10 tips- Being ready for an interview

You can only avail an opportunity, if you are ready for it.

Just having a quick look at the profiles of your connections on linkedin would easily reveal to you the fact the half of us are here to increase our chances of getting an opportunity. However, only few get a chance to change their lives and even fewer it happens in one’s life. It is precious. 

The big question is, are you ready for it?

Interviewing a candidate is second of the make or break impressions a candidate gives to his potential employer, just after resume. The fact that most of the interviewers know in ten minutes of your arrival if you are the candidate they are looking for, is certainly not a myth.

It is also a fact that 80 percent of the candidates know by themselves by end of the interview if they were selected or rejected.

So what you can do to increase your chances of being selected. Besides being well versed in what you do, and know what you are doing, here are some easy tips.

1. Sharpen your knowledge a day before- ALWAYS- You don’t want to have a mind block on the term which you know everything about, but just can’t recall what it was called. Make sure you go through your CV a day before and remember the key terms, projects, products and services you have worked on and refresh you how did that. 
   
2. Read job description carefully- When that executive in the company created a job profile spending days or weeks, he knew exactly what he wanted. He will analyze you on point to point basis on that chart without your knowledge. Make sure that you read the job description carefully and prepare a mental note of what is your response to each point. Even if they do not ask you those questions directly, try to stay around that central idea when you describe your experience and skills.
   
3. Start talking crazily- Try talking to a colleague or a friend who somehow match your skill set. Try talking about your experience, share your success stories, talk about situations and resolutions. That will prepare your mind to speak the next day more fluently.
   
4. Dress to impress- Take a bath, brush teeth, brush hair, shine the shoes, wear a clean ironed dress and wear your best watch. You are there to impress, never be confused about it.
   
5. Extrovert for a day- No matter what your Zodiac sign tells about you being introvert, if you can’t get over this feeling for a day, you cannot be trusted as a team player. Make sure you smile, be warm, greet everyone on your way to meeting room and shake hands with warmth. Make their day, they will make yours.
   
6. Listen carefully, they will ask only once- It is not nice to ask to repeat a question again, though totally legitimate. Most of us live in a multicultural environment where English can be spoken in tens of different accents. That’s not all, we may even find ourselves in difficulty in understanding what the questioner really wanted to ask. If you understood it only half way, try to repeat the question and ask if that’s what interviewer meant. For example, ‘So I understood you are asking if I have worked on the high budget projects. Is this correct?
   
7. Talk loud and clear- Make sure your voice reach the interviewers on the other side of the table, make sure you are not talking fast for them to cope up or slow to make them bored. Keep the talk interesting.
   
8. Tell stories- Tell stories from your experience where you want to emphasize on how you dealt with a particular situation. Try keeping these examples ready in your mind before interview or bring out one during interview. Keep it short, relevant and interesting.
   
9. No slang, clean language- keep the language clear and academic. We are used to slang so much that we unintentionally use it even in our formal talks. Try using only the words you know the meaning of and can pronounce correctly. 
   
10. Drink only water- The question if you would like to drink something is formal, the response should be equally formal. Water should be enough to keep your throat clear and energy high. That goes with all the formalities on interview day. 
    

Written by

Adnan Shabbir

IT Network/Hardware Manager (Airport Projects)

SIEMENS Airport Solutions ?

ae.linkedin.com/in/adnanshabbir