Preparation for an Interview

Preparation of interview can be divided into 3 parts

• Pre interview preparations
• The interview
• Post interview

1- Pre interview preparations
One must consider the following points-
                    Research about the company

Know its sales turnover, Ranking and MS if possible. Know about some top selling products. The best way to know all this other than your own local MIS is company's official web site. In fact it is always advisable to visit their site at least once even if you know every thing about the company
                     Formulate questions

Some of the commonly asked questions are-
                                  Tell me about yourself?
 
Most of the interview starts with this question. One must aim at getting 10/10 in answering this question. One must practice answering this question at home and that too loudly. Your answer should include (50%) your present assignment and achievements, (30%) previous assignments and achievements and (20%) personal details and educational qualifications.
At the end of this answer interviewer should have fairly good ides about what to expect from you.

               Why do you want to quit you present organization?

One must not talk bad about his/her present employer. In most of the cases it is t taken in a negative manner. It is advisable to talk good about your present employer and as future employer offers better opportunities to contribute and grow you want to change.

               What are you strength and weaknesses?

While answering this it is always good to give real life examples to support your point. For example- if somebody's strength is analytical skills. The answer could be something like- 'Sir, I possess good analytical skills and it was reflected in one of our regional meeting where I gave an altogether different perspective to why Delhi city is not able to perform'   
 
                It is OK to feel nervous.

It is OK to feel nervous.
Not only is it OK to be nervous about an interview, but it is essential for you to accept how you feel. As you are preparing for an better opportunity some sort excitement and different feeling are bound to be there. These feelings are part of the whole process. Sometimes it helps to prepare for the worst that can happen at an interview? For many, it would be not getting an offer. Did you ever think that maybe the job wasn't right for you? Try to look at the process as a learning experience.

                     First comes the phone
Telephone screening is becoming very common as the first step in the interview process so you need to be prepared for the phone to ring at any time. These screenings, depending on your answers usually last for 5 to 10 minutes.  It's helpful if you've thought about questions likely to be asked during the screening (Why did you/are you leaving your job? What makes you qualified for this position?) and prepared your answers.
Put a suitable caller tune.

                    The D Day
Preparing emotionally for the interview is equally important. The right mood helps you perform at your best. Some of the suggestions for preparing emotionally: get moving -- go for a walk, run, exercise, meditate, stretch or any some- activity gets blood flowing to your brain. Repeat an inspirational phrase aloud that's meaningful for you or simply remember a time when you felt terrific.

                          Look better feel better

Wear any formal dress that makes you comfortable. Avoid any bright and flashy colors. Avoid chewing tobacco/pan and keep your teeth absolutely clean. Avoid strong perfumes but some kind of mild deodorant is always welcomed. Your front pocket should have bare minimum articles and should not be bulging out. Mobile phone should always be in power off mode.   

                          Know them

It is suggested to know the interviewer's background, designation etc. Remember 

 
2- The Interview

                          Keeping Time

Try to arrive early for the interview, but not too early. Get to the site 15 to 20 minutes early to allow for any surprise disasters. Don't enter the building until 10 to 15 minutes before your interview. Arriving too early could throw the interviewer's schedule off and start you off on the wrong foot. Use the time spent sitting in the lobby to get a good feeling for the environment.

                           Talk and allow them to talk

Some of your answers probably take time to detail, but all your answers should be brief  (Each answer not exceeding a minute). In case you need longer time then may seek more time by prompting a question like- "Now that I've described the outcome of my work on that project, would you like to hear about my role in detail?"

As a general rule, you should speak 40-50% of the time and definitely no more than 60% of the time. The best interviews have a give-and-take atmosphere. To do this, you need to ask questions and try to draw out your interviewer rather than talking about yourself nonstop. If you do not ask questions then this meeting will turn out to be an interrogation and not the interview.
Answering personal questions

                             Answering personal questions 

Normally girls are asked some of very personal questions like when are you getting married? When are you planning your family?  Even such personal questions pose an opportunity for you to present information about your talents.
Such questions are best answered indirectly without being specifics (unless probed further)-
Respond with, "I'm fully committed to performing my job well. My career is important to me, and I have will continue to have a strong support system at home."

