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ART OF FACING INTERVIEW
Fresh graduates passing out from the universities have to face interview
board for getting employment in either public sector undertakings or private
companies .
Initially they face nervousness, due to which their performance gets
affected. An attempt has been made in this article to present a systematic
guideline that would help the interviewee in shedding the nervousness and
performing well in the interview.
Interview
Interview is a meeting between the interviewer and the interviewee. It is
very useful in assessing a person's finer qualities. It discovers
candidate's initiative, tact, drive ,mental alertness, self confidence, etc.
First Impression
The most impressive part of the interviewee is his "personality". The
following guidelines would help in impressing the Board members :
-Appropriate and smart dress
-walking and sitting with good posture
-Relaxed behaviour
-Smiling when entering and leaving the room
-Looking at the interviewer while talking
-Shaking hands if invited firmly and briefly
-Adhering to point of discussion
-Logical approach
Undesirable Mannerism
A few Undesirable Mannerisms as explained below must be avoided.
(a) Giving Monosyllabic answers (Using telegraphic language)
He tends to give an impression that the candidate does not have sound
Knowledge on the subject.
(b) Excessive Fidgeting (moving restlessly)
Due to nervousness ,the candidate walks about restlessly which can be
avoided by talking to friends.
(c) Mumbling To Utter Words Indistinctly).
At times , candidate utters words in very low pitch not audible to the Board
,(for which the Board members have to make a lot of efforts to listen to
him), this causes displeasure .Hence it is advisee on the part of the
candidate to speak clearly and loudly .
Using To Many Hand Gestures
it is considered as disqualification ,as this creates a bad impression in
the minds of Board members. It is ,therefore, advisable to to restrict hand
gestures.
Attributes of a Successful Candidate
The interview committee critically evaluates the following attributes of a
candidate :
(a) Technical competence
(b) Academic achievements
(c) Listening ,thinking and communication process
(d) General knowledge
(e) Industrial knowledge
(f) Leadership potential
(g) Health and personality profile
(h )Extra curricular activities
WHY DOES THE CANDIDATE GET REJECTED?
In present scenario the academic achievement is not the only factor for
consideration of getting selected in an interview .Knowledge on advanced
technology; industrial scenario and extra curricular activates are as much
important and essential for attaining success .
Factors responsible for rejection of candidate are:
(a) Poor Personality
(b) Lack of communication skills
(c) Dull interview session
(d) Lack of sufficient knowledge on the subject matter
(e) Improper Temperament
Poor Personality
Poor appearance due to un-pressed and shabby dress brings down the
personality .Lack of courtesy and manners also causes damage to the
personality.
Lack of Communication Skills
Inability to express clearly and precisely ,being aggressive while
communicating ,use of pure grammar ,feeling of nervousness during
communication ,failure to keep eye contact ,use of very high or low pitch
voice ,cold handshake, etc. cause negative impact in the mind of
interviewers
Dull Interview Session
Being passive and indifferent, giving disorganized answers or superficial
answers ,avoiding direct answers showing indecisive bluffing ,condemning
past employer and trying to influence through names of influential
personalities are some of the negative factors which must be shunned while
facing the interview board.
Lack of Knowledge
The is supposed to possesses basic information of product ,process
,equipment ,financial position ,work culture ,principle and philosophy of
company beforehand .He must collect the following information before going
to the interview:
Place of posting ,salary, pension, bonus, holidays, transport, house,
overtime, late working, canteen, welfare, safety, job suppliers, customers,
profitability, manpower, trading history, working environment, etc.
Improper Temperament
Hot-Tempered, narrow minded, extreme views, aggressiveness are some of the
temperament problems that produce negative impact. aggressiveness and
impatience are some of the drawbacks, which a candidate should avoid.
Main questions
Questions are generally asked to find out the following attributes :
(a) Physique ( health/strength ,appearance, speech ,manner)
(b) Attainments (educational achievements as per application form)
(c) General Intelligence how to tackle/solve any problem posed to him)
(d) Aptitude Test
(e) Interests (leisure interest to be used in future development )
(f) Disposition :Personality, acceptability, whether he is self motivated
,whether dominant
/submissive, extrovert/Introvert, degree of self reliance ( acceptability to
team)
(g) Circumstances :Interviewer may not ask questions on areas like age
,location, family background as already known through application)
Types of Questions
the following types of questions are usually asked during the interview:
(a) Open questions
(b) Closed questions
(c) Compound or multiple questions
(d) Leading questions
(e) Probing questions
(f) Hypothetical questions
Open Questions
"Tell me about your self" is the common question being asked by many
interviewers. This way, they process much information like what ,why and how
are collected.
Closed Questions
It can be answered with yes /no or in a single sentence. it is often asked
by inexperienced interviewer.
Compound or Multiple Questions
During interview ,a common question being asked is "can you please tell me
what is your aim in life and why have you applied for the job with us?" By
asking such type of questions interviewer wants to test the memory and
concentration of the candidate
Leading Questions
Statement followed by expressions such as "Don't you" is leading question
put by the interviewer to the candidate when found nervous .This encourages
the candidate to face the board boldly.
Probing Questions
Questions like "Why? Or How did you?" are asked in order to elicit more
information from the interviewee. Such type Type of questions are known as
Probing Questions. Candidate gets the opportunity to expand on what has
already been said.
Hypothetical Questions
Such type of questions are asked to ascertain candidate's analytical ability
and problem solving capability. Such questions are asked when job demands
initiative.
List of typical Questions
Typical questions generally being asked during interview are based on:
# Vocational training
# Strong /weak points of the interviewee
# Newspapers/Magazines current affairs)
# Proudest moment in life
# How to motivate
# About the organization
# Sickness during last couple of years
# Hobby
# Family background
# Greatest achievement
# Industrialist of core sectors like steel, computer, cement, textile, etc.
# Government policies and impact on Indian economy
# India- yesterday, today and tomorrow
Assessment
Interviewers from their angle try to assess the following:
# Spoken and written English standard
# Concise but precise answers
# Neither too reserved nor too arrogant
# Good grasp of facts
# Supporting examples from own experience
# Initiative, drive ,tact and resourcefulness
# Ability and experience to solve problems
# Paying attention to details
# Work well under pressure
# Determination not to abandon the task until finished
# Ability to complete unfinished task (by other people) within the
stipulated period.
# Get on people from different walks of life.
Advice to the candidate
Candidates must be cautious about the following "don'ts"
# Be over-eager to make right impression
# Overstate achievement
# Over-informal while talking
# Show off
# Exaggerate anything
# Be arrogant
# Say more than required
# Ramble on
Conclusion
The above guidelines would help the candidate in his endeavour to do well in
the interview, in addition to making him more confident in facing the
interview board.
Digitalized by ......... Paresh Masade
I will be very much thankful to you if you take pain
Mail me feedback about this article
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