Interview Tips for Students

As a student, you will have to interview for your first job, internship or placement in graduate school. Interviews can be intimidating because what you say and how you say it determine whether you get the placement you desire. Do not allow interviews to scare you. The interviewer is as human as you are and does not want you to fail. Having a positive attitude and knowing some interview strategies will help you succeed.

Junior candidates and recent graduates face the challenge of entering into a field with little or no experience. Often students are required to compete against more experience candidates. So when your opportunity comes, give yourself the best chance for success and be prepared. While students and junior candidates lack experience, they can compensate with their enthusiasm, eagerness, fresh ideas and so on. Know your own strengths and how you can utilize them to meet the employer’s requirements.

1. Confirm the date, time and location of your interview a day or so beforehand. Arrive on time.

2. Look over your resume before the interview to make sure it is well-written and that all the information is accurate. Bring an extra copy to the interview even if the interviewer already has one.

3. You will encounter different types of questions in an interview. It is a good idea to create practice questions ahead of time and test yourself with people who support you. Have them ask you practice questions based on a variety of topics.

4. Ask a friend to help you prepare for the interview by going over common interview questions with you and critiquing your response. Some common interview questions are, “Tell me about yourself,” “Tell me about a time you had a problem and how you solved it,” and “Why should I hire you?” Your answers to these questions should be specific and honest.

5. Writing questions and practicing them with someone will make it easier to remember when you get to the interview. Use the third person when talking about the job. Avoid sounding as though you assume the job is yours.

6. Confidence is the most important element you can bring to an interview. For this reason, it’s best to treat the interview preparation like test preparation.

7. Show Enthusiasm. Be ready to articulate why you are interested in the target job/organization, how it relates to your goals. Show enthusiasm during the interview for the job.

8. During the interview watch your body language: shake hands firmly, make eye contact as you articulate your points, and sit up straight.

9. Listen carefully to what you’re being asked. Don’t interrupt, but do ask them to clarify what they are asking if you don’t understand the question straight away. Show interest in the interview by maintaining eye contact, and nodding or smiling where appropriate.

10. Answer questions honestly, and frankly, but be careful not to criticise current or former employers – your interviewers may think you’ll do this to them.

11. You may not realize it, but most successful adults have two personalities-a professional one and a relaxed one. It’s not a matter of being fake at times, it’s just a matter of behaving respectfully on the job or at an important meeting.

12. When speaking during an interview be careful to use proper grammar, speak correctly and behave in a way that doesn’t raise eyebrows

13. Attempt to use positive words, such as saying “I enjoy…” rather than “I like…” and speak positively about the opportunity to accept this role. For example, “I anticipate the challenges this job would provide”, rather than “If I get the job I think I could cope with the challenges…”

14. Do not bore the interviewer. If she asks you to tell her about yourself, do not give her your life story. Instead, list your achievements and any positive activities you are involved in. Mention what makes you unique.

15. When answering behavioral questions or if the interviewer asks you to provide an example, use examples from school, sports and volunteer

16. It’s not a good idea to wear clothing that is too revealing in an interview. Most judges and teachers will simply see this as a sign of immaturity.

17. Just relax and shake hands with confidence. There are a few common sense tips for shaking hands, though. For instance, don’t try to squeeze hard to prove how strong you are. Also, if you’re worried about having sweaty palms, you can keep a lightly-powdered tissue in your pocked and squeeze it right before the handshakes begin.

18. When an interview is over, be sure to thank the interviewer.

Interviewing tips for employers

Getting the right person on board to your organization, in the right position, at the right time, is one of the most strategic business decisions today. The job interview is a powerful factor in the employee selection process in most organizations. The job interview process helps other employees own the new employee when he or she joins your organization.

The cost to an employer for a position’s turnover can be the equivalent of a year and a half of salary. This takes into account recruitment costs, lost productivity, training and other on-boarding expenses. As a result, it is important to get the right fit for the position the first time.

There are two types of interview you can conduct. The first is the structured interview. The structured interview takes place when the interviewer sets out questions to be asked before the interview. The same questions are usually asked of all candidates. The advantage of using a structured interview is that you make sure all the relevant information is covered.

