Job Interview Tips - Make a Great Impression(3)

An interview is considered finished when you have the followup and the feedback.

What to do - before the interview  - Click here!

What to do - during the interview - Click here!

What to do - after the interview

When the interview is over, give yourself the best chances of moving forward by doing the following:

1. Ask about next steps.

After your interview, it is appropriate to ask either your interviewer, hiring manager or recruiter about what you should expect as next steps. This will likely be a follow-up email with results from your interview, additional requirements like an assignment, a Psychometric test or reference list or another 

interview.

2. Send a personalized thank you letter after the interview.

Ask for the business card of each person you speak with during the interview process so that you can follow up individually with a separate thank you email. If you interviewed in the morning, send your follow-up emails the same day. If you interviewed in the afternoon, the next morning is fine. Make certain that each email is distinct from the others, using the notes you took during the conversations.

Do practice the above steps to make it a habit. Read "Things not to do during the Interview"

Now read about what to do - before the interview - Job interview Tips

 Now read about what to do - during the interview - Job interview Tips

Things not to do during your Interview

Things not to do during your Interview

Now that your CV has done its job and fetched you an interview call, it is your chance to capitalise on this opportunity. While most of us worry about the type of answers we should provide to the questions asked in the interview, very few of us pay attention to things we should not say during the interview. So let's take a look at some of the things that you should avoid at your job interview:

What salary will I get?

All of us are curious about the salary offered for the position we are being interviewed for but there is more to a job interview than just money matters. Other things like the job profile, chances to grow in the company and industry, doing something that interests you are other crucial aspects.

If you initiate salary discussions, it makes you look money-minded and gives the impression that you will jump jobs for a couple of thousand rupees. Never bring up money matters, let the interviewer make the first move. Don't sound like someone who is trying understand the "salary benchmark" or posing as a "Compensation Survey expert"

What exactly does the company do?

This is one of the most dreadful questions you could ask. You need to study the company (no matter how small it is) and its business before you go for the interview. Not knowing about the company shows your lack of preparation and interest in the job. Even if you don't know what the company does, do not give away your ignorance by asking a question like this. You must do a "company research" before your interviews.

No bad-mouthing your employer or boss. 

During the interview you might be asked for the reason you left or want to leave your employer or what your relationship with your last boss was like. While it might be tempting to discuss how badly you were treated by a 'tyrant' or how your boss tortured you with impossible deadlines and late hours, saying derogatory things about him/her will reflect on you. You may be perceived as immature, unable to handle the pressures of work, or just indiscreet. A more ominous possibility is your interviewer and current boss actually know each other, which might mean trouble for you.

And this dude on the phone, like, you know, just would not listen...

A job interview needs to be kept formal, and slang (wanna, gonna, bro etc) should be restricted to more social occasions. Using slang will give the impression of you being immature or simply unaware of the proper etiquette required in an interview. Both of which do not reflect too well on you.

I don't have any weaknesses.

Sure, you can write an 1,000-word essay when asked about your strengths but most of us don't like to admit our weaknesses. However, when it comes to your job and to your job interview, it is important to identify your weaknesses and work on improving upon them. In most cases it is better to offer a weakness that is loosely related to your job. If you have offered a weakness that is directly related to your job, remember to mention what you are doing to improve yourself.

I don't have any questions.

At the end of an interview, most interviewers will give you the chance to ask them questions. If you respond by saying 'I don't have any questions', it might give the impression of you being disinterested. If something does not come to mind immediately, take a minute to go over your interview and see if there is anything you could ask about. Make sure, however, that they are relevant to the company and the job you have applied for.

Do not bring up issues like vacation time, bonuses and the like at your first interview with a company. If these issues are critical to your particular field, either let the interviewer take the initiative or wait for the second round of interviews. Questions like these demonstrate a 'what can you do for me' attitude instead of 'what I can do for you'.

There was this deal that went awry, and we lost a ton of money...

Do not discuss confidential information about your last employer, even if the interviewer is the one to bring it up. It is not a good idea to reveal the business secrets of your last employer during an interview. This raises questions about your integrity and discretion.

Traffic was a pain in the a***.

Again, a job interview is a formal discussion. It is not a conversation you are having with your friends where you can use swear words. While some of us use these liberally at work, at an interview it does not show you in a very positive light.

When will you let me know if I got the job?

Try not to be over-eager or aggressive about getting the job. Thanking the interviewer for his/her time and saying that you are looking forward to working with the company is enough to show that you are keen on the job. Do not ask when you will hear from the company and do not ask if you should call later or the next day to find out if you have been selected. If you have managed to convince the interviewer that you are the best person for the job, they will be eager to get in touch with you.

Job Interview Tips

In a job interview, an employer evaluates a potential employee to establish how suitable he or she is to serve within the company. Such an interview always takes place in some form of the other before the employer makes a decision to hire. Before an interview, the employer scans resumes sent by various aspiring employees to shortlist the likeliest candidates. These resumes will reflect the minimum qualifications and experience that the employer requires for the post.

Interviewing as a method for selecting an ideal candidate is an inherently flawed process. This is because it is almost impossible to judge a candidate’s true aptitude and experience in a job interview. However, job interviews allow the employer to decide with which candidate he or she is most comfortable. A lot depends on personal insight and good judgment on the part of the interviewer. Unfortunately, modern HR procedures concern themselves with hiring candidates as quickly as possible. This is because HR personnel usually have a monetary stake in fast hiring.

A well-structured job interview process takes place at multiple levels. A telephonic screening round will usually precede an actual face-to-face interview. This allows the employer of human resources expert to establish the candidate’s overall capabilities and motivation. If a candidate passes this round, he or she may attend a personal interview with the HR personnel. The candidate may face a single interviewer or an interviewing board, consisting of two or more company representatives. These will question the candidate on various different aspects of his or her professional life, career aspirations and overall ability.

The gravity, complexity and difficulty of a job interview depend largely on the job for which the candidate has applied. ‘Blue collar’ or functional job interviews are generally less demanding than ‘white collar’ or executive job interviews. Accordingly, everything from dress code and the candidate’s overall presentation have different bearings on the job interview’s outcome.

In certain artistically oriented professions, job interviews can also include a form of audition. The candidate is required to display physically his or her skills in that particular profession. Apart from that, the candidate will also have to prove sufficient professional training in the field.

Often, parts of the interview may seem to have little or no bearing on the job in question. The behavioral aspects of a job interview seek to establish the candidate’s ability to tackle difficult situations. They also focus on the candidate’s ability to take personal decisions, shoulder responsibility, handle or interact with a team and effectively represent the employer’s company.

Nowadays, there is increased emphasis on pre-interview preparation. This is especially true in the case of selection procedures in business schools and high-end business jobs. By studying the requirements of such interviews beforehand, a candidate can greatly increase his or her chances of selection.