Jan 7, 2011

How To Successfully Prepare for an Interview


An interview is in fact a magic wand. It can get you a new job, change your present boring career into an exciting one, and get you a job that pays many times your current salary. It is something that can improve your career and make your life into a much better one.Successfully handling an interview has indeed become a necessity rather than a luxury! However, along with the good points associated with an interview, it has its rough edges as well. It is a place where one's abilities are challenged to the greatest extent and his/her entire personality/attitude evaluated. It tests all your skills and can bring out certain facts about you, which you yourself wouldn't have been aware of! However, with proper practice and effort, you can successfully face an interview. This article outlines the important points that you need to remember while preparing for the interview. 
  1. Be confident. Confidence is the most important factor you must have while preparing as well as facing an interview. Be positive throughout. Instead of getting tensed and excited about the interview, stay cool and prepare patiently for the interviewwith the firm belief that you can successfully handle the interview. Firms are on the lookout for candidates who are confident (not over-confident, of course!) and can handle a task assigned to them with confidence. Your knowledge in that field of business, however strong it may be, won't be of any help if you aren't confident.
  2. Be well aware of the type of job. You should be well aware of the nature of the job that you are going to get if you pass the interview. Most of the questions posed will be testing whether you understand the nature of the job and have the ability to handle it. If you are well versed with the requirements of the job, the interview is half done. Never attend an interview without having an idea of the responsibilities required.
  3. Know the firm well. Have good knowledge of the firm you are going to work for. Most firms have websites that contain key information about them. Visit the sites and learn as much as you can. Know key people associated with the firm. It is always advantageous to have deep knowledge of the products offered by the company and the current market trend. Think of a few suggestions that you feel can improve the product. This is a very likely question and you surely won't have time and patience to sit and think over it at the interview table. Please don't criticize the products of the firm or the presentmanagement techniques used by them. No firm wants to hire rebels!
  4. Handling tech interviews. Tech interviews need a somewhat different type of preparation. You must have a very deep understanding of the subjects related to the job you are applying for. Know beforehand the technologies used by the company. Gather such information from books, online and people working in the same or similar firms. Know about the latest developments in the area you are applying for. Show qualities of teamwork since almost all tech jobs involve hundreds of people working on a single project. Team spirit is as important as the technical knowledge you possess.
  1. Have mock interviews. Have mock interviews with yourself (maybe in front of a mirror so that you can know and improve upon your facial expressions or body language) a few times before the interview. An even better option would be to have someone else close to you ask probable questions with you answering them in a serious interview environment. This makes you more comfortable with the interviewenvironment and hence more confident.
  2. Know a few lines about yourself. An obvious question, which makes most of us sweat in the interviewroom, is when the interviewer asks us a few lines about ourselves. After a few lines, we run out of topics and start blinking! Instead, think beforehand and know quite a few facts about yourself. Let it not be too positive or too negative. Giving negative points shows your humility but telling too many of them will make you an inappropriate choice for the post.
  3. Success stories. Think of all possible success stories that you have had. An interview is an appropriate place to boast of your past successes! If such a question is asked at all, you get a chance to impress the interviewer and prove that you can successfully carry out tasks assigned to you.
  4. Never get tensed while in the interview. Some interviews are conducted in the name of ‘tech interview' or ‘aptitude interview,' but a better name for them would be  ‘stress' interviews. The aim of the interviewer is to make you angry, frustrated or break you down completely while yours is the opposite. If he wins, you lose the job--otherwise, you have the job! Whatever interview it may be, don't tense up. Be cool and calm and show the interviewer that you are emotionally strong, whether you really are or not!!
  5. Prepare for the question, ‘Why do you want to work for this company and not Company X, which is doing much better right now?' You can prepare suitable answers of this commonly asked question based upon your own views and convictions.
Wish you all the best for successfully preparing for and attending an interview!