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Interview Preparation

Interview Preparation

An invitation for an interview shows that, on paper, you are the right person required by the organisation for the vacant position. In fact, it is estimated that 80% of candidates are rejected at the application stage so you are really more than three quarters of the way towards getting the job! 

Larger organizations will have interviewers who are often personnel professionals, or who are trained and experienced interviewers, so expect the interview to be very structured to obtain the maximum from you. In smaller firms you are more likely to be interviewed by a partner who may not be a trained interviewer. If you are confronted by a 'bad' interviewer you will have to work hard to use the questions as a means of conveying the points you wish to make. It can be a good idea to try to steer the conversation towards the topics you have particular strengths in, highlighting your good points. 

There are several different types of interview/questioning techniques: -

  • The straightforward chronological interview, where you are asked questions around your CV / Application form
  • Criterion referenced interviews, where you will be asked to give examples of how you meet their criteria e.g., examples of teamwork, negotiating, leadership
  • The off-the-wall questions where you might be asked some bizarre questions. This is to see if you can think on the spot and how creative/logical you are.
  • The pressurised interview where your views will be challenged (or even ridiculed) and you might feel like you are being goaded into an argument. If this happens to you do not lose your cool, it is to test how you react under extreme pressure and to see if you can hold your own without starting a fight or being reduced to tears.

Preparation is essential if you want to do well. Have a look at the checklist: 
Stage 1 - Preparation

  • Re-read your resume.
  • Prepare questions to ask and to be asked
  • Work out clothes to wear
  • Rehearse interview
  • Anticipate the obvious questions during the interview
  • Work out a strategy for dealing with stress
  • Read vacancy details, employer's literature - what they are and what they want
  • Know where the interview will take place

Stage 2 - First Impressions Count

  • Arrive in good time
  • Make a good entrance
  • Body language - handshake, posture, eye contact
  • Smile

Stage 3 - The Interview

  • Be yourself
  • Be honest
  • Be prepared to talk - but not too much
  • Don't be afraid to ask for clarification
  • Illustrate your answers with examples
  • Be ready to sell yourself
  • Be interesting

Stage 4 - The Final Stage

  • Know when the interview is over - read employer's body language
  • Thank him/her for his/her time
  • Learn from the experience - ask for feedback if necessary

Questions You May Wish To Ask 
The Organisation

  • Major current projects
  • Future developments

Work

  • What you would be doing
  • How long for
  • Typical projects/timescales
  • Variety of work

Training

  • Training offered/possible
  • Help with professional qualifications

Colleagues

  • Who would you work with?

Location

  • Where would you be based?
  • How much travel/mobility

Prospects/Salary

  • Likely progression
  • Where are previous graduates

General Way of Life

  • Accommodation, amenities, limits on free time etc

 

INTERVIEW PREPARATION TIPS

01 Analyze the Job: An important part of interview preparation is to take the time to analyze the job posting, if you have it. As you review the job description, consider what the company is seeking in a candidate. Make a list of the skills, knowledge, and professional and personal qualities that are required by the employer and are critical for success in the job.

02 Make a Match: Once you have created a list of the qualifications for the job, make a list of your assets and match them to the job requirements.

Create a list of up to 10 of your assets that match the requirements of the job. These might include skills, qualities, certifications, experiences, professional qualifications, abilities, computer skills, and knowledge bases. You can bring up some of these assets when you explain to the employer why you are a great fit for the job.

Also think of examples from past work experiences that show you have these qualities. This way, if the interviewer asks you to describe a time when you demonstrated a particular skill or ability, you will be ready.

Review the job requirements, your list of assets, and your examples, prior to the interview so that you're prepared to share them during the interview.

This preparation will help you be ready to answer job-specific interview questions and behavioral interview questions designed to determine if you have the knowledge, skills, and qualities needed to perform the job.

03 Research the Company: Before you go on a job interview, it's important to find out as much as you can about not only the job, but also the company. Company research is a critical part of interview preparation. It will help you prepare to both answer interview questions about the company and to ask the interviewer questions about the company. You will also be able to find out whether the company and the company culture are a good fit for you.

For a concise understanding of the company, check out the company website, specifically the “About Us” page. Get a sense of how the company compares to other organizations in the same industry by reading articles about the company in industry magazines or websites. You can also check out company reviews from clients and current and former employees.

Also spend time tapping into your network to see if you know someone who can help give you an interview edge over the other candidates.

04 Practice Interviewing: Take the time to practice answering interview questions you will probably be asked during a job interview. This will help give you a chance to prepare and practice answers, and will also help calm your nerves, because you won't be scrambling for an answer while you're in the interview hot seat.