                             Look Them in the Eyes

Eye contact is one of the most important aspects of nonverbal communication and can make a significant difference in how you present yourself. If you look away when speaking to someone, you're viewed as lacking confidence or interest. If you have a problem looking into your interviewer's eyes, try looking at the "third eye" right above and between the eyes.

                             Prove What You Could Do

There could be a situation that you lack in a particular skill, be sure to emphasize how quickly you learn. Give an example of a time when you were able to get up to a desired speed in a similar situation. Companies are interested in people who are good learner.

                             Don't Forget to Listen

Most candidates are so nervous about answering  questions correctly that they do not listen carefully. In fact listening is one of the most underused skills during the interviews.
Understand each question properly before start answering.

                             Talking Salary

Understand that now a day's most of the companies believe in differential salary structure for the same work depending on a person.
Know your CTC and take home on annualized basis. Do not include any of your allowances as part of your salary. Never discuss that you save something out of your allowances even if that is a fact.
Have a realistic expectation. 
Let them bring up the subject of money. If you are asked what your salary expectations are too early in the process, just say if it is fine you would like to discuss the same later.
3- Post Interview

                               When to take a feedback?
If the interviewer doesn't call back after the interview as promised, don't be surprised -- it happens. It is suggested not to hurry up. If a week goes by after the decision was supposed to have been made, call and ask if the position is still open. If the answer is yes, ask if you're still under consideration.

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TIPS FOR SUCCESS IN INTERVIEW

Being prepared is half the battle.
If you are one of those executive types unhappy at your present post and embarking on a New Year\'s resolution to find a new one, here\'s a helping hand. The job interview is considered to be the most critical aspect of every expedition that brings you face-to- face
with the future boss. One must prepare for it with the same tenacity and quickness as one does for a fencing tournament or a chess match.

1. Tell me about yourself.
Since this is often the opening question in an interview, be extracareful that you don\'t run off at the mouth. Keep your answer to a minute or two at most. Cover four topics: early years,
education, work history, and recent career experience. Emphasize this last subject. Remember that this is likely to be a warm-up question. Don\'t waste your best points on it.

2. What do you know about our organization?
You should be able to discuss products or services, revenues, reputation, image, goals, problems, management style, people, history and philosophy. But don\'t act as if you know everything about the place. Let your answer show that you have taken the time to do some research, but don\'t overwhelm the interviewer, and make it clear that you wish to learn more.

You might start your answer in this manner: "In my job search, I\'ve investigated a number of companies. Yours is one of the few that interests me, for these reasons..." Give your answer a positive tone. Don\'t say, "Well, everyone tells me that you\'re in all sorts of trouble, and that\'s why I\'m here", even if that is why you\'re there.

3. Why do you want to work for us?
The deadliest answer you can give is "Because I like people." What else would you like-animals? Here, and throughout the interview, a good answer comes from having done your homework so that you can speak in terms of the company\'s needs. You might say that your research has shown that the company is doing things you would like to be involved with, and that it\'s doing them in ways that greatly interest you. For example, if the organization is known for strong management, your answer should mention that fact and show that you would like to be a part of that team. If the company places a great deal of emphasis on research and development, emphasize the fact that you want to create new things and that you know this is a place in which such activity is encouraged. If the organization stresses financial controls, your answer should mention a reverence for numbers.

If you feel that you have to concoct an answer to this question - if, for example, the company stresses research, and you feel that you should mention it even though it really doesn\'t interest you- then you probably should not be taking that interview, because you probably shouldn\'t be considering a job with that organization. Your homework should include learning enough about the company to avoid approaching places where you wouldn\'t be able -or wouldn\'t want- to function. Since most of us are poor liars, it\'s difficult to con anyone in an interview. But even if you should succeed at it, your prize is a job you don\'t really want.

