Losing your night's sleep because you can't stop thinking about that interview which may take you to your FIRST Job? Not feeling confident about the professional meeting next day? Well - I am sure almost every single person who is yet to get his first (or even second/third) job and is really looking forward to one will have only one answer to these questions - "YES"
So what does it take to crack that interview? Is there any fool proof mechanism by which you are sure to get a job? Let us try and decode these question marks in the next 15 odd minutes.
Handle Pressure Well: It is very easy to succumb to pressure and nervousness before the interview or even during it. But let me tell you something here - no one expects a fresher to be a "Rocket Scientist" while he/she applies for his/her first job! The employer, in most of the cases, also recognizes that you are still fresh and are entering a completely new arena, fresh from your college/school lives. They also understand that its not easy for you to come and fit the bill perfectly, hence they are a little lenient towards the first timers. While some may understand that you are a little uneasy, others may be a little bullish and try to dominate you even more. Before the interview, just like our examinations, all you need to do is prepare well and relax yourself. Do not take unnecarry pressure.
Brace up for The Interview: There are no free lunches in life! So if you do not put in any effort in preparing for an interview, then you are in for an expected surprise - "Rejection". Every single interview is different as the employers vary in various industries. Please ensure that you work hard on the following:
1.)Resume, The Wonder Document - I will start this section with a real life example. During a campus interview, I was called by the employer in his cabin and with a smirk, he handed over a stack of 14 resumes to me stating that the one on the top is shortlisted, and others don't have to wait for the interview. Shocked with this statement and eager to know the reason for this, I asked him - WHY, replying to which he urged me to read the resumes properly. I was in for the biggest surprise in recent times. All the 14 candidates had the same Address, Objective, Educational Qualification and even the FATHER's NAME!!! The only shortlisted candidate was held back because of his team spirit. We spend so much time on social networking sites like facebook, twitter, orkut - why? Only to ensure that our profile is interesting and attractive enough and people feel like connecting and interacting with us. Similar just needs to be done with the resume as well. As a fresher, please ensure that you have a realistic objective statement on your resume. The skills must be well displayed on the front page with the length of the resume not exceeding 2 pages. Please try and include alternate contact details if possible.
2.)Research About the Company - What do you know about the company? This can well be a question which may become a road block during your interview. It is imperative that you do a basic level of research about the company you are appearing for the interview in. Start your research about the company as soon as you get a call/email for the interview. Please don't waste any time in logging on to the company's website and checking out facts and figures related to it. Some of the pages that you must visit on the company's website are "Home", "About Us", "Media/News", "Services", "Customer/Clients". Going through these pages will, without a doubt, give you the basic understanding of what the company is. It is also advised to try and Google the Industry Trends. For instance, if you are applying for a job in TeamLease Services Pvt Ltd, then its advisable to check out additional facts and figures or trends about Perm and Temp Staffing and see where does TeamLease stand in the industry today. This will give you nothing but leaps of confidence when you sit for the interview.
3.)Appearance - Appearing stressed, rumpled or haggard downgrades your professional image. Portraying a harried image - regardless of how smart you are - places you at risk of damaging your professional reputation, of hitting a wall in your career, of impeding your success potential, of not getting the job you want. You don't have to look like your favorite movie star or dress up like you are going in for a party - all you need to do is just dress professionally and take care of the basics of grooming. Trust me one of the most annoying things for an employer can be having to look at a "Shabby" or a "Jazzy" candidate during the interview. Don't let the first impression hamper your chances of getting that job.
4.)Be Smart - With the number of applicants rising for many positions, the employers now have an edge of getting choosy about the people they pick for jobs. As an employer, if I had to make a choice between two candidates with similar sort of skills, then I would prefer the one who know more than what I want him to and the other one. It is always advisable to keep yourself updated with what's happening around you. For instance, even before you sit for your first round of personal interview, you can be a part of a "Group Discussion" round and the topic may be "Jan Lokpal" or "Rupee's Downfall in Recent Times". No As a candidate, if you have heard these words for the first time in your life, then please pack your bags and head southwards to home! Even before you are asked the first question about your technical skills you are out of the place and trust me, there is nothing more frustrating than this.
