Secrets of Successful Job Interview

1. Effective Management Consultants Secrets of Successful Job Interview By

2. Effective Management Consultants Tip No 1 • Do some ground work • Visit the company’s website and understand their business • 2) Understand the job responsibilities (Job Description) • 3) Customize your resume (if necessary) to suit the requirements • 4) Carry out a mock-interview in front of a mirror one day prior to • the interview • 5) Imagine what questions would be asked and be prepared • to answer those accordingly. • 6) Get enough rest to make yourself feel fresh.

3. Effective Management Consultants Tip No 2 • Keep your interview kit ready consisting of the following: • Appropriate dress, suitable for the position • Resume (two copies) with passport size photographs • Do not use Xerox copy of resume • 3) Separate file of certificates • 4) Good working pen, pencil, eraser, calculator, gum stick • small stapler etc. • One small writing pad • Fresh breath mint tablets • Address of the company with map • Tel. numbers of the company and name of contact person • Details of your placement consultant • Copy of your present pay-slip & appointment letter • Make-up kit

4. Effective Management Consultants Tip No 3 • Power dressing: • Appropriate dress • white shirt with dark colored trousers • Tie or scarf • Black or navy blue blazer • well shined shoes • For ladies, Salwar-Kameez or sari • Well shaved • Cut and file the nails – nail polish should be very light • Jewellery – Less is better • Perfumes – Use mild and avoid strong colognes • Proper hair cut • Avoid using high heel shoes / sandals

5. Effective Management Consultants Tip No 4 • On interview day: • Ensure that, you reach the venue well on time. • Try to be there 15 minutes before the scheduled time. • Introduce yourself to the reception gently and follow the • guidelines • Use wash room to get fresh • Be patient and wait for the call • While at the reception, observe the culture of the company • through the routine of the company employees • If possible, watch the displays to gather information • about the company.

6. Effective Management Consultants Tip No 5 • At the time of interview: • Enter the cabin only once permitted by the interviewer • Maintain Eye Contact with Smiling face • Shake-hands with greeting • Exhibit your confidence at the fullest • Sit on the chair with the permission of the interviewer • Don’t put your bag, helmet or blazer on the table of the interviewer • Keep your bag on the floor to your right side • Understand the question fully and then answer carefully • In case, if you do not understand any question, do ask • again or get clarification • 10) If in doubt, get clarification immediately

7. Effective Management Consultants Tip No 6 • While speaking: • Be prepared to explain about yourself, your experiences etc. • Think before speaking • Don’t speak negative about any of your earlier organizations • or colleagues • 4) In support of your claim, provide specific and relevant • examples / achievements • 5) Be positive and enthusiastic throughout the process • 6) Provide the only information, which is asked for • 7) Don’t worry about the outcomes of the interview • Don’t use the words like ‘shall try’, ‘shall learn’ or ‘no’ • Be firm and specific while answering.

8. Effective Management Consultants Tip No 7 • While speaking: • Ask good / guessing questions • Request for the business card • Ask about interview process • Never ask about salary on your own. • In case, if the interviewer asks about your expectation, • just tell him ‘as per your company’s policy’ • Never disclose your expectation. There is a high risk • of rejection at this point. • 5) Also don’t give expectation in range i.e. from 40 to 50 K • On giving range, you are sure to get the lowest. • 6) Thank the interviewer

9. Effective Management Consultants Tip No 8 • Post Interview: • Wait for offer letter if asked for • Check CTC offered, salary structure, grade, position, • Terms and conditions of the employment etc and then • acknowledge the offer letter. • 3) Call your placement consultant to thank him • and brief him about the developments • In case the decision is pending, request your consultant • to give you feed-back of the interview • 5) In case if something goes wrong, try to understand • the reasons through your consultants and ask for • suggestions to improve next time. • 6) Write thanks giving e-mail to the interviewers • 7) Do not resign from your present job unless and until • you get official signed offer letter in your hands. • 8) Reconfirm your date of joining to the company