Practice interviewing with a friend or family member ahead of time and it will be much easier when you're actually in a job interview.

Try to conduct the practice interview in the same format as the real interview. For example, if it is a phone interview, ask a friend to call you to practice answering questions over the phone. If it is a panel interview, ask a couple of friends to pretend to be a panel.

Review common job interview question and answers and think about how you will respond so you are prepared to answer.

05 Get Your Interview Clothes Ready: Don't wait until the last minute to make sure your interview clothes are ready. Have an interview outfit ready to wear at all times, so you don't have to think about what you're going to wear while you're scrambling to get ready for a job interview.

Regardless of the type of job you're interviewing for, that first impression should be a great one. When dressing for an interview for a professional position, dress accordingly in business attire.

If you're applying for a job in a more casual environment, such as a store or restaurant, it's still important to be neat, tidy, and well-groomed, and to present a positive image to the employer.

It is also important to think about your makeup and accessories when dressing for an interview. Review these tips on how to accessorize for an interview.

06 Decide What to Do With Your Hair: How you style your hair for a job interview is almost as important as the interview clothes you wear. After all, the interviewer is going to notice everything about you – including your interview attire, hairstyle, and makeup – and you only have seconds to make a great impression.

07 What to Bring to a Job Interview: It's important to know what to bring (and what not to bring) to a job interview. Items to bring include a portfolio with extra copies of your resume, a list of references, a list of questions ask the interviewer, and something to write with.

It's also important to know what not to bring, including your cellphone (or at least turn your phone off), a cup of coffee, gum, or anything else beyond yourself and your credentials.

08 Practice Interview Etiquette: Proper interview etiquette is important. Remember to greet the receptionist, your interviewer, and everyone else you meet politely, pleasantly, and enthusiastically.

During the interview, watch your body language – shake hands firmly and make eye contact as you articulate your points. Pay attention, be attentive, and look interested. This is something you can work on in your practice interviews.

There are also specific etiquette tips depending on the type of interview you have. Read here for tips on handling a lunch or dinner interview, a panel interview, a phone interview, and a video interview.

The more positive an impression you make, the better you'll do during the job interview.

09 Get Directions: It's important to know where you need to go for your job interview – ahead of time. That way, you'll avoid running late to the interview. Use Google Maps or another app to get directions if you're not sure where you are going.

Program your GPS, if you have one, so you can find the best route to the company. Check on parking, if it's an issue.

If you have the time, it's a good idea to do a practice run a day or two before the interview. That way, you'll be sure about where you going and how long it will take to get there. Give yourself a few extra minutes and arrive a little early to the interview.

10 Listen and Ask Questions: During a job interview, listening is just as important as answering questions. If you're not paying attention, you're not going to be able to give a good response.

It's important to listen to the interviewer, to pay attention, and to take time, if you need it, to compose an appropriate answer. It's also important to discuss your qualifications in a way that will impress the interviewer.

Also, be ready to engage the interviewer. You want there to be a give and take in the conversation, so you're building a relationship with the interviewer rather than just providing rote responses to questions. Have questions of your own ready to ask the interviewer.

Towards the end of the interview, let the recruiter know that you believe the job is an excellent fit and that you are highly interested.

11 Follow Up With a Thank You Note: Follow up a job interview with a thank you note reiterating your interest in the job. Consider your thank you letter as a follow-up "sales" letter. Restate why you want the job, what your qualifications are, how you might make significant contributions, and so on.

This thank you letter is also the perfect opportunity to discuss anything of importance that your interviewer neglected to ask or that you neglected to answer as thoroughly, or as well, as you would have liked.

 

What is Campus Recruitment?

                  The IT industry has seen stupendous growth during the last decade. It employed around five lakh employees in 1999 and today, it directly employs twenty five lakh employees. Also, the indirect employment attributed to IT & ITES sector, is approximately 80 lakh. As per NASSCOM, the workforce in Indian IT industry is expected to touch 3 crore by 2020. This year, there is a plan to recruit nearly 2.5 lakh engineering graduates from various campuses. For example, TCS plans to add 60,000 workers this year. Infosys plans to hire around 45,000 people this year. Similarly, Cognizant recruited 25,000 professionals last year and plans to hire a similar number of engineering graduates this year also. In addition to Indian IT firms, global giants like IBM, Accenture and HP, also have plans to hire in large numbers in India.This requirement of IT companies can be fulfilled by two different methods. In the first method, companies can reach out to the vast pool of talent through advertisements in newspapers. In this method, the prospective candidates approach the companies. This method may be particularly useful, if the number of job vacancies is less. When the number of vacancies is high, this method is time consuming. The other more proactive approach by the organization is to directly visit the campuses and recruit the candidates from those campuses. This method is referred to as Campus Recruitment. In this method, both the organizations and the prospective candidates come to a common platform. This common platform provides excellent opportunities to the companies to interact with the talented students who are ever enthusiastic and extremely motivated and who are willing to go that extra mile to prove themselves. For a student, this system provides a smooth path to enter the job market straight from the campuses.
 