In unstructured interviews the employer has few, if any, planned questions. This will allow the interviewer more freedom to pursue the applicants response and the response may lead to another question. The interviews for each applicant may be very different. The disadvantage of an unstructured interview is that some points you had wanted to cover may be left out.

The best practices that an interviewer should follow while interviewing employees for organization:

1. Before scheduling a job interview with a candidate, the interviewer has to review each candidate’s Resume cover letter and Resume. It’s important to use tools that separate the great candidates from the many. These will help you select the candidates for the job interview. They will also help you prepare your list of questions to use to telephone screen candidates and ask during interviews.

2. While interviewing, ensure that all staff involved in the selection process from recruitment advertising, to the application, interview and selection process) are aware of any prohibited grounds.

3. Make sure you conduct the interview in a private setting. It is also important to make sure the area is comfortable with appropriate seating and that access for applicants with a disability is considered.

4. In order to ensure the best “fit” for your organization, make sure that each candidate is being measured the same way.  Every candidate should be asked the same questions, and should go through the exact same steps. This is important not just for selection, but also to ensure consistency, which could be challenged in the legal environment.

5. Group decisions are better than individual decisions for many reasons including the fact that our own personal biases do not play as dominant a role. So panel interviews are the best practice that involve two or more interviewers speaking with each candidate.

6. An interviewing kit can be developed for panel members a week or so before the interview, giving them some time to review it prior to the interviews. The interviewing kit can include the resumes of the short listed candidates, the interview questions, interview scoring information and any other information.

7. During the job interview, help the candidate demonstrate his or her knowledge, skills, and experience. Start with small talk and ask several easy questions until the candidate seems relaxed. Then, hold a behavioral interview.

8. Ask legal interview questions that illuminate the candidate’s strengths and weaknesses to determine job fit. Avoid illegal interview questions and interview practices.

9. Block time in between candidates for interviewers to complete their notes, and also to synthesize the group’s feedback or recommendations.  By blocking time in between interviews you can summarize your findings and then move on, returning to your summaries for each candidate at the end of the day or the end of the interview process.

10. When interviewing, the applicant should do most of the talking. This will ensure you learn as much as possible from the applicant to help determine their suitability for the job. Try to ask questions that require more than a yes /no answer. Never be afraid to ask the applicant to elaborate on an answer. Try to use open-ended questions such as “Tell me how you will be able to use your experience from previous employment in this position?” This will encourage the applicant to give more information.

11. Explain exactly what is required in the job and where it fits into the organization. The applicant needs to know as much as they can about the job to make an informed decision. Give the applicant the opportunity to ask any questions that they may have.

12. Close the interview in a friendly manner. If the applicant is clearly not suitable for the position make sure you tell them tactfully. If you feel the applicant would be suitable let them know when they can expect to hear from you.

13. Before making a job offer make sure you do a thorough reference check. Check a variety of references including previous employers, work peers, superiors etc. Personal references from family and friends should be avoided.

Interview tips for Weaknesses

Failure and weaknesses are human – we all failed in the past and we all have our weaknesses one of the most common interview question asked in the interview is Describe your weaknesses please’ or ‘what are your weaknesses? Potential employers want to know if you have a reasonably balanced opinion of yourself.

There is common belief that tells that you should never expose a weakness of yours if you want to pass an interview. This question is in fact a key interview question and there is no agenda behind it. When the interviewer asks ‘can you describe your weaknesses?’, they mean exactly that.

1. When describing a weakness of yours the first thing to do is imagine your self in a work environment. There is no point in bringing up weaknesses that are exposed when socializing with friends or at home; these environments are irrelevant to the work one and the interviewer has no interest in them.

2. You probably know much better then anyone around you what are your weaknesses and what are your biggest challenges.

3. The main distinction between those that fail and those that pass this interview question is our ability to learn from our mistakes, acknowledge our weaknesses, embrace them and show how we strive to improve them.

4. Demonstrate to the interviewer you can face this question head on. Name a real weakness of yours and show how you strive to improve it. When describing a real weakness and showing how you are working hard to improve it, or better yet demonstrating how it can actually work to your benefit – you are likely to impress the interviewer.

5. Do not expose a weakness which is irrelevant to the work environment or a weakness that can seriously compromise your chances of success.

6. Show that you are aware of your weaker qualities and that you in fact are trying to learn from them and improve your ways; demonstrate that you are a worthy and serious candidate.

7. The best way to handle weakness question is to minimize the trait and emphasize the positive. Select a trait and come up with a solution to overcome your weakness. Stay away from personal qualities and concentrate more on professional traits

8. Weaknesses that can disclose at a job interview are:

Suspicion, Criticism, Being too demanding, Controlling, Lack of humor, Being too sensitive and Lack of assertiveness.

9. The secret to answering this question is to be honest and find a negative quality that has a positive spin. Think of things you have been criticized for in the past, and then think of a way to reframe it in a positive light.

10. Be prepared to follow up your answer with an example or an explanation. You will undoubtedly be asked for one or both. Choose an example that shows your weakness as a small, not a major, problem. Show that you have the flaw under control.

11. Talk about changes in attitude and what strategies you have found for turning your negative traits into positive attributes.

12. Avoid spending too much time on the weakness. Relating scores of examples about how your weakness has affected your performance in the past.

13. Once you tell the interviewer your weakness, follow it up with how you have a plan in place to improve this area of weakness.

14. Don’t reveal a work performance crippling weakness. You don’t want to tell the interviewer that you are always late, lose important files, or have zero people skills.

Types Of Interviews

The recruiters and employers look for bright candidates to fit their requirement for the job or vacancy in their company. An interview can be a difficult thing, be it preparing for an interview or facing one. The interview is used to determine whether you are qualified for the position. Also one important thing as the job seeker is, you should make use of the interview to determine whether you can be successful in the available position.

There are ways in which you can learn and prepare for an interview in such a manner that you are able to present a confident and dynamic self something that interviewers want to see in a job candidate.

There are different types of interviews that are conducted. Some of the different types of interviews tips that you will find here are

Behavioral interview
Group panel interview
Technical interviews
Exit interview and
Screening interview.
Mealtime interview

Screening interview:

The first phase of an interview can be termed as a general interview or even as screening interview. The main purpose of this type of interview is to segregate the suitable and non-suitable candidates. Those who are selected move to the next round of interviews.

Technical interviews

Technical interviews are held for technical job placements such as an engineering job or a computer software programmer job. The interviewer will have a certain agenda for each candidate usually based on his/her field of expertise. A technical interview can be very tough if you are not sound in the field, the interviewer can grind you extensively till the time they know for sure whether or not you are completely qualified for the position you seek.

Mealtime interview

Another form of interview to face if you make it to the latter rounds of the interview is the mealtime interview. The interviewers judge you on who you will carry yourself when dealing with clients over a luncheon or when you are hosting a gathering.

Phone interview

An increasing number of organizations are choosing to use the phone interviewing method to screen candidates before calling them for the actual interview. The main thought behind conducting a phone interview is to allow the company to verify the basic details of the applicant while also scrutinizing his/her basic English speaking skills, enthusiasm for the job and also do a check on the details you have mentioned in your resume.

When you are submitting your resume along with the job application do not forget to mention what time of the day you will be available as the company will call you at such a time. Be prepared for the interview and always have a copy of your resume with you in case you need it.

Exit interviews

Exit interviews are interviews conducted by a company when an employee is leaving the company. The primary reason for conducting or taking such an interview is to know why the employee is resigning or leaving his job at the company. The exit interview is conducted by either the HR manager or someone who is responsible for recruitment in the company.

During the interview the employee’s boss or immediate senior is not invited thus allowing the person to be open and candid regarding his/her decision to leave the company. There is also a form that accompanies the interview where in the reasons for the employees departure from the company, overall experience and feedback is noted.

Teacher Interview Tips

Interviewing for a teacher’s position in education requires preparation and knowledge. Becoming a teacher requires you to go through a lot of challenging steps. If you are a newly qualified teacher, you may find that you are too keen to impress, and that interview panels do not react as you would hope to your enthusiasm. No matter what you do, how much preparation you put in, you will have some nerves.

Interview tips for teachers are an essential boost to any applicant’s teaching interview skills:

1. Your Teacher Portfolio is an essential part of your job interview that provides proof of your abilities as a teacher and supports your interview answers.

2. As a teacher you should be ready to talk about anything and everything that relates to you, your background, and your philosophies on education. The best candidates know how to teach, they know how to articulate their teaching beliefs.

3. Body language can show whether you’re a confident, qualified teacher or an unsure one. At the interview, be confident, but not cocky. Smile when you walk in. Greet the people interviewing you with a smile and a nod. Firmly shake the hand of the principal and other interviewers that are within easy reach. When you take your seat, sit up straight with your feet on the floor and your hands in a relaxed position on the desk.

4. When you are speaking, it is important to make eye contact to demonstrate that you are aware of your audience and that an interaction is taking place. Holding people’s attention is right up there in terms of instructional skills.

5. Have a mild sense of humor. Prepare to make some humorous small talk when you are greeted. Be sure your sense of humor is clean and appropriate for an interview.

6. One of the best interview tips for teachers is to try and act as though you are already working as a teacher – be friendly. Use lots of examples when you answer questions. When they ask how you would do something, tell them how you have already done it. This will make you seem more experienced.

7. Prepare for teaching interview questions about your instructional skills and planning skills. Use the answer guidelines to formulate your own unique answers that set you apart from the other teaching job candidates.

8. Focus on details like the school demographics, student achievement, its philosophy, extracurricular activities, special programs, school initiatives, staff etc. The more research you have done the better equipped you will be to answer and ask the right questions. The more you know about the school, its students, and its curriculum, the better prepared you will be to prove that your skills and abilities match their needs.

10. Almost every teaching interview includes similar, common questions. In order to be a prepared candidate, all you have to do is practice answering the most common questions before you go to the interview.

11. Key to successful teaching is your ability to manage the classroom, introduce discipline and build good relationships with the students and parents.  When interviewing let the interviewer know what you have done with children that correlates with the teaching position. If you don’t have much experience dealing with children in a work-related environment draw from personal experiences as well.

12. Interviewers will likely ask you why you want to be a teacher. The question may seem easy to answer, but it may be more political than you think. Principals and school board members want to know that you have a true passion for teaching. Tell them that you truly care about children and want to better the educational system, to help more kids get to college.

13. Enthusiasm and self motivation are core competencies in teaching.

14. Since your interviewers will probably be meeting with lots of candidates, you should use the opportunity to ask a question and make yourself stand out.

Interview Technique Tips

Successful candidates face an interview with confidence and have the ability to draw attention to key experiences to prove that they are the ideal choice for the job by applying their best interview techniques. They understand the requirements of a particular job and demonstrate their expertise to deal with issues pertaining to that field. Regardless of how much experience and educational background you have, you still need to make a positive impression in your interview.

Job interview techniques are developing over the years because employees are looking for skilled and qualified candidates, who can work with them for longer time. Therefore, present day interviews are organized in such way that, they aim to uncover several things such as test the knowledge of individuals, see their awareness, and check their background.

Developing your own personal set of Interview Techniques will provide you with a very valuable and unique to you job hunting tool. Interviews for the most part are standard formats and haven’t changed much over the years. The purpose of the interview is to weigh your potential value with the employers needs.

Interviews are usually conducted in 1 of 2 ways. You will either meet with several people individually or, you will meet in a room with several people at once in a panel configuration.

1. You will be asked the usual “tell us about yourself” followed by more detailed questions and probably will be followed by a classic question such as “What is your greatest weakness? This standardization provides you with a wonderful opportunity to be advantageous by developing your own technique to how you approach your interviews.

2. Develop your approach to answering questions. Practice your nonverbal skills in front of the mirror before going to the job interview. It is important how you communicate with the interviewers on both a verbal and nonverbal level.

3. Give the interviewer a strong hand shake when first being introduced. Always look the interviewers in the eye when you listen and talk to them.

4. Sit up straight in your chair and keep your legs and arms uncrossed. When the interviewer says something that interests you, lean forward and demonstrate your interest. Always keep a pleasant expression on your face. Keep the tone of your voice in the middle range, without showing extremes of volume or expression.

5. Make a list of questions and points you want to make and bring along a notebook to take notes. Talk in clear and easy-to-understand sentences without slang or jargon. Watch the interviewer’s face to make sure that your comments have been understood.

6. Send an email to the interviewer as soon as you can after the interview. Explain why you are the right person for the job and why you would like to work for the company. Repeat some of your strong points and even include some new information if you have additional thoughts since the interview.

7. If you receive a letter or call saying that you did not receive the job, follow up with a thank you note, or call yourself. You never want to burn bridges. When you like the company and people you meet, be sure to ask to be put on the list for future jobs.

Thus, through proper interview techniques, you will be able to convince the employer that you are the right person for the job and have the potential to successfully meet the targets laid down by the company. Having the right etiquette and demonstrating the right attitude can leave a lasting impression on the minds of the interviewer. Adopting the right approach can set you apart from the competition.

Tips on Interview Skills

Interviews are about presenting yourself in a positive and confident manner and we have interview skills , tips for you in getting your desired Job. Many candidates are often worried that by “overselling” themselves they may appear in arrogant and, as a result, they opt for straight answers which can sometimes appear fairly formless.

Here are some interview  techniques which can help you to  do yourself justice and improve your interview skills to a level that will make you one of the strongest candidates.

Know yourself . be Prepared

Bring wth you a  folder containing extra copies of your resume, a copy  references and paper to take notes. You should also have questions prepared to ask at the end of the interview. For extra assurance, print a copy of Monster’s handy interview take-along checklist.

Research on the job and your future employers

Researching the company before the interview and learning as much as possible about its services, products, customers and competition , which will give you an edge in understanding and addressing the company’s needs. The more you know about the company  the better chance you have of selling yourself in the interview.

any candidates  don’t ask questions and miss the opportunity to find out valuable information. The questions you ask indicate your interest in the company or job.

Use personal experiences to expand your point.

One specific example of your background can worth for 50 vague stories. Prepare your stories before the interview. Give examples that highlight your successes and uniqueness. Your past behavior can indicate your future performance.

Avoid announcing a compositional straightness  unless you are absolutely confident

Describe yourself with using active verbs and power words

It is important to appear confident and cool for the interview. One way to do that is to be prepared to the best of your ability. There is no way to predict what an interview holds,

But preparing yourself with confidence may win the Race .

Answer the questions using STAR framework with examples

Candidates often don’t think about whether they are answering actually  asked questions by their interviewers . Make sure you understand what is being asked, and get further clarification if you are unsure then give your answer

Be comfortable in behavior which must reflect in your body language . 

Select dress wearing for the interview. Depending on the company and position, get your best interview clothes and check them over for spots and wrinkles. Even if the company has a casual environment, you don’t want to look like you slept in your outfit. Above all, dress for confidence. If you feel good, others will respond you accordingly.

Give your answers short in between 1 to 2 minutes

Lengthy answers do not make the points clearly enough, whilst short answers may be likely to make too few points. No one will be prepared to listen to you for more than 3 minutes anyway. So as a general rule, your answers fit within the 1 to – 2 minutes timeframe

Form and present your answers in 3 or 4 points maximum

In order to make a well-built impact with your answers, you must ensure the message is coming out is loud and clear. By adopting a 3- or 4-point answer formation, you will help your interviewers to identify the important themes in you  and they won’t have to work so hard to get the picture.

Clear headline on each point in your answers, you can mold the interviewer in the shape you want, by answering your interested questions.

Too many people small talk around a topic without stating clearly what they are trying to say. Once you have consequent a clear structure, ensure that each section is headlined by the message that you are trying to convey. For example, if you are being asked a question such as “What are your main strengths?”, you could structure and headline your answer as follows:

• One of my key strengths is my ability to keep the team motivated, even at difficult times.
• I am  approachable and supportive person.
• Another one of my strengths is my flexibility and  punctual  attitude, and particularly my ability in to complete projects.

Salary Negotiation tips

As a jobseeker you really want the job and also want to be paid well which you deserve. At this situation it becomes difficult for a jobseeker has to convey this to the employer. Since the company recognizes that you require a certain amount to satisfy your ability and qualifications. The combination of good self-knowledge and good salary negotiation skills can take a jobseeker far down the path of finding a job that’s right for you at the salary you deserve.

Guidelines for salary negotiation:

1. One of the most basic and overlooked salary negotiation tip is to make sure to let employers make the first offer; be patient and hold out on discussions until after the job has been securely offered to you. It is preferable to push off any actual salary talk until after you’ve secured the position. Then it will be easier for you to negotiate since you come to know that the company wants you on board.

2. Never agree to anything on the spot of the interview, instead you thank the hiring manager for the offer and ask if you can get time to think over it. In the mean time do some research find out what other companies are paying for this job then you can propose interviewer to come to an agreement. If you give a negotiate the number first, then the interviewer false into impression that you are in the same estimated by him, or you are expecting high what the interviewer was considering.

3. Since the interviewing manager should pay you for your current worth just not what you were being paid by another company. Do not negotiate until you have an offer in writing, so that you know what you have to work with in negotiations. Once you have written offer, you can ask to think about it and come back with a counter offer. Negotiating salary may not be your strength, but if you try you will almost always get more money, and you will definitely get better each time you try.

4. While negotiating salary show your experience and let the employer see exactly why you fit for the position. Try to determine how your education and experience level stacks up against others in your position at other companies, as well as within the company you are dealing with.

5. You can take advice from your friends, but in the end, you have to go to the job every day, and you have to decide if you are going to like it. So stay focused when dealing with the company, pay attention to clues which reveal values and qualities which they seek in an employee. This help to determine which of your own qualities to highlight during negotiations.

6. Important tip in achieving the correct salary negotiation mode is to maintain a positive attitude. Make negotiations believing that you are worth the salary that you want. Make them buy you for a reasonable market value. By showing excitement about the position makes the employer to know that the only thing stopping you from taking the job is the compensation.

Job Interview Tips

Preparation and confidence are very important tips. Before attending an interview we need to be well prepared, you must prepare yourself practically for the interview and gather information which is useful during the interview. Preparations means not only preparation of your syllabus etc. but also look at the company’s website and learn something about the company before you attend your interview. People say that luck is what happens when preparation meets opportunity. The interview is your opportunity.

Checklist before attending an interview.

* When you are called for an interview you have to confirm about the date, time, and location of the interview.
* Be on time, you have to plan to be earlier than half an hour before the interview schedule time. And if you are going to be late, then best option is call them.
* You have to wear professional dress. Get your hair cut and styled, No gum, cigarette smell, heavy scents.
* Concentrate on the interview at the interview
* On arrival ensure that receptionist knows you are present.
* Your interview letter must be with you.
* If you are asked to bring certificates, references etc, get them ready before the day of interview.
* Always keep in mind that you never get a second chance to make a first impression.
* Collect sample questions on job interview.
* You can sign up to do a mock interview with a career counselor.
* Get a good night’s sleep before your interview so you’ll be as psychologically physically and emotionally ready for interview as possible.
* Carry additional resumes for distribution to department heads, search committees, and others you may meet who have not seen your resume.
* Employers typically require references. Get permission before using anyone as a reference. Make sure that they will give you a good reference. Try to avoid using relatives as references.
* If you have to do a formal presentation, be well prepared.
* PRACTICE, PRACTICE, PRACTICE, In front of a mirror or with an audience of friends or colleagues.

Points to remember during interview.

* Good smile always please people. Smile is one of the things which may matter in your impression during interview.
* Do not forget for firm handshake.
* Eye contact without glaring shows your confidence.
* Be ready to briefly describe your experience, showing how it relates it the job.
* During interview time do not talk too much
* don’t interrupt to interviewer when he/she is talking
* Always remember that communication is two-way
* Avoid sounding as though you assume the job is yours.
* It is fine to ask about the package on offer and accommodation
* It is important to listen to the question asked and answer that question.
* At some point during your interview, you’ll be asked whether you have any questions. Asking questions demonstrate your level of interest in the job, so be prepared with questions to ask, and jot some down during the interview. Your ability to ask straightforward, insightful questions lets the interviewer understand your perspective and concerns, as well as your judgment and analytical ability.
* you need to learn how to close your interview to win the job
* Be ready to support past career accomplishments with specific information targeted towards the company needs, have your facts ready.
* Avoid negative comments about past employers.
* Evaluate/Review your interview’s strengths/weaknesses immediately after the interview.Be cooperative and enthusiastic.