10. Effective Management Consultants Be ready To face the following questions

11. Effective Management Consultants Question No 1 • Please tell us something about yourself: • This is a tricky question. Answer it in following manner. • Divide your answer in following three parts • Academic background • Professional background • Personal background • Try to focus the points, which could support your candidature. • Describe with suitable examples and try to convince the • interviewer that you are the only candidate for whom he is • Looking out for. • Don’t blame any one or situation. • Don’t be negative • Don’t say that you need money to satisfy your family needs

12. Effective Management Consultants Question No 2 • Why you want to leave the present job: • Some times the interviewer don’t accept the stereotype • answer ‘for better prospects’. In this situation try some • following answers • For higher responsibilities • For challenging jobs • For better experience in reputed company • Don’t give any negative answer as • The company is not doing well • The management is not good • I am not getting any increment / promotion etc.

13. Effective Management Consultants Question No 3 • What your co-workers say about yourself: • This question is asked to check out your leadership skills or • to understand how you will function as a common team • member in a specific situation. • Try to answer this question in following way. • If the position requires leadership skills, frame your answer • exhibiting your leadership skills. • Try to exhibit yourself as a very good team member • whenever the job requires just good relation or • co-operation amongst the team members

14. Effective Management Consultants Question No 4 • What do you know about our organization: • This question requires some ground work. If answered • positively, there are more chances of your getting the job • offer. To make it possible - • Visit company’s website • Go through their product brochures etc • Understand about their competitors • Understand their strengths and weaknesses • Read their policies • Speak to your consultant to gather more information • about the company. • Co-relate this information with your functional area and • try to convince the interviewer.

15. Effective Management Consultants Question No 5 • What is your ambition: • Try to answer this question very skillfully. Divide your answer • in two parts: short term and long term. • Support your ambition statement with systematic efforts to • achieve it. This may include – • Your plans to study further • Any other actions to fulfill your dream • All your plans should be time bound. This will create your • image as focused and realistic.

16. Effective Management Consultants Question No 6 • Do you know anyone who work for us: • Beware of such type of question. This may reflect in the following • way. • If the company is having the policy not to recruit any one • from the relationship, you may miss the chance. • The company might use the person to do the background • check for you. • So, be careful answering this question.

17. Effective Management Consultants Question No 7 Why do you want to work for us: This is good question to expose yourself as the best suitable person for the position under consideration. You can answer this question describing how your qualities, qualification and experience suits to their requirements. You also can describe the positive points of the hiring company like size, turnover, people policies, professionalism etc., whichever you liked the most.

18. Effective Management Consultants Question No 8 How much salary do you expect from us: This is very dangerous question. People generally demand salary at the beginning of the interview instead of telling what they can offer to the company and how the company would get benefited because of them. Our advice is therefore not to specify any amount. Instead, show your openness to work on the scale according to the company’s policy. This will increase the chances of your getting the job offer. Of course, if the offer is not lucrative, you can any time negotiate or reject it. Generally people negotiate hard on the salary part once they understand that their name is under consideration. However, if you do it in the beginning, you are always a loser.

19. Effective Management Consultants Question No 9 • Explain why we should hire you: • This question expects you to answer with your positive points • matching with the job requirements. • Your be prepared for this type of question and answer the • question in a suitable way convincing the interviewer that • you can be a best suitable candidate for the position. • Try to describe how you are different than others and try • to convince the interviewer about your uniqueness. You can • focus some points like below. • Your multi-tasking skills • Your extraordinary technical skill (very high speed typing) • Your special achievement (not regular exam percentage)

20. Effective Management Consultants Question No 10 What irritates you about co-workers or work itself: This is one more tricky question. The interviewer tries to put you in a trap to find out your weaknesses. It’s better not to go into detailing. This may pull into negativity. So, just avoid it by saying something like , ‘people are always good and they try to deliver as per their capacities…’ Work can be enjoyable if you feel so … End up this question in your style with a positive note.

