After passing public examinations and getting other qualifications, any young person’s aim is to find a suitable job. However, it is not easy to find your dream job. Then, you start applying for jobs advertised in newspapers. Most of the time, your applications are not even acknowledged. To your astonishment, one day you are called for an interview. Then only, will you get excited and try to find ways and means to face the interview.
Experts say job interviewing is a minefield. Therefore, when you are called for an interview, do not think that you are the only candidate called by an employer.
Your prospective employer will have a stack of resumes from highly qualified job aspirants. The purpose of the interview is to pick the best applicant for the job. In other words, the employer wants to know what makes you tick. Are you a person who can get along with others? Will you be able to meet deadlines? Are you badly in need of a job? Pay attention to such questions when you are called for an interview.
Many highly qualified applicants have been nixed because of a single faux pas.
Gerard M. Roche, Chairman of an executive-recruiting firm, recalls how a candidate flunked because his socks sagged. Another candidate peppered his conversation with profanities, pulled his chair right up to the interviewer’s chair and started explaining his qualifications before any questions were asked.
However, everybody knows that there is no sure-fire trick for navigating an interview. Many books have been written on job interviews and how to face them successfully. However, they are of little help if you cannot improve your odds by knowing what you are up against.
No ready-made answers
Many interviewers ask very strange questions for which you have no ready-made answers. One interviewer asked me, “What exactly do you want from us?” I was flummoxed. Surely, he should have known that I was asking for a job. Like me, many candidates find it difficult to answer such questions. However, you cannot afford to remain silent and you have to come up with a safe and sound answer.
While answering such a question, you have to make a good impression.
To answer such a question, you will have to do a bit of homework before the interview. The best way is to prepare an employment advertisement describing your dream job. Give a headline to it and a few suitable adjectives outlining the company, the job, and yourself. This will force you to focus exactly on what you want and what you have to offer even if the interviewer does not ask you.
Unlike most government employees, young people do not work for an Organisation for a long time. After a few years, they want to change their jobs for better prospects. Therefore, you should be ready to answer the following question: “Why did you leave your last job?” This is another tricky question.
Employers know that new recruits do not stay for a long time in their organisations. Yet ,they ask this question to know whether you are a job hopper. Nobody wants to employ a job hopper because they would work for them for a short period of time. In addition, prospective employers want to know the business reasons for joining a new company. You can safely say, “After working for three years at XYZ Company, I have learnt a lot about marketing. Now, I want to learn more while working in a bigger company like yours.”
Sometimes, you leave an organisation because of a conflict with the boss.
However, you have to tell the interviewer in a diplomatic way that the management skills of the Chief Executive were quite different from those of yours. You should remember that employers know how to find out what really went wrong in your career. Therefore, avoid telling lies because a prospective employee cannot be fooled.
Difficult questions
Modern interviewers ask many other difficult questions. One such question is: “Where do you want to be five years from now?” If you say you want to be the Chief Executive Officer in five years, you will not be selected. The reason is no employer wants to recruit an over-ambitious candidate. Even if you are ambitious, never tell the interviewer that you want to go up the ladder of success quickly. If you say so, the employer will get alarmed that you will spend more time jockeying for the next promotion than doing your work. Therefore, it is best not to make your long-term goals a part of the answer. Play safe and focus on the short term goals.
Some interviewers want to know your greatest accomplishment. Many candidates flub the question as they cannot think of any accomplishments. If you say, “I can write reports, proofread them, and present them for approval, the interviewer will not be impressed. You can say, “First I have to study the strategy of the company and then I can do a market research. Then only we can go ahead with marketing any new product.” Such an answer will give the big picture rather than the activities.
If an interviewer expresses a desire to know your strengths, mention a few of them that would benefit the company. If the interviewer wants to know your weaknesses, what are you going to say? Although all of us have weaknesses, do not tell the interviewer that you are a workaholic. Interviewers are sick of hearing such stock answers. If you say, ‘Sometimes ,I push back deadlines to turn in higher quality products,” the interviewer will be satisfied. Do not harp on your weaknesses too much.
Job specifications
Most interviewers care less about what you say than how you say it. Therefore, before attending an interview, prepare for it. Try to find out additional information about the organisation and study the job specifications thoroughly.
Then you will be able to answer any question put to you about yourself, your past performance, and future ambitions. In particular, be clear about why you want that particular post in that organisation. Be ready with queries. If the interviewer asks whether you have anything to ask, do not remain silent. You can ask the conditions of service and about prospects. In the meantime, wear clothes in which you feel smart and comfortable. You should be impeccably clean and tidy.
The interview starts as soon as you walk through the door. The interviewer will notice how you walk, shake hands, sit down and answer the first few questions.
Sometimes the interviewer will ask, “What makes you think that you are suitable for this post?” Such a question will put you under stress. If you had prepared beforehand to answer such a question, half the problem is solved. Remember that most interviewers want positive answers.
Many organizations feel that cultural fit is extremely important. They use outside interests as a way to determine how you will fit into a team. If you are learning a new language, that will be of interest to the interviewer. When you attend an interview, treat everyone you meet with utmost respect. This includes people on the road and in the parking lot, security personnel, and front desk staff. Treat everybody you do not know as if they are the hiring managers. Even if they are not, your potential employer might ask for their feedback.
Body language
Body language plays a major role at interviews. Sit or stand tall with your shoulders back. Take a deep breath before the interview and exhale slowly to manage feelings of anxiety and encourage self-confidence. The interviewer should extend his hand to initiate a handshake. Stand, look the person in the eye and smile. A good handshake should be firm but not crush the other person’s fingers.
Send a thank you letter after the interview.
Six out of ten managers say an interviewee’s dress sense has a big impact on his employability. About 33 per cent of bosses say they know within 90 seconds whether they will hire someone. More conservative colours such as blue and black are a safer bet at interviews. Orange is the worst.
Be confident that you will be a winner!