How to Prepare For a Job Interview?
The interview is a very important personality test because it helps the interviewers to get insight into your personality. While the written test shows your command over a subject, an interview is meant to bring out your ability to act responsibly in a job you may have applied for. The members of an interview panel examine your mental makeup through purposefully directed yet relaxed conversation. They try to judge whether you will be able to get on with colleagues and subordinates. The main qualities they try to evaluate are imagination, reasoning, adjustability, tact, empathy, suitability to the job, and perseverance, that is, the ability to carry on doing a job despite setbacks and difficulties.
Here are some wonderful things to do as part of your preparation for an interview that will increase your confidence and allow you to leave the interview feeling confident that you have shown your best self.
Improve Your Communicative Skills in English
English is mostly used for interviews in India because it is the language usually used in administration in addition to that it is a link language among educated people from different parts of the country. It is therefore essential to improve your communicative skills in English for an interview .You cannot express your ideas effectively or leave the stamp of your personality without using the right English words and sentences at the right moment.
Remove All Fears About Interview
A candidate for an interview may have some wrong notions. One of them is that he thinks that he is going to a battle where his wit and wisdom will be matched and compared against others. In other words, he fears the four or five members of the interview board will be waiting to prove he is a big fool. Another wrong idea is that he believes the interview will be the turning point in his career; it will make or mare him. All these fears are bound to make a candidate nervous and force him to adopt a defensive stance. He may this lose his chance without showing his real competence. A lesson shall be learnt from the lives of many successful men in history. In fact, you must you must use their positive attitude as an auto-suggestion to energise you positive energy and calm yourself. First, you shall know that the interviewers are human beings just like you and are prone to emotional changes. Even the most hostile and stern can be won over by patient and convincing talk. Secondly, success at interview is certainly important because it means a job with a salary. So one does not have to be nervous and anxious about it.
Preparation For Interview
Preparation is the first step towards success at an interview. Even if you are confident and experienced, you can improve your chances or score higher by being mentally prepared before stepping into the interview room.
In order to prepare for an interview, first, you must do your homework on the subject matter well. For example, if you are a candidate for a salesman’s post, read a good book on salesmanship and try to understand the salient points well in advance.
Try to relate what you have learned from books to your own previous experience in the line.
Prepare Answers For Common Questions Before Hand
Although many interviews contain notoriously fearful questions such as, ” What is your greatest weakness? ” with some preparation, these questions are not to be feared. It is important to be brief, specific and honest in your answers, but do not think about it. Take a look at the answers to the most common interview questions and rehearse them so that they are fresh in your mind when the big interview is coming.
Expect to face more or less variation of the following questions during your interview:
• Tell us about yourself
• What are your greatest strengths?
• Greatest deficiencies?
• Describe your job history
• Why are you interested in this job/ work?
• Why are you looking for a job now? Or why have you left your last job?
• When did you fail during a time and how did you respond?
• Where in five years do you see yourself?
Practice With Your Friends
If you have a friend preparing for an interview, think about preparing together. This not only gives you a way to structure your preparation but also helps you to be comfortable with answers, anecdotes and proper terminology. Practice giving concise, comprehensive answers and keeping an eye on the interviewer while giving them answers. Make sure that you don’t speak too slowly or too quickly and that your answers are stated with confidence.
Give Attention to Your Clothes and Appearance
Besides preparing on the specific subject itself, you must give some attention to your dress and appearance because these reflect a man’s personality. In fact, it is said that the first impression is sometimes the last impression. If you fail to make the right impact, in the beginning, you are less likely to impress the Interview Board later. The man who is dressed in a slovenly way with ill-fitting clothes and buttons missing from shirt sleeves gives the impression that he is careless about work to general. Nobody would like a prospective employee to do his work in a slovenly fashion! At the same time, you shouldn’t be so colourfully dressed to draw too much attention to your clothes. Thus well-prepared candidate is one who wears the best suit for an interview.
Be Abreast of The Times
Your preparation is incomplete without a general overview of current affairs. The candidate who reads the newspapers and periodical magazines and keeps abreast of the latest affairs impresses the interview board more than one who is only well informed in his own subject. In interviews, it is customary to ask candidates questions on events that are happening around them. At some interviews, the interview board would like to know if the candidate is fully aware of trends in culture, politics, economy, etc. Therefore, you must show that, besides a thorough knowledge of your own field, you also have wider interest.
Display Good Body Language
Body language is a key communication ingredient. If you meet people during the interview process, remember the attributes you want to display your body language. For example, if you want to communicate confidence, keep your shoulders high, your chin high and your chest high. Keeping in touch with you as you introduce yourself is another good practice, showing interviewers that you are engaged in the conversation and are able to communicate well with your future prospects.
Helpful infographic that illustrates the 21 best tips for a successful job interview.
For many people, going in for a job interview is one of the most nerve-wracking experiences imaginable – especially when it’s an opportunity you really care about. Fortunately, Company Folders has created a helpful infographic that illustrates the 21 best tips for a successful job interview.
Takeaways
Here are a few of the most important tips to keep in mind if you want your interview to be a slam dunk.
Appearances matter, so make sure that you’re dressed and groomed appropriately. Your resume and business cards should be clean, crisp and professional-looking. If you have any portfolio materials, consider presenting them in a custom-designed folder.
Always try to frame your answers in a way that relates directly to the job you’re applying for. Be personable, but avoid going off on too many unrelated tangents.
Don’t rush yourself if you receive a question you didn’t expect. Take your time and politely ask for more details if you require them. If need be, ask the interviewer for a few moments to formulate your answer.
After the interview is over, provide a good final impression with a nice, firm handshake and smile.
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