Preparing for an Interview

July 15, 2018

Preparing for an Interview

Preparing for an Interview

If you are here then maybe you are going for an interview soon, or are just curious. Be with me and I will guide you through 'How to prepare for an interview.'

First of all, what is an interview?

If you ask me, an interview is a meeting, where you have to convince the other person that you have the skills and knowledge they need. And have to convince them to hire you. In this meeting they ask you questions and based on the answers you give, they check if you fit the description of the guy they are looking for. The one who asks the question is called as Interviewer and the one who has applied for the job and answers the questions is called the interviewee.

“Tell us something else some weird creepy Lord, we know these things. Tell us how to actually prepare for the interview.”

I am getting there, have patience. The first thing you have to do is:

1. Organization Research-

“Why research? I know my part.

Why should I care about what other things they are into?”

Hold on, big guy! When you have done research on their organization, your chances of getting hired, than those who are less prepared, automatically improve. Be a spy like ‘OO7’ (James Bond) and find out all you can about the company. This way you will discover details which will help you better prepare for the interviews.

Company research is the best way to learn about the company and understand what they actually need from you.

“Okay, I get it! But how can I do this company research?”

A perfect question. Now that the technology has evolved, it has become very easy to know about a company. You can use the following ways,

·Visit the company website:

Visit the company website. On the website, under the about us section, you can find a great deal about the company you are looking to work in. You can find ‘organization’s mission’, ‘history’, ‘who we are’, ‘company’s values’, ‘innovation’ etc. You can also find tabs like ‘What we do’ and ‘careers’.

· LinkedIn:

Make sure you have a LinkedIn account and you use it. Many companies have a LinkedIn profile which provides information like Jobs, Life, about us, few companies provide information regarding stocks, recent news etc.

· Social Media:

Visit companies Facebook, Google+, Instagram, twitter pages. Here you will find many posts, providing you with information which you might not find anywhere else. I urge you all to go, like and follow all the pages of the companies, you wish to work in.

“You are sounding right, mask Guy. Tell me more.”

2. Form the question bank-

List down all the questions that you think they might ask. Think over those questions and try to come up with the best answers. Do a practice interview with your friend.

“Can you please tell me a few questions, to get the basic idea?”

Sure why not. Below are some common questions that you should prepare for (P.S. These are just a few basic questions, form your own according to the company specification and practice.)

1. “Tell me a little about yourself?”

2. “What are your strengths and weaknesses?” (For this try SWOT analysis days before the interview. You must know your strengths and weaknesses.)

3.”Why should we hire you?”

4. “Where do you see yourself in five years?”

5. “Why do you want this Job?”

3. Know the location-
Be sure about where the interview is scheduled to take place. And be there at least 10-15 minutes before the interview.

“Like I am going to be late or gonna forget to double check where my interview is? ;)”

You might not, but many people forget about this. Being late for the interview is the last thing you want. You don’t want your first meeting to get ruined.

“Ok, now enough of this pre-interview talk, fast forward!”

As you wish.

4. Get your clothes ready-

Don’t decide what you are going to wear to the interview, on the day of the interview. That day you are going to be nervous and well, little bit tensed. Plus, you won’t even get the time. Get your clothes ready at least 2-3 days before the interview. No need for buying a new dress, you can iron a good one that you have, and wear it.

During the interview

1. The entry-

When entering the interview hall, don’t be scared. Maintain a constant speed. People who lack confidence change speed and perform a small shuffle as they enter.

2. Don’t sit down until you’re asked to!!

3. Handshake-

"I know about this Masked Lord, give them a firm and strong handshake"

You are right, but at the same time, you are wrong. Many times, I find people crush my hand when what I want is a nice, soft handshake. In an interview keep your arm straight and return the pressure you receive, not less, not more. More will make you look like an aggressive person and less a man with low confidence. Don’t forget to smile.

4. While answering-

1. Don’t be scared

2. Don’t lie

3. Speak clearly

4. Give answers precise and to the point.

5. Sitting position-

“Straight and don’t slouch, right?”

Yeah, you are right about that, but don’t try to sit straight if you cannot or if it is not comfortable to you. Sit in your natural position, in which you are comfortable. Here is a tip for you, start keeping a proper posture when you are sitting on a chair every day. It will make things easy for you.

6. When leaving-

1. Thank the interviewers.

2. Give them a smile.

3. Maintain proper speed while leaving, don’t hurry
4. When closing the door, turn and give them a smile and then leave- What you are leaving them with is a smile and not an image of your back, and unless you got a really great body, it's definitely better.