The Homework before an Interview | Interview Tips

When you get a call from a recruitment agency informing you that your resume has been shortlisted for a job, and you require to go for the interview on the same day, do not readily agree to do so. It is very important to take some time for doing an interview homework, before you actually go to the venue. Ask the caller, if it is possible for him or her to schedule the interview to another day. If yes, ask the agent to send in the job description, the venue, and the website link of the recruiting company.

An ideal interview homework is a systematic approach to analyze the job offer and prepare well for an interview. There are four steps in an effective interview homework-

1. Learning about the Company and their requirements.
2. Analyzing the Offer
3. Locating the Venue and Planning the Travel
4. Preparing the Mind for the Interview

 The first step to take when you have been shortlisted for that all-important job interview, is to gather as much information about the prospective employer as possible. You should have a clear idea about their products or services as well as their financial status in the current global and local market. You can surf through their official website for the information that they want everyone to know. Make sure that you go through all their blogs and news and gather as much information about the offered position and its scope. You can also use Google to fish out any missing information regarding the company. These information will come in handy when the interviewer asks you if you know anything about their business. This is indeed the best way to impress your interviewer.

Once you have a clear idea of what the company is all about, it is time for you to analyze the job offer. Most companies disclose the salary range prior to the interview. You should check this against the current going-rate the position has in the market. Also keep in mind your experience and skills when you decide on your rate. If you find the offer reasonable, you may begin preparing for the interview.

Now that you have decided to go for the interview, the next step is to locate the venue and plan the travel. Most people don't make it to the interview in time because of the lack of proper planning the day before. Lack of punctuality is a real deal killer at most interviews. So, it is extremely important for you to plan ahead before an interview. You can use Google Maps for locating the interview venue and travel planning. Once you have a plan, you will be free of the unnecessary transportation stress that you may have otherwise.

Now that you have everything planned and set, you should prepare your mind and focus on the interview. Prepare well what you do best, so that you can present yourself as the best they can get. Don't make the mistake of last minute preparations. This can cripple your mind when you actually face the interview. Be relaxed before and during the interview. The Mind works best when relaxed.

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The Tricky Interview Question- Tell Me About Yourself | Interview Tips

I write this blog titled, “The Wrinkled Resume”, with the intention of sharing interview woes and connecting with people who are struggling to cope up with rejection. I may not be a psychological expert or an experienced human resource executive to write on this, but I believe I have a treasure trove of experience of being at a number of interviews. Being rejected at an interview is indeed a sour experience. It not only demoralizes you, but also shatters everything that you believed about yourself.

As I sit to write my first post for this blog, I wonder how to put my not-so-fortunate interview experiences into some useful information for struggling job aspirants. After a little online research, I realized that you could find a number of blogs and social media pages on Interview rejection and ways to cope up with it. These blogs have systematic instructions on how to deal with interviews and possible rejections, but I found that most of these are written by successful life coaches, and senior human resource executives who actually lack the emotional connect with those struggling to earn a career. I felt this is where I can be useful for you. I dedicate this blog to all those unfortunate underdogs who are struggling for a career.

To start with, I would like to share a useful interview tip that I had learnt the hard way from a series of interviews. “Tell me about yourself...”- If you have had a fair share of interviews, you must have come across this common interview question. Once, I got a call from a recruiting agency offering a job opportunity. After a brief chat about the job profile and the pay package, the agent said that there would be a telephonic interview the next day. The phone rang, and I picked up the call to hear a soft voice on the other end introducing itself. After inquiring about my whereabouts and qualifications, the interviewer asked me, “Tell me about yourself…” Excitedly, I started ranting about my schooling, graduation, hobbies, and even my favorite football team! After an unusually long pause, the person on the other end of the line responded,”It was a pleasure talking to you, hope to see you soon” and disconnected the call only to call never again. The truth that I could learn from this disappointing situation is that, the interviewers are hardly concerned about who you are and what your hobbies are. This is a trick question to find out how serious you are about the job and how well you have prepared for the interview. When you answer this question, you should pick the right words and sentences that promote you as their ideal candidate.

You can begin by answering the usual “W” questions like, who you are, where you are from and what you are as a person in one or two sentences. In the next two or three sentences, you should put forth your educational background and how it is favorable to the job. In the last few sentences, you should try to promote yourself as the ideal candidate for the job. You can cite an incident at your previous workplace or at your college where you could use your skills to resolve an issue and bring a positive result. Your score will depend on how well you sell yourself. The rest will follow.

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