Interviewing is not an art nor a science. Job interview is a form of communication between an employer and employee designed to evaluate the skills and abilities of an individual. Most of the times people become unconfident and nervous while interviewing. This is why people need mentoring for interview.

Finally! The moment of truth has come. Interview is the most crucial part of the job hunting process. No matter how good your CGPA is, where you went to school, who is your nephew or how experienced you are – if you cannot excel in your interview you will not get the job. We have some insights and suggestions for you to make your next interview fruitful.

If you have faced a lot of unfruitful interviews lately you will have to take you next interview as it’s your first. Forget every other interview that you have attended. The objective of every interview should be to get closer towards getting the position you have applied for. You have to have a positive attitude towards the interview.

In every interview something uncomfortable will happen to you. How you react to that uncomfortable situation will differentiate you from the crowd. You have to remain positive throughout the whole interview. Forget what the previous questions were and how you answered them, focus on the next question and answer that positively. You see, degrees, experiences or extra-curricular activities will only get to you to the interview board. From there, it is all about your attitude towards the employer, the position and the company. Through proper work attitude you can rise above others with better grades and experience.

Attitude is important because, sometimes the first impression is the most important part of a job interview. Exhibiting a positive attitude is as crucial as your academic qualifications or experiences. You don’t need to be a superstar, you just a positive attitude to get hired.

Employers are looking people who can demonstrate “Can do” attitude, both by words and actions and people who truly strive for excellence.

The most commonly uttered sentence is “practice makes a person perfect”. It is obviously true. So, practice before an interview. If you go through several mock interviews before the actual one, it will greatly remove your interview jitters. You will have the opportunity to answer live and get contrastive feedback from experts. Even a single mock interview can change the way you face your next real interview. People rehearse speech before they get in the actual stage. Same goes for an interview. Attend one mock interview then review it, go through your answers, find your lacking, improvise and attend the second mock interview. Continue to do this serval times, you will notice a dramatic lift in your confidence.

This is the most critical aspect of a job interview that most people miss. Meticulously study the company you will interview for. We can call it employer research as well. If you do the employer research you will feel connected with the company. Studying the employer will not only give you a broad overview about the company, it will also set you apart from the crowd. Sometimes interviewers can ask you this question specifically, “what do you know about our company?” Think for yourself, if you cannot give the time to study a company, why would the employer spend their busy time talking to you?

So, don’t just go and beg for a job. Studying the company will give you the idea of which company may value your skills. Thus, you can choose your potential career in accordance to your skills and interests.

• List of the key peoples of the organization
• Details on their products and services
• The structure of the company
• Latest news reports about the company
• Core competitors
• Size of the company in terms of customers and infrastructures
• Declared future plans (mission, vision) of the company

A lot of interview fails because of improper communication. Communication is the most crucial part of an interview. There are several types of communication. Non-verbal communication plays the major part here yet we seem to miss it. Following are the top five nonverbal communication ranked in order of importance:

• Eye Contact
• Facial Expressions
• Posture
• Gestures
• Space
• Openness and Warmth
• Confidence
• Nervousness
• Untrustworthy/Defensive

As you can see, most of the items here are negatives. You decide if you have any of the negative side of body language that might send a wrong signal. Practice so that you can adopt the change if it’s something that is habitual.

Some people just don’t get it. The interviewer to them politely with a smile in their face and they think they got selected. Beware of what the interviewer is talking about. If they talk about everything else but you, then probably they have rejected you.

Most of the usual interviews last around 5 minutes. Actual interviews last ten minutes, twenty minutes, thirty minutes or even an hour. If you cannot convince the interviewer in the first 5 minutes that you are the right person then it’s really hard to recover.

The interviewer will have the opportunity to judge many critical aspects about you within the first 5 minutes.

• Your appearance
• Your grooming
• Your handshake
• Your personal presence
• Your eye contacts
• Your articulation
• And, most importantly your personality

Notice that there’s no CGPA or work experience mentioned above. That’s because those are the factors that got you to the interview. Now the soft factors are the only thing that matters. Having good grades or impressive work experiences are vital to a selection process but in an interview, they will judge if the kind of personality you have matches with the organization.

Interview is a conversation. There is no way you can for sure that what type of questions an interviewer will ask you. But, in general there are few questions that most of the employers ask to a candidate.

1. Could you introduce yourself? Or what can you tell us about yourself?

This is a vital question that every interviewer will ask you. The question itself may not be the same for everyone but the answer they all are expecting from you is “tell us something about yourself that we can use”. Most of the people make the mistake of starting with their name, personal information and education. The right way to answer this question is by highlighting your strengths in a manner of story or analogy. You must tell your education and personal information but at the end of your answer and very briefly. Your answer should also be very short and informative.

Sample answer - “People find me very friendly and co-operative. I have strong inter-personal skills. I love to take challenges in my job. I have done my MBA from ABC University and BBA from XYZ University. I have worked as a HR Manager at ABCD Company for last 3 years. I have managed 200 people and learned a lot about human resource management from my previous experience. And, if you don’t know, my name is Motaleb Ali.”