5.)Introduction - You know your own selves for the last 20+ years and you can't speak a line or two about you? This is the worst possible perception of your candidature that the employer may form immediately after a bad round of introduction! Remember an introduction generally accounts for the first 2 to 5 minutes of any interview and failing to come out good in this part may just also mean an immediate rejection. Please prepare well on the introduction and ensure that your introduction consists of at least your, Full Name, Highest Educational Qualifications, Your Professional Training's, any other trainings/certifications that you may have done or are going through and your experience (if any). Anything more than this or less than this may prove to be hazardous. Less because you are not giving the minimum required information to the employer and more because, you are inviting more questions from the employer (considering the next question many a times arises from your previous answers)
6.)Subject Matter Knowledge - I work for a company which provides trainings in Finance and IT-Infrastructure domain and it can't get worst, if a candidate applying for a job in Accounts can't tell the "Golden Rules of Accounts" or an IT-Infra candidate applying for a Desktop Support Engineer Jobs can't help the employer attach a network printer to a computer/laptop during the interview. Please ensure you are on top of your knowledge and leave no stone unturned while preparing for the interviews.
If you remember, during our board and college examinations we always had an option to attempt our papers the way we wanted to. We may decide to attempt Section C first and then move to Section B and subsequently to Section A or vice versa - the scenario during interviews is mostly different. You will be attempting Section A (Appearance/Introduction) and if you clear it, you go through to the next Section (Subject Matter Knowledge) else, you are on your way back home.
Some other things that may just matter during your interviews are:
- Your typing speed
- Your flexibility on Job Profiles
- Your ability to travel and work during odd hours
I hope that this article makes a change in the way you approach your first interview and brings about a difference in your lives. For any questions, please feel free to write back on saxenasumit56@yahoo.in.
Best of Luck!!!
Cheers
Sumit
So what does it take to crack that interview? Is there any fool proof mechanism by which you are sure to get a job? Let us try and decode these question marks in the next 15 odd minutes.
Handle Pressure Well: It is very easy to succumb to pressure and nervousness before the interview or even during it. But let me tell you something here - no one expects a fresher to be a "Rocket Scientist" while he/she applies for his/her first job! The employer, in most of the cases, also recognizes that you are still fresh and are entering a completely new arena, fresh from your college/school lives. They also understand that its not easy for you to come and fit the bill perfectly, hence they are a little lenient towards the first timers. While some may understand that you are a little uneasy, others may be a little bullish and try to dominate you even more. Before the interview, just like our examinations, all you need to do is prepare well and relax yourself. Do not take unnecarry pressure.
Brace up for The Interview: There are no free lunches in life! So if you do not put in any effort in preparing for an interview, then you are in for an expected surprise - "Rejection". Every single interview is different as the employers vary in various industries. Please ensure that you work hard on the following:
1.)Resume, The Wonder Document - I will start this section with a real life example. During a campus interview, I was called by the employer in his cabin and with a smirk, he handed over a stack of 14 resumes to me stating that the one on the top is shortlisted, and others don't have to wait for the interview. Shocked with this statement and eager to know the reason for this, I asked him - WHY, replying to which he urged me to read the resumes properly. I was in for the biggest surprise in recent times. All the 14 candidates had the same Address, Objective, Educational Qualification and even the FATHER's NAME!!! The only shortlisted candidate was held back because of his team spirit. We spend so much time on social networking sites like facebook, twitter, orkut - why? Only to ensure that our profile is interesting and attractive enough and people feel like connecting and interacting with us. Similar just needs to be done with the resume as well. As a fresher, please ensure that you have a realistic objective statement on your resume. The skills must be well displayed on the front page with the length of the resume not exceeding 2 pages. Please try and include alternate contact details if possible.
2.)Research About the Company - What do you know about the company? This can well be a question which may become a road block during your interview. It is imperative that you do a basic level of research about the company you are appearing for the interview in. Start your research about the company as soon as you get a call/email for the interview. Please don't waste any time in logging on to the company's website and checking out facts and figures related to it. Some of the pages that you must visit on the company's website are "Home", "About Us", "Media/News", "Services", "Customer/Clients". Going through these pages will, without a doubt, give you the basic understanding of what the company is. It is also advised to try and Google the Industry Trends. For instance, if you are applying for a job in TeamLease Services Pvt Ltd, then its advisable to check out additional facts and figures or trends about Perm and Temp Staffing and see where does TeamLease stand in the industry today. This will give you nothing but leaps of confidence when you sit for the interview.
3.)Appearance - Appearing stressed, rumpled or haggard downgrades your professional image. Portraying a harried image - regardless of how smart you are - places you at risk of damaging your professional reputation, of hitting a wall in your career, of impeding your success potential, of not getting the job you want. You don't have to look like your favorite movie star or dress up like you are going in for a party - all you need to do is just dress professionally and take care of the basics of grooming. Trust me one of the most annoying things for an employer can be having to look at a "Shabby" or a "Jazzy" candidate during the interview. Don't let the first impression hamper your chances of getting that job.
4.)Be Smart - With the number of applicants rising for many positions, the employers now have an edge of getting choosy about the people they pick for jobs. As an employer, if I had to make a choice between two candidates with similar sort of skills, then I would prefer the one who know more than what I want him to and the other one. It is always advisable to keep yourself updated with what's happening around you. For instance, even before you sit for your first round of personal interview, you can be a part of a "Group Discussion" round and the topic may be "Jan Lokpal" or "Rupee's Downfall in Recent Times". No As a candidate, if you have heard these words for the first time in your life, then please pack your bags and head southwards to home! Even before you are asked the first question about your technical skills you are out of the place and trust me, there is nothing more frustrating than this.
5.)Introduction - You know your own selves for the last 20+ years and you can't speak a line or two about you? This is the worst possible perception of your candidature that the employer may form immediately after a bad round of introduction! Remember an introduction generally accounts for the first 2 to 5 minutes of any interview and failing to come out good in this part may just also mean an immediate rejection. Please prepare well on the introduction and ensure that your introduction consists of at least your, Full Name, Highest Educational Qualifications, Your Professional Training's, any other trainings/certifications that you may have done or are going through and your experience (if any). Anything more than this or less than this may prove to be hazardous. Less because you are not giving the minimum required information to the employer and more because, you are inviting more questions from the employer (considering the next question many a times arises from your previous answers)
6.)Subject Matter Knowledge - I work for a company which provides trainings in Finance and IT-Infrastructure domain and it can't get worst, if a candidate applying for a job in Accounts can't tell the "Golden Rules of Accounts" or an IT-Infra candidate applying for a Desktop Support Engineer Jobs can't help the employer attach a network printer to a computer/laptop during the interview. Please ensure you are on top of your knowledge and leave no stone unturned while preparing for the interviews.
If you remember, during our board and college examinations we always had an option to attempt our papers the way we wanted to. We may decide to attempt Section C first and then move to Section B and subsequently to Section A or vice versa - the scenario during interviews is mostly different. You will be attempting Section A (Appearance/Introduction) and if you clear it, you go through to the next Section (Subject Matter Knowledge) else, you are on your way back home.
Some other things that may just matter during your interviews are:
- Your typing speed
- Your flexibility on Job Profiles
- Your ability to travel and work during odd hours
I hope that this article makes a change in the way you approach your first interview and brings about a difference in your lives. For any questions, please feel free to write back on saxenasumit56@yahoo.in.
Best of Luck!!!
Cheers
Sumit
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