How to Prepare Yourself for a Job Interview

The moment you receive an interview card for a job from a reputed company, it connotes that your application has been approved; it further signifies that you have a reason to get elated because you are still in the race for the job or the post you have applied for; it also adds a glimmer of hope in you that your chances of reaching the winning post or getting appointed for the job is at a striking distance.To explain from a statistical point of view, suppose if there is vacancy for ten posts and you are one among the 50 candidates called for interview, it shows that the ratio of your probability of getting appointed for the post is 1: 5.Therefore, getting an interview card should evoke a positive approach in you prompting you to prepare for the interview in the right earnest.

But preparing for a job interview requires both a long term as well as a short term plan. Improving your communication skills both in the oral and written form in the course of your school and college education in a systematic way and making it a part of your academic curriculum is the long term plan.

Once your school and college education is completed, your long term plan is over. When you embark upon a hunt for a job, you have to begin your short term plan of preparing for a job interview and it is a continuous process until you are placed in a decent job.

Therefore, it goes without saying that your short term plan of preparing for an interview should commence as soon as you apply for a job.

When you apply for a job according to your educational qualification, you have to brush up or refresh yourself with your subject knowledge so that it may find you in good stead when you face a panel of experts in the course of an interview.

You should always be punctual and make it a way of life; it is needless to say that when you prepare for an interview, punctuality should be your watchword.

When you receive an interview card for a job, you should assess yourself for the suitability of the job, your strengths and weaknesses and your merits and demerits. When you have pinpointed your weaknesses, you should concentrate more in the areas of your weaknesses, how to get rid of them or how to minimize them without causing any drastic effect on the interview. For example, you have some specific weaknesses in your physical appearance; you are so slim or you are a diminutive figure; you just pass or possess the prescribed height, but you are not an imposing figure to create an impression with the interview panel. You need not unduly worry about your personality, provided you are physically fit. You should not commit any mistake of artificially increasing your height or beef up your personality. In short, be your self during an interview.

When you receive an interview card for a particular post or job from a company, your first and foremost duty is to know something about the company, about its products, about the management like who is the chairman etc and what are the salient features of the company, its head quarters, number of branches etc including the merits and demerits of the company. But, in the course of an interview, you should be careful enough to highlight the merits of the company only and you should not dwell on the demerits of the company.

When you are asked a question involving a tricky situation during the interview, if you can offer a clear cut solution, you can explain it briefly. But if you are unsure, it is always better to admit your ignorance than beating about the bush. In fact, the interview panel will be impressed by your honesty.

Before attending the interview, you should know something about the job for which you are interviewed, its scale of pay, nature of work, responsibilities involved etc;

While attending the interview, you should dress befitting to the occasion and the nature of post for which you are interviewed. If it is a job of a subordinate category, dress simply and in a soft color; see that your pant and shirt are properly washed and ironed; If you attend an interview for the post of an executive category, you should dress more appropriately in a suit and your shoes should be well polished; Your hair should be well groomed and you should also wear an appropriate tie.

On entering the place of interview and approaching the interview board, you should wish the interview board according to the nature of the occasion, say either ‘good morning or good evening’.You should take your seat only when you are asked to do so.You should sit straight and be at ease without being nervous.   

In the course of an interview, you should answer in a simple language, with a soft voice and in a courteous tone.

You should also take all your certificates with you to the interview, which are kept in a file properly arranged; you should show your certificates to the interview board only when it is called upon. You should know that the interview board is well informed about you.

When you are asked a question like ‘how much salary do you expect?’you should be careful enough to answer, neither too high nor too low an amount, but only with the scale with the current prevailing trends.

When the interview is over, say ‘thank you’ and you should make an exit rather gracefully;while making an exit, you should never look back at the interview board.

Though all the above tips may be generally useful for preparing yourself for an interview, they may sometimes differ from person to person according to their peculiar characteristics.