Preparing for a job interview

Updated on: Saturday, January 28, 2012

Many still are quiet unaware of the intricacies involved in a job hunt and many are not realistic, but smart in copy pasting others profile.

Here in this write up to www kalvimalar.com, Shajan Samuel, who is the South - pisional Head of Indian Institute of Job Training (IIJT), provides diminutive details on taking up a job search.

Searching for job is like marching on a long Journey, its a Journey from where you are to where to where you want to go, the path to this journey will be bumpy and this is where one needs to step back and reflect, and check whether one has the right ammunition for this journey.

Preparing for a job would encompass right from preparing a resume to attending the interview thereby leading to selection.

Initial preparation requires recent assessment of skills, interests, values, and accomplishments; a re-assessment and updating of one's resume; and research on the targeted company/organization and position. Preparation also involves stock check on the inventory of skills. Preparation also includes actual practice of typical and targeted interview questions. Final preparation includes details of dress and appearance, knowledge of the location of the interview, what to expect, and the interview process.

Resume Writing: - A resume is a great way of propagating one self and therefore it has be meticulously crafted. An orchestration of resume will depend on whether is it for a fresher or for someone who has experience, fundamentally the architecture would remain the same, since the fresher has nothing much to show case in term of experience, the focus would remain on selling ones inherent capability in the form of strength‘s and learning on projects and internship.

Here is a list of some important aspects while making a resume.

Resume should be precise, crisp and to the point, should be drafted by one self. And not copy pasted from a colleague or down loaded from sample templates in Google. Remember the recruiter has less than a minute for reviewing your resume and therefore it is very important that your resume catches the recruiters eye. A recruiter can differentiate easily between a self-written resume and a copy pasted one.

All achievements aside, resume should be reader friendly, free of glossy jargons, should be written in accepted font, either Arial or Calibri font size (11). It is astonishing to find that students fail to proof-read their resume for spelling and grammatical mistakes.

For freshers, it is important to highlight Projects /Internships and emphasize on any significant achievements while undergoing a project or internship.

Career objective statement for a fresher should focus for first 5 years and avoid any outlandish projections; in fact career objective should mirror an inpiduals approach on their career and shouldnt be a borrowed idea.

Last but not the least a resume should convey consistency, and as far as possible be customized and tailor made for different Job profiles and different organizations.

In addition to this, for fresher extra-curricular activities should be used effectively rather than accommodating it to bring up the tail. Reading and writing are important components of extra-curricular activities and one must be ready with the last book you read or last letter /mail you wrote in case the questions pops up during the interview.

Avoid showing herds of certification, like class representative, winner of spoon race competition, these are deterrents and should be avoided.

Interview:- Again I am again keeping freshers in context and will be looking from a personal interview perspective.

Pre Interview

Research: - Before attending the interview, ensure you go through the website of the company and find out the salient features of the company, its product range, vision and mission, founders, customers etc., all your answers during the interview will need to originate from an understanding of the organization. Find out if you have any relatives or friends working in the same organization, an insight from an insider will help you fortify your views more than a view from outside.

Planning:- If required visit the venue before the scheduled interview day, this will ensure you are not confused with the route and the location. Be atleast 10 minutes ahead of the interview time. Freshen up once again you reach the venue, because you should not be perspiring, dont be in hurry, dont be embarrassed to ask the receptionist where the washroom is.

Dress Code: - Formal attire, well groomed, avoid body odor, have a neat handkerchief in your pocket, dash of perfume will improve your poise and confidence and stating the obvious, dont forget to wear a smile and carry your wits around you.

Interview:-

Body Language: - Maintain eye contact throughout the interview, keep your body flexible, sit upright in the chair, limit your hand movements.

Prepare for rudimentary open-ended questions: -

The interview is a process by which the interviewer can judge whether the job requirements and your profiles are both technically and personally aligned, so there is still a chance of the staple diet question. “Tell me more about yourself “ ?. The first question is the most important question and the appropriate answer to this will keep the rest of the interview live, so avoid too much of family, lead the answer to your area of strengths, avoid hard working and sincerity and honest, these are given, talk of how you can work in team, persistence, ambition, execution, stability and growth through performance.

The second probable question can be “Where do you see yourselves 5 years from now?“ the answer to this can be, “ I see myself growing through the ranks adding considerable value to both internal and external customers, aligning my vision and my organizational vision to reach a shared destination. Keep the responses short and crisp. Towards the fag end of the interview, the recruiter may provide you an opportunity of asking any question. This needs to delicately handled, when in doubt avoid asking question, if you clearly have a question ask straight, avoid a controversial question like, may I know my CTC? Am I selected, these are questions to be put off? Instead ask them about long-term plans or look at relevancy. Finally throughout the interview channelize your energy properly, dont panic or strain your energies, stay calm and retain your composure, be yourself and give it your best shot. At the end of the interview you will have a fair indication of your fate. So dont worry too much on the outcome, life is about remaining nonchalant when the going is good or going is bad, because things change.

Preparing for a job interview

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