Well, I should first make it clear that it is all about my experience during my campus interview. What I feel is that campus interviews and the interviews we face after the college lives are different from each other at some points and they are same at some other points…
Truly speaking that interview of 25th February, 2005 was my first ever interview and I got through that…so never got another chance to face an interview again…still I have something to share with all of you….
I know there are people who have come across so many interviews that this review will make them laugh…but I still hope that some will find it interesting to read because it is an experience of the first interview and cracking through it was the best moment of my life…
So here are some points….
Well prepared Resume
First point is that your resume should be brief, because many of the interviewers don’t have time or any interest to go through the complete resume. They just look at the major points like your qualifications…so make it sure that your resume is filled with the things they are looking for and at the most it should be of 2 pages…not more than that…
While writing about your hobbies make it sure that you are actually having knowledge about the topic. Because most of the HR questions come from that portion of your resume…don’t think that you can make fool of the persons sitting in front of you…they actually know a lot about many things….
Here I want to share the incident happened with me….in the hobbies section I had written photography…and they started asking on that….thank God I was able to answer those questions…..they asked a lot about my camera….why I like photography …..etc..etc..
Dressing-up
Well, being a girl, I will write mostly about the dressing up for girls…during your interview you should wear something very earthy colored & formal dress. Not too eye catching color or designer dresses are appreciated. Be as simple as you can…
You can wear salwaar suit or any other formal dress….a light makeup will also go…if you want to use perfumes then a light perfume will make you refreshed and it will also lighten up the environment…
Use sandals those make least sound!!! Those “thak” “thak”….sounds are very irritating for the interviewers. After all first impression is the last impression ;0).
Don’t be overconfident
Confidence is something the interviewers will be looking for. But at the same time overconfidence can make everything wrong. Answer confidently to those questions you are well aware of and if you don’t know about some particular topic they are asking about then without hesitating just say “sorry sir, but I don’t know anything about it…”. This will not make you out of the competition….but you can make it sure that you are honest with the interviewers as well as with you:0)
Remember, in campus interviews they are looking for talented as well as honest, confident, smart people. It is not necessary that you know all the answers. Sometimes they just make you to feel stressed (called as stress interview) to know how well you can work under pressure!!
Bluffing is very dangerous and you should always avoid it. You should always maintain a formal as well as polite attitude towards the interviewers. They don’t even expect you to know everything…because you are fresher without any actual working experience. So try to be yourself only. Never try to imitate somebody. S/he got job because of certain reason…. And it is not obvious that you will also get due to that reason. You may get the job because of some other talent, which you possess.
Don’t be nervous
My teacher always told me that what ever the condition is never ever let nervousness to tame you. Human beings do a lot of mistakes due to nervousness only. Always think positively, relax, have faith on yourself. The person sitting on the other side of the table is not at all a beast…even if you do something wrong he will not eat you!!!
And my teacher also told “jyaada se jyaada kya hoga……you will not get the job…..so what? This is not the end of the world…..may be something greater than this job is waiting for you!!!”.
Always maintain an eye contact with the interviewers. If you feel nervous then try to focus on his/her forehead. This can make you confident.
Smile
Smiling is an act…. Sometimes just smiling makes every tension to fade away. It also makes the environment somewhat lighter. Before going for the interview (or you can say any sort of work), look into the eyes of your image in the mirror and smile….this will surely boost your energy level. The person who can smile at himself can do anything. This is my observation:0)
So always have a smile on your face. That does not mean smile on others, but smile at others….this makes the other one to be comfortable with you.
Have a good command over your tongue
The interviewers do keep a close look on the language you use during the conversation. So try to avoid grammatical errors… have a good and simple communication. Don’t show off too much by using bombastic words. Use polite words.
Never sit down without their permission. If they are not telling you to sit then you can ask for their permission but politely. Never forget to wish them good morning, good afternoon or anything according to the time…..and before leaving always say thank you sir/madam……. this is called minimum courtesy.
Have a good knowledge about the company
It is always advisable that before going for the interview you should have done a research over the company so that you can assure them that you are actually interested for the job in their company.
Be prepared for the frequently asked questions
Well, it is not mandatory that the interviewers will ask you the same questions asked to the previous interviewee. But still there are some questions which are frequently asked like…..tell us something about you……your hobbies…….why do you want to join our company……if you are not selected then……..what makes you different from the rest of the candidates…….etc etc…
So be prepared for these questions….it is not that there is a particular answer for each of these questions. Try to answer in your style…..always be yourself….maintain your originality….
And did I forget to tell that be prepared for your study related questions!!!!!
Yup, it is obvious that they will be asking about your studies…..so prepare well and take all your certificates with you and any proof for your co-curricular works are also accepted.
So this was all I wanted to share with all of you. I hope these things will help those who are preparing for the campus interviews.
Snigdha….