4. What can you do for us that someone else can\'t?
Here you have every right, and perhaps an obligation, to toot your own horn and be a bit egotistical. Talk about your record of getting things done, and mention specifics from your resume or list of career accomplishments. Say that your skills and interests, combined with this history of getting results, make you valuable. Mention your ability to set priorities, identify problems, and use your experience and energy to solve them.

5. What do you find most attractive about this position?
What seems least attractive about it?
List three or four attractive factors of the job, and mention a
single, minor, unattractive item.

6. Why should we hire you?
Create your answer by thinking in terms of your ability, your
experience, and your energy. (Seequestion 4.)

7. What do you look for in a job?
Keep your answer oriented to opportunities at this organization. Talk about your desire to perform and be recognized for your contributions. Make your answer oriented toward opportunity rather than personal security.

8. Please give me your defintion of [the position for which you
are being interviewed] .
Keep your answer brief and taskoriented. Think in in terms of responsibilities and accountability. Make sure that you really do understand what the position involves before you attempt an answer. If you are not certain. Ask the interviewer; he or she may answer the question for you.

9. How long would it take you to make a meaningful contribution
to our firm?
Be realistic. Say that, while you would expect to meet pressing demands and pull your own weight from the first day, it might take six months to a year before you could expect to know the organization and its needs well enough to make a major contribution.

10. How long would you stay with us?
Say that you are interested in a career with the organization, but admit that you would have to continue to feel challenged to remain with any organization. Think in terms of, "As long as we both feel achievement- oriented. "

11. Your resume suggests that you may be over-qualified or too
experienced for this position. What\'s Your opinion?
Emphasize your interest in establishing a long-term association with the organization, and say that you assume that if you perform well in his job, new opportunities will open up for you. Mention that a strong company needs a strong staff. Observe that experienced executives are always at a premium. Suggest that since you are so wellqualified, the employer will get a fast return on his investment. Say that a growing, energetic company can never have too
much talent.

12. What is your management style?
You should know enough about the company\'s style to know that your management style will complement it. Possible styles include: task oriented (I\'ll enjoy problem-solving identifying what\'s wrong, choosing a solution and implementing it"), results-oriented ("Every management decision I make is determined by how it will affect the bottom line"), or even paternalistic ("I\'m committed to taking care of my subordinates and pointing them in the right direction").

A participative style is currently quite popular: an open-door method of managing in which you get things done by motivating people and delegating responsibility. As you consider this question, think about whether your style will let you work hatppily and effectively within the organization.

13. Are you a good manager? Can you give me some examples? Do
you feel that you have top managerial potential?
Keep your answer achievementand ask-oriented. Rely on examples from your career to buttress your argument. Stress your experience and your energy.

14. What do you look for when You hire people?
Think in terms of skills. initiative, and the adaptability to be able to work comfortably and effectively with others. Mention that you like to hire people who appear capable of moving up in the organization.

15. Have you ever had to fire people? What were the reasons,
and how did you handle the situation?
Admit that the situation was not easy, but say that it worked out well, both for the company and, you think, for the individual. Show that, like anyone else, you don\'t enjoy unpleasant tasks but that you can resolve them efficiently and -in the case of firing someone- humanely.

16. What do you think is the most difficult thing about being
a manager or executive?
Mention planning, execution, and cost-control. The most difficult task is to motivate and manage employess to get something planned and completed on time and within the budget.

17. What important trends do you see in our industry?
Be prepared with two or three trends that illustrate how well you understand your industry. You might consider technological challenges or opportunities, economic conditions, or even regulatory demands as you collect your thoughts about the direction in which your business is heading.

18. Why are you leaving (did you leave) your present (last) job?
Be brief, to the point, and as honest as you can without hurting yourself. Refer back to the planning phase of your job search. where you considered this topic as you set your reference statements. If you were laid off in an across-the-board cutback, say so; otherwise, indicate that the move was your decision, the result of your action. Do not mention personality conflicts.
The interviewer may spend some time probing you on this issue, particularly if it is clear that you were terminated. The "We agreed to disagree" approach may be useful. Remember hat your references are likely to be checked, so don\'t concoct a story for an interview.

19. How do you feel about leaving all your benefits to find a
new job?
Mention that you are concerned, naturally, but not panicked. You are willing to accept some risk to find the right job for yourself. Don\'t suggest that security might interest you more than getting the job done successfully.

20. In your current (last) position, what features do (did)
you like the most? The least?
Be careful and be positive. Describe more features that you liked than disliked. Don\'t cite personality problems. If you make your last job sound terrible, an interviewer may wonder why you remained there until now.

21. What do you think of your boss?
Be as positive as you can. A potential boss is likely to wonder if you might talk about him in similar terms at some point in the future.

22. Why aren\'t you earning more at your age?
Say that this is one reason that you are conducting this job search. Don\'t be defensive.

23. What do you feel this position should pay?
Salary is a delicate topic. We suggest that you defer tying yourself to a precise figure for as long as you can do so politely. You might say, "I understand that the range for this job is between Rs.______ and Rs.______. That seems appropriate for the job as I understand it." You might answer the question with a question: "Perhaps you can help me on this one. Can you tell me if there is a range for similar jobs in the organization? "
If you are asked the question during an initial screening interview, you might say that you feel you need to know more about the position\'s responsibilities before you could give a meaningful answer to that question. Here, too, either by asking the interviewer or search executive (if one is involved), or in research done as part of your homework, you can try to find out whether there is a salary grade attached to the job. If there is, and if you can live with it, say that the range seems right to you.

If the interviewer continues to probe, you might say, "You know that I\'m making Rs.______ now. Like everyone else, I\'d like to improve on that figure, but my major interest is with the job itself." Remember that the act of taking a new job does not, in and of itself, make you worth more money.

If a search firm is involved, your contact there may be able to help with the salary question. He or she may even be able to run interference for you. If, for instance, he tells you what the position pays, and you tell him that you are earning that amount now and would Like to do a bit better, he might go back to the employer and propose that you be offered an additional 10%.
If no price range is attached to the job, and the interviewer continues to press the subject, then you will have to restpond with a number. You cannot leave the impression that it does not really matter, that you\'ll accept whatever is offered. If you\'ve been making Rs. 3,00,000a year, you can\'t say that a Rs. 2,00,000 figure would be fine without sounding as if you\'ve given up on yourself. (If you are making a radical career change, however, this kind of disparity may be more reasonable and understandable. )

Don\'t sell yourself short, but continue to stress the fact that the job itself is the most important thing in your mind. The interviewer may be trying to determine just how much you want the job. Don\'t leave the impression that money is the only thing that is important to you. Link questions of salary to the work itself.
But whenever possible, say as little as you can about salary until you reach the "final" stage of the interview process. At that point, you know that the company is genuinely interested in you and that it is likely to be flexible in salary negotiations.

24. What are your long-range goals?
Refer back to the planning phase of your job search. Don\'t answer, "I want the job you\'ve advertised." Relate your goals to the company you are interviewing: \'in a firm like yours, I would like to..."
25. How successful do you you\'ve been so far?
Say that, all-in-all, you\'re happy with the way your career has progressed so far. Given the normal ups and downs of life, you feel that you\'ve done quite well and have no complaints.

Present a positive and confident picture of yourself, but don\'t overstate your case. An answer like, "Everything\' s wonderful! I can\'t think of a time when things were going better! I\'m overjoyed!" is likely to make an interviewer wonder whether you\'re trying to fool him . . . or yourself. The most convincing confidence is usually quiet confidence.

REGARDS,
Mohammed Shakir.