Fear is humane! Especially when you allow a job interview to decide the next five years (hopefully more) of your life, fear is one acceptable attribute. What more, it is the fear of failure that keeps many of us rebels going, doesn’t it? Here is to the ones who think job interviews are come-true nightmares.
Pulling off an interview can be made very simple. It all depends on how you look at it. Broadly classifying the notion of candidates,
a) Lethargic
b) Life or death
Taken in order, if you are one of those spoilt heirs and this job means nothing to you, then you perfectly fit into the first category. Life or death: typically middle class and you know this job is going to make a huge difference to your career and family. The first kind may do well without reading this. For the latter, this article will be very useful. Interview patterns vary from technology to technology, profession to profession and company to company. Below are a generic set of guidelines for a personal interview. You may customize them based on suitability. We have given our views which are likely to be correct because we have gone through this not very long ago.
You could memorize them, that’s all about it. There are only certain questions and certain ways to ask them. But if you start studying for the interview, you will be tired long before you get hired. Provided that you want this job very dearly, here is a checklist that, if followed, would be an advantage. Interviews are so predictable, hence controllable.
1) Resume standards
A resume is the first impression the interviewer gets; They see it before they see you. An ideal resume has no complex words. Don’t use words which you are not familiar with. Avoid grammar and spelling mistakes which are surely bound to let you down. Too much capitalization and crowd of data will make your resume look like rags: avoid that too.
Read in detail about our resume/cv preparation guide.
2) Don’t be timid.
In an interview, always hold your head up high. It is your confidence in yourself that you should exhibit and not your weakness. Don’t let the interviewer take advantage of your desperation for this job. The only way to avoid this would be not being desperate. You know you need this job very much, but you don’t have to go down on your knees for that. Don’t try to gain his sympathy. Most employers themselves will not appreciate that.
3) Be confident, not arrogant.
It is widely misunderstood that being polite and being unassertive are the same. Likewise, arrogance and confidence too. If you stand for what you think is right, that is arrogance. Doing so without disrupting the interviewer’s point of view is confidence. Defend yourself with a smile, which should do the trick.
4) Show them you are capable:
Don’t oversell by boasting what you can do. Don’t undersell either, by failing to emphasize the fact that you have related skills.
5) Integrity/ Honesty
Here is the best part! Would you believe if I said I got hired because I said “I don’t know” to most of the questions? You would not, I wouldn’t either. What if I say “I don’t know, but I am willing to learn”? The point here is not only the willingness to learn, but accepting the fact that you don’t know something. Don’t waste the interviewer’s time by drooling over a question you can never answer. Tell him that and get over with it. If you are asked an awkward question, stick to the truth. Do not, at any cost, tamper the truth. You might end up screwing your opportunity.
6) Body Language
Body language is equally important as verbal communication; perhaps more. You might be watched even before you enter the room. A few tips to look good are:
Sit/stand/walk upright. Be relaxed with a neutral expression. Handshake should neither be a dead-man’s handshake nor a bone-crusher. It should be firm and vertical which denotes neither domination nor suppression, but respect. Most significantly, do not initiate the handshake. Wait for the interviewer.
Don’t clench your fist or teeth. You do that only at a battle, not at an interview. Wear clean, simple and pleasantly colored clothes. Don’t be too conscious about your tie if you are wearing one. If you know you will not be comfortable with a tie, don’t wear one at all.
Don’t have that cheeky and intriguing smile spread at all times. That can be very annoying. When speaking, lean slightly forward to say you are involved in the conversation, but do not rest your hands on the table. Remember that the table is put up only for the interviewer.
8 ) Enthusiasm
Enthusiasm is all about spreading your vibration to all around you. Certainly, it does not mean you should be jumping around holding hands, NO. You speak with genuine interest that your intonations send out the positive vibrations. If the interviewer is weak enough to raise his eyebrows, then you know you have impressed him. It is very easy to get carried away when you have a natural interest. Ensure at all times that you are speaking and not yelling.
9)Be Spontaneous
Spontaneity comes naturally with experience. It is not something you memorize and you can’t be spontaneous just by having all the answers at the tip of your tongue. Not worrying too much about it, and not stammering when you go wrong somewhere is more than enough to start with. Non-verbally, when you come in eye-contact with a person of the opposite sex too, don’t tend to turn away hastily. Don’t give them an impression that you are staring at them either. Turn away gracefully with a mild smile.
We strongly believe this will be of help in handling interview stress. I am sure you will have your own share of experiences. Do share them for the benefit of other readers. Don’t hesitate to ask any questions you might have. GSG team will be happy to answer them and help you in your career journey.
Spellbinder
Editorial Team,
GSG
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