This answer will give an idea about how to introduce yourself. Now write your own answer. In another way, you can start explaining the meaning of each alphabet of you name with something positive.

For example- “My name is Motaleb where M stands for Master. I am a master in my own field. O stands for “Optimistic”, I am confident about what I do and certain about my future. T stands for “Timely”, I’m always on time. A stands for “Assertive”, I am an open and frank person. L stands for “loving”, I love people and animals as well. E for “Enthusiastic” whatever I do I do it will full energy and passion. Lastly, B for “Brave” I can take risk and I take initiatives by myself.”

Remember, these are just some sample answers to give you the idea. Don’t copy as they are. Make your own introduction as you know yourself better than anybody else in this world.

2. Could you list some of your strengths?

The interviewer may ask you to tell some of your strengths. Always be prepared to answer this question. Do you SWOT analysis first. Try to relate your strengths with the job position you have applied for while answering this question. For example, if you apply for a marketing job then try to identify what are the strengths you have that will be useful for marketing related works. Avoid your strengths that are not aligned with the job position. Keep in mind that your strengths are your unique selling points. So, prepare them carefully.

Sample answer – “One of my greatest strengths that I feel proud of is, I ‘m a quick learner. I have learned to use several advanced computer programs by myself that require extreme effort and help for most people. I can also adapt very easily with new places and people.”

3. What weaknesses do you have?

This is a tricky question that most of the people answer wrongly. We all have some weaknesses but when you answer this question in an interview, you need to showcase your weaknesses in a positive manner. Don’t say that I don’t have any weaknesses, which is unwise.

For example, “I am a perfectionist. Whatever I do, I do it perfectly. My weakness is that I can’t tolerate imperfect works.” or “One of my greatest weakness is my inability to share responsibilities. I take all the responsibilities by myself avoiding delegation. Sometimes, it causes pressure and work-load.”

4. Why should we consider hiring you? Or why should we hire you?

This is the question that can get you the job. Answer this question carefully. Be concise and focus on your uniqueness. If you cannot differentiate yourself from the crowd then you might not get the opportunity. Research the job position to identify the key competencies required to perform the job. Now align your uniqueness with the competencies that are required for that particular position.

Sample answer – “You should hire me because, I can help you to accomplish the mission of your company. I am a marketing manager with 5 years of experience. I can use it to take your company to the top of the industry. I will ensure 10% growth of sale in one year that will overtake your key competitor.”

5. Where do you see yourself five years from now?

Set a goal related to the job position you have applied for. Be specific and realistic. Be honest, tell them exactly what they have asked. If your plan does not align with the position you are interviewing for then find another way how your growth will benefit the company.

Sample answer – “I see myself in a managerial position in this company after five years. I am really excited about this position because, this position will give the opportunity to work with some great managers. I will learn from them. Planning to take few projects by myself in this company. Eventually, I will be securing a managerial position here when I will have the experience of 5 years.”

6. Why do you want to work here?

Share some of your positive observation about the company you are interviewing for. Don’t forget the job position. Align the job position with your long term goal. Make sure you are really interested to work there. Research the company, industry and their position. Find out how your career fits the mission or vision of the company.

Sample answer – “ABC Company is working really hard to make some changes in our society. I like the way the company allocated 40% of their profit for corporate social responsibility last year. I want be a part of this noble movement. Besides, ABC Company has the space to implement my expertise fully.”

7. Could you cite an example on how you managed stress in life?

Try to remember some of the stressful moment of your life and how you handled them. They want to know if you can handle pressure in workplace. So, give the example that has relation to your work.

Sample answer – “I believe stress and pressure can be a good thing. I enjoy working under pressure, it gives me motivation to work. Once, I had to run three projects at a time due to the sickness of one my colleague. I didn’t have much time till the deadline. So I started to give extra time on those projects. I divided them into several pieces and started to complete one by one. I was able to complete three projects successfully before the deadline”

8. What is your expectation of salary?

This question is asked by the interviewers to know expectation of monetary compensation from the company. Answer this carefully. Do a research of salary range on the position before going for the interview. Don’t say any fixed amount, create a range.

Sample answer – “As per my research positions similar to this one pay X to Y in our region. Considering my experience and expertise I would like to receive something from Y to Z.”

9. Could you give an instance on how you managed a conflict with your colleague or boss?

Find some real life situations where you have solved a conflict.

Sample answer - “One day, I had a misunderstanding with my boss. He was really angry at me. I knew that he was misguided by someone. So, I stayed calm and talked to him personally after office. He understood that he was misguided and the conflict was resolved.”

10. Do you have any questions?

This question typically comes at the end of your presentation. If you do your research and are really interested to work there, you must have some curiosities. Ask them questions relevant to the job position. Avoid YES/NO questions.

Sample question to ask –

“What qualities do you think is needed to excel in this position?

Who is the key competitor of your company?

What do you like about this company you are working on?

Do I get to drink pure water in office?”

These are the most frequently asked interview questions. Read the answers and try to make your own answer. Never copy from the sample answers as they may not match with you. Do extensive research on the job position you are applying for to answer questions effectively.