It is time that I thought that I should jot down a bunch of ideas to people trying to interview for the professional jobs.
First and foremost instruction is to ask yourself before going to any interview is these important questions.
1. How important is that job to you?
2. Are you currently employed?
3. Do you have enough savings to idle for a while?
4. Do you like to hit the ground right away?
Apart from these there can be other questions too which can help shape your future like
1. Do you plan to work in that position for a while?
It is always a nice idea to have a short term goal and a long term one. The short term goals in sequential manner should more or less take you to your long term goal. In the current industry this can be really confusing or difficult having said that it is not that hard to plan for the next few years ahead of you.
Now, getting back to our interview preparation. Lets say now that after answering all the above questions you are in a pretty eager situation to be employed for that position.
Enough time -
Always give yourself enough time before and after the interview. Before the interview try and think of all the situation in your professional life be it a nice one or a regretful one. I say this because when asked during the interview you are in a very comfortable position to answer the interviewer. One easy way to do is to go through your resume and recollect all the work you had done the situations you had to overcome and failed. I say this because the interviewer are curious about your failures than