Today, many top corporate houses are giving a lot of importance to Campus recruitment. Corporates want to hire and retain the best possible talent inorder to gain competitive edge over their rivals. During recruitment process, a company employs various selection tools to ensure that it hires right person for the right job. This quest to attain the right fit between a person and a job has magnified the importance of Campus Recruitment and not only engineering colleges but also degree colleges have started to adopt this process.In this context, it is worthwhile to mention that the job-market, today, is promising, not just, for engineering graduates but also for non-engineering graduates. Top notch IT companies are also hiring non-engineering graduates like BSc, BCA graduates, diploma holders. For example, in the year 2010-2011, Infosys made offers to 1000 non-engineering graduates. The compensation package offered to them was Rs 2.18 lakhs per annum. Similarly, TCS is recruiting commerce graduates for software development. The coding has been redesigned so that these graduates can do that part of the work, which doesnot involve engineering knowledge. This, surely, is an encouraging sign for all those who are from non-engineering backgrounds and who wish to take up jobs with companies like TCS, Infosys, Wipro etc. Not just IT industry, but other industries too are buzzing with recruitment activities. For example, the Mahindra Group, which has a wide range of businesses, plans to hire around 25,000 professionals by the end of this year. 

Eligibility Criteria for entry level position 
Each company has its own eligibility criteria in terms of age, qualification, year of graduation, % marks scored in Class Xth, XIIth, UG/PG. The basic eligibility criteria for entry level position in different IT companies may vary, slightly, from company to company, but broadly they do not differ much. 

For example, for an entry level position in TCS, a prospective candidate should have an aggregate of 60 % in Std X, XII, & Graduation/ Post Graduation (all semesters including optional subjects). He also should have less than 2 years of gap in his academic career. Similarly, for an entry level position in Cognizant, a prospective candidate should have secured over 60% in X, XII, UG/PG (if applicable). There should be no outstanding arrears. 

Stages in Selection Process: 
Various stages of the selection process remain, broadly, the same for these companies, with some slight variations. These variations could be in the form of an additional or less number of stages for some companies. 
The following are the stages that students normally go through as a part of Campus Recruitment: 
(i) Aptitude Test                         (ii) GD                                  (iii) Interviews
 
Aptitude Test
Aptitude Test is one of the integral components in the entire scheme of the selection process. The areas normally covered in the aptitude tests of most companies are Quantitative ability, Reasoning, Verbal Ability and Basic Computer Skills. These tests are well structured. The kind of questions that are asked or the topics that are tested depends entirely on the company conducting the test. Each company has its own pattern. 

For example, in the written test of Infosys, there are two sections, each with specified time limit. In one of the sections, 40 questions are asked, with a time limit of 35 minutes. This section tests a student's Verbal Ability. Usually, out of 40 questions, 10 questions are on Reading Comprehension (involving two passages). The remaining questions are based on English Usage. The second section has 30 questions to be attempted in 40 minutes. This section tests a student's problem solving ability. The type of questions can vary slightly from one exam to another. But broadly, the questions come from different areas like Data Interpretation, Data Sufficiency, Non Verbal Reasoning, Analytical Reasoning, Quantitative Aptitude. As yet another example, in the online test of TCS, a total of 35 questions are asked. The questions are taken from a large pool of questions. All these 35 questions are based on either quantitative aptitude or reasoning. In Wipro, a total of 50 questions are asked, spread across 3 sections, to be attempted in 50 minutes. In test area of Verbal Ability, a total of 15 questions are asked. Out of these 3 sections, there is one section in which there are 20 questions, which test your technical knowledge and you need to have sound understanding of different subjects like Computer Science and Engineering (programming languages like C, C++), Electronics and Communications(Microprocessors). In Cognizant Technology Solutions (CTS), however, there is no technical section. As per the new pattern, there are a total of 55 questions spread across two sections. 

You need to be adequately prepared to handle the aptitude test of any of these companies. This stage is very important and if you do not clear this stage, then you cannot move to the next stage in the selection process, which is usually the Group Discussion. 
 
Group Discussion
A group discussion or GD is conducted to test the interpersonal, including communication, skills of candidates. It also tests a candidate's knowledge and his ability to link the facts. 
In a GD, a group of students is asked to discuss a topic given to them. The topics that are given in GD are of two types – Knowledge based and Abstract. GD is conducted to test certain key attributes in you. You would be tested for your clarity of thought and clarity of language. The companies, also, test your ability to understand and structure a response to the topic. Your leadership skills are also put to test during Group Discussion. In order to do well in GD, you need to read newspapers, magazines regularly.
 
Interview
Interview is the last stage in the entire scheme of selection process. Some companies conduct HR and Technical Interviews separately, while some other companies combine both types in a single interview. The interviews are conducted to test a candidate's knowledge of self, his career plans, hobbies, interests, achievements, knowledge about his specialization etc. Questions can be drawn from any area. It is expected that you have a clear career goal or objective when you face an interview panel. If you are from the department of Electronics Engineering and you are applying to TCS, then it is expected that you have good command over the subjects you have learnt in your engineering. At the same time, you need to show interest in the field of IT and come up with a convincing answer as to why you are shifting your field from "Electronics Engineering" to "IT". Overall, your confidence and your knowledge are the key attributes which would be checked here. 
Each of these stages is eliminatory. 
Salaries : Pay packages offered by companies are usually in the range of Rs. 3 lakh to Rs. 3.75 lakh a year for fresh engineering graduates. 
Need for preparation: Today, many organizations seem to offer a good salary package and a better work profile. This has only intensified the competition amongst candidates. It, then, becomes very important for a candidate to display excellent professional skills - be it in terms of interpersonal skills or in terms of mathematical skills, analytical skills or technical skills. So, even good students need to fine-tune their knowledge base and enhance their overall speed and accuracy.This can be done through regular practice and under expert guidance.

RESUME WRITING

Employers often spend only 30 seconds scanning a resume, so it must work hard to quickly communicate your skills and value. Think of it as a marketing tool that shows that your product (you) meets the needs of your potential customer (the employer).  A resume is a succinct outline of your education, experience, activities, accomplishments and skills as they pertain to your career goals. Effective resumes get noticed because they:

  • Emphasize relevant accomplishments and potential contributions
  • Focus on the skills and requirements of a specific field or position
  • Are concise, well-organized and easy to read 

Steps to a Great Resume

1. Self-evaluate.

  • Assess your skills. Career development begins with your current skills and interests.
  • Think about your experiences. These may include education, coursework, jobs, internships, activities, honors, publications, language skills, study abroad experiences and community service. 
  • Create a rough outline. This should cover the past three-to-five years.

2. Do some industry research.

  • Visit job posting sites. Review job descriptions to uncover industry needs. All employers will be interested in communication and leadership skills.
  • Seek out keywords. These include nouns and phrases, industry buzzwords or acronyms tied to a field. Often, these are found in job descriptions or employer requirements. If your resume includes industry keywords, it is more likely to be selected. Only list terms you can speak to in an interview.
  • Compare. Match your qualifications to employer requirements and decide what to highlight.

3. Write your first draft.

  • Know the architecture. View the sections of a resume and guidelines before you start writing.
  • Be concise. Express your qualifications and accomplishments succinctly. For students and recent graduates, a 1-page resume is recommended. If you have extensive experience, or are applying for graduate/professional school or academic fellowships, you may create a 2-page resume or a CV.
  • Observe the forms. Do not use first-person pronouns (I, me, my) or articles (a, an, the).
  • Don't get personal. Your picture, age, gender, religion, political affiliation, ethnicity, marital status, social security number, references or salary expectations/history should not be included.
  • Format professionally. 
    • Font: Use an easy-to-read font such as Times New Roman, Arial, Calibri, Cambria or Garamond.
    • Size: Stay between 10 pt. and 12 pt. Your name can be larger than 12 pt.
    • Margins: Ideal margins are .75” all around, and no smaller than 0.5”.

4. Create multiple versions (optional).

Multiple resume versions may be needed for various industries or positions. By leveraging industry research, you can develop tailored resumes that emphasize relevant skills pertaining to any number of fields. You will also need to create formatted and non-formatted (text) versions for various modes of distribution.

5. Edit, proofread and critique.

  • Create hierarchy. Organize your resume so that the most relevant information appears closer to the top.
  • Review for content. Be sure that you have effectively conveyed the right skills, abilities, or accomplishments.
  • Proofread. Spelling, capitalization or punctuation errors are 100% unacceptable.
  • Find readers. Have your resume critiqued by a career adviser and, if possible, others within the field.

6. Save in multiple formats.

  • Create a PDF. Convert your Word document version into a PDF to retain the original formatting when sending as an attachment. Save as yourname.pdf.
  • Format in text. Use Notepad or another text-editing program to convert your Word document to a non-formatted version suitable for copying and pasting into online applications or the body of an email. Save as yourname.txt.