21. Effective Management Consultants Question No 11 What are your strengths and weaknesses: Give plenty of strengths and examples related to your strengths. You can say something about your education, experience, skills, time management, positive attitude, leadership, ability to work under pressure etc. However, keep quite on the part of your weaknesses saying, ‘really can’t describe any…

22. Effective Management Consultants Question No 12 Tell us something about your dream job: Keep yourself away from specifying any particular job. It may happen that the interviewer might not have disclosed the job which he is looking out for and in this situation, your choice may go against your chance to succeed. For example, if you answer saying, ‘I am looking out for a job, where I can exercise my leadership skills’ and if the interview is for the position of a specialist like ‘chemist’ or ‘research professional’, where there is no need of interaction with the people, you may lose.

23. Effective Management Consultants Question No 13 If given a chance, which game would you like to play The choices are computer game and cricket: At the outset, this question sounds to be very casual. However from the back end the interviewer is checking your personality. If you select the cricket, you are open minded and would like to mix in people. You are not shy and suitable person for the sales & marketing, where interaction with people is must. If you select the computer game, you are shy or timid and would like to work on your own without interacting with the people. This type of person will do wonder in the back office if given the calm and cool workplace. Think of such questions and then answer.

24. Effective Management Consultants Question No 14 What is more important to you – the money or work: Of course, we work for money but the work is also equally important. According to me, after certain level the person should enjoy his work without thinking about money, power, fame or position etc. If someone works religiously, these all will follow him without asking for. This type of answer will surely impress the employer.

25. Effective Management Consultants Question No 15 Tell us about a problem you had with your superior: Beware of such question. You may fell into another trap of negativity laid by the interviewer. Never speak negative about your manager, organization or any one else. Always stay positive.

26. Effective Management Consultants Question No 16 Are you ready to work extra hours: This question is asked to check your readiness to do hard work. Be open to answer this question. Do not sound like a philosopher saying, ‘I believe in smart work than hard work’. This answer may hurt the interviewer. Try to gather some more information by asking counter questions as to why the interviewer is asking such question. Always agree for emergency situations. But if it is a regular business, then the decision is yours.

27. Effective Management Consultants Question No 17 Are you ready to relocate or travel extensively: Be ready for such type of questions and answer these questions in consultation with your family members only. Don’t rush to close the answer without giving any deep thinking and taking your family members into confidence. If necessary buy out some time, discuss and then answer.

28. Effective Management Consultants Question No 18 Tell us something how you manage : This question is to guess your leadership style or managerial skills. Do not specify yourself by saying something like democratic or autocratic etc. You may not be knowing what the interviewer is looking out for. Try to tell them that you consider the prevailing and expected business environment and take decisions accordingly. Always remember that, the interviewer likes the person, who has broader vision and acts keeping the situation in mind.

29. Effective Management Consultants Question No 19 • How will you work without any experience: • While answering this question, highlight your following traits. • Quick learner • Hard worker • Keen observation • Some experience as trainee • However, don’t show any over confidence saying that the • job is simple and I can manage it very well. • Always remember that no job is so simple. But answering in this • manner will imply that you are very casual or you don’t know • the depth of the subject.

30. Effective Management Consultants Question No 20 Would you like to ask anything to me: Before appearing for the interview not down some questions and if given a chance, ask those to the interviewer. The sample questions could be - What are the Key Result Areas for this position What is the system of Performance Management How quickly the person gets recognized with your organization However, do not ask the following questions. How much will you pay for this job What are your office timings How many paid leave do you have With such type of questions, you will get exposed as materialistic who keeps an eye on the benefits rather than deliveries.

31. Effective Management Consultants Question No 21 Dealing with difficult question / situation: Some time you may come across some funny or irrelevant questions. To give you an example, the interviewer will ask about the history of Mumbai city to the candidate appearing for data-entry. The question may not be relevant to the position. However, you don’t know the intention. It’s possible that the interviewer might be checking your temperament. So don’t get irritated with such questions. Keep calm and say I don’t know, if you really don’t know. Some times purposely you are kept waiting for a longer just to understand how needy you are or how much patient you are. You can’t guess the intention and hence exhibit your maturity.

32. With Best Wishes From Effective Management Consultants MUMBAI 400 083 For any doubt, clarification or further assistance contact us at www.myhrconsultants.com gajanan@myhrconsultants.com 9022160540