Tips to make a good impression in an interview

Hi,

I still remember the day when I faced first interview of my life, it was PI (personal interview) at the FMCG conglomerate that had come for selection at our institute campus. 7 out of our 10 friends made through the interview and rest 3 of us could not. Though we were almost alike in terms of study and marks, I wondered what the reasons were for us not breaking through the interview.
Over the years, I have been on both sides of the table. Initially while giving interviews in all seriousness and then gradually taking interviews and hiring people for the companies I was working.
Though the candidates whom I have interviewed were not remarkably bad, but the ones who were eventually hired, had some common traits which made them stand out. It is also worth mentioning that these hires have had a long and fruitful associations with the companies they were hired for.
What I realized and am going to share with you is the crux to succeed in an interview. It’s always the first impression which matters most apart from self confidence and knowledge. If your first impression is positive, it means half the job done. Here are the few tips to utilize that one chance to make a good first impression:

Smile Please
If I ask you with what kind of people you would like to interact/ meet then your answer would be in adjectives like joyful, enthusiastic, eager to meet etc. Same applies with the interviewer also who is meeting with the candidate for the first time. So a good smile on face, a firm handshake and eye contact are the few ways to make you likable by the employer. And if interviewer likes you it will enhance your chances of getting the offer letter.

Chit chat
As an interviewer I have heard this answer sometimes, when I ask about the strength of candidate, “Being a talkative person I mingle with the people very well.” It means irrespective of whether you are talkative or not if you engage in small talk when meeting with the new people will always help to know each other. Small talk or chit chat with interviewer also puts both parties at ease and this small talk could be your golden chance to demonstrate your abilities/ skill and correlate them with the requirement of the job.

Do your homework
I remember the days of my childhood. I was not so regular in doing my home work given by teacher at school. So standing on bench, other punishments (like writing “I’ll do my home work regularly 100 times”) were the regular thing with me. But the day I my home work is complete I used to go with full of confidence and happiness, that means no punishment today! That way I realized doing homework is a good thing.
Translated at workplace/interview stage, whenever you go for interview you should also do your homework first. Know as much as possible about the company and the job profile by visiting company website, job posting from the company on websites like www.naukri.com , www.monster.com etc. or see the company review at www.talentequity.in Also, not to forget to know about the interviewer also (if you know who will take interview). You can look about him at various professional networking sites like www.linkedin.com or www.siliconindia.com or simply search www.google.com by his name or email id, to know more about the person.

Get ready with FAQs
One research shows that 70% of the questions are common, asked in most of the interviews. The idea behind asking those questions by the interviewer it to analyze the views, attitude and ideas of the candidate. So prepare and practice those common questions in a professional way. You also can refer to our blog to know about all these types of FAQs asked in any interview.

"Walk the talk and talk the walk"
Interview does not mean always to say big about your performance/achievement. Talk real and don’t forget to support your statement with proof/ figure. If you say, you have successfully achieved 120% of target of last quarter which was Rs. 80 lacs, will create a positive impact on the interviewer. So always quantify your claims of success/ achievements.

I am sure that this tips are applicable globally and will help you succeed in any interview.

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Please share your views on this.

Regards,

Sanjay