to be ready for a long interview session if you may need to demonstrate something in practice. If a person appearing for an architectural designing post may be asked to design a rough sketch for some small flat, which may take one to two hours. Hence once need to be mentally prepared for a long interview.

Preparation for Interview

Before you go for an interview there are a few things that you keep into your mind to give your best shot. You may start your preparation by reviewing your strength and weakness, research work about the company and job profile etc. If you have proper preparation before the interview you would have a great sense of confidence and would not be afraid of what may happen there. If you step out with proper preparation your chances of getting selected are much positive. Hence before your interview, you can do the following:

• Strengths and Weaknesses: It is better to understand your strengths and weakness well in advance so that you are able to concentrate well on your strengths during your interview. Make sure you have some key points associated with your strengths that you can present to the person interviewing you, and try to talk as much less about your weak points as possible. Do not try to boast but keep it normal and tell them about your strength and how you would be useful for their organization. You should try to highlight various accomplishments and experiences that are related to the position for which you are applying. Also, give examples of situations where your strengths have been demonstrated.
  Nobody likes a liar so be careful about how you answer the questions, that an interviewer asks you. Lying about where you worked, where you went to school, the projects you accomplished at your job, and even your salary could come back to haunt you when the company runs a background check to make sure you are the right fit. Moreover, you may land yourself in a job not fit for you and end up with confusion and distress at work later.
• Do your Research: Before any interview spend some time to learn about both the job and the company. Do some research work about the company profile, either through the internet or by some other source. Make sure you have complete knowledge about what the job is and what all skills and qualification are required for the job. Appearing for an interview where you don’t meet qualifications is a waste of time for both interviewer and candidate as well.
  One of the first questions that are asked at the time of the interview, and confuses a lot of people is: what do you know about this company and the position for which you are applying for? The best way to answer this question is to actually do some research on the company and profile to give a positive impression on the interviewer and shows a candidates seriousness towards the job. This research work not only prepares you for your interview, but it also helps you to come across as a well experienced and well knowledgeable about your profession. It is possible that you may actually come across some information that might force you to re-think your decision to join the company or the particular job you are applying for.
• Resume and Documents: It is better to be thorough with your resume and you should also arrange your documents properly. Before going to attend the interview, you have to check and arrange all your certificates and testimonials in your folder properly. Usually, most of the organizations require a particular set of documents like copies of your educational and experience certificates, your bio-data, and the application sent to the company. Candidate should also go through the call letter for an interview to know the exact documents that need to be carried while going to attend the interview. Candidates should try to remove all the irrelevant documents from their folder while arranging the folder for the purpose of the interview as unnecessary documents may irritate the interviewers and also lead to a loss of interest, thus even your important document tend to lose value among some useless documents. It is also advised to be well versed with your resume and the qualities you mentioned there, as it may create an awkward situation if your verbal answers are different from what you wrote in your resume.
• Prepare Expected Questions: Appearing for a particular job interview, the candidate must have a clear idea of what type of questions he can be asked and how he needs to answer them in the best possible way. Be prepared with what interviewer wants to know. It is important for you to update yourself with the latest facts and figures and also be well prepared with the kind of knowledge and skills you need for the job. Be prepared with the type of questions you would be asked during the interview and the questions you need to ask regarding your role in the company and about the company as well. The expected question to be asked in an interview can be divided into three types:
  • Question-based on personal information
  • Question-based on knowledge of work that a candidate would be expected to do
  • Question to check the personality of a person, his attitude, the presence of mind and general knowledge.
It is better to be prepared with all of these for a better performance and to make your chances of getting selected more positive. You should start preparation with the first type, as the first question may be to tell something about yourself. You should be properly prepared for what you have to say and not think about the facts in front of them or waste their time with unnecessary long stories about yourself and your family. Be brief with this thing and try to reach directly to your academic achievement as soon as possible. Similarly in the second case also it is better to be prepared with the facts you would need to answer and brush up your knowledge before an interview. The third one is based on what actually you are; you need not act like anything for this part. Be true about your actual personality.

On the Interview Day

Going for an interview is not like a normal day. Everyone has some goals in their life and aim to get their dream job right in their first attempt, but unfortunately, not much of the candidates are able to do so. Though you may be well qualified and deserving candidate for the job still there are some other facts also that a candidate needs to take care of while going for an interview to give his best impression. For this there are some tips that may help a candidate to come up positively with his interview, these are:

• Be Well Dressed: Remember the saying that first impression is last? This holds pretty well with the interview purpose. The first impression you give in to an interviewer is by your appearance. Appearing for a post of an engineer with your jeans and jacket with goggles would certainly make you look cool but won’t get you a job. It is best to be in your formals when appearing for the interview. Don’t wear outlandishly while appearing for the interview before the interview board. The dress code may vary from one interview to another, often it’s safe to consider the position you’re going to appear the interview for. But there are some things that all candidates need to keep in their minds regardless of the post they are appearing for. For example, wearing sandals may be considered inappropriate for an interview meant for any position and you just can’t enter the interview hall wearing goggles. Always wear formal dress to woo the interviewer and make sure that your dress is clean and properly ironed and compliment your formals with well matching polished shoes to enhance your personality and make you feel even more confident.
• Body Language: Once you enter remember that there is an eye on your every activity, your smallest actions are observed by some well-experienced people who are having a great role in your appointment. Make sure you wish everyone in the room and give a proper smile as soon you enter. If there is a handshake, be confident in your handshake, a loose handshake may be your first weak point and may lead to the interviewer to lose interest in your personality. Once they start with questioning remember to make proper eye contact with the interviewer. If there is more than one person who is interviewing you, then try to make eye contact with everyone. Don’t just see towards the person who is questioning you, while answering make an eye contact with everyone to impress them all with your answer and personality as well. Also, remember to sit straight and not to lean or take lay your hands on the table. Act smartly and give out your best during the interview.
• Speak Well: Appearing for an interview, a candidate needs to speak well and clear for the best understanding of his personality by the interviewer. A candidate must possess good command over language, should have correct pronunciation and grammar, good vocabulary and avoid answers in brief also keep in mind to control your tone according to the environment, which most of the time is peaceful. Whenever you are asked to tell about yourself avoid telling your introduction in brief and try to cover everything that is important from the job point of view. It is very important to include introductory lines about yourself like your name, age, qualification, experience, strengths, aim etc. Unless you are asked to give brief introduction don't introduce yourself briefly and be polite when you speak.
• Don’t get Nervous: Nervousness can kill your skill. It is better to be prepared well in advance instead of getting nervous and spoiling your interview. Even some highly talented candidates can falter during interviews, with little control over their psychological disposition. Nervousness tends to freeze your mental energy which is required most during the interview. While preparing for the interview, it is advised to prepare yourself psychologically also without compromising your other academic topics. Some basic factors like appropriate dressing or reaching the place in time contribute a lot to your confidence. Even eating something light may help you feel relaxed. Take a few deep breaths to lower your anxiety level. Also, avoid the last-minute rush and reach the place of interview and should schedule yourself in such a manner that you reach the place at least 15 minutes prior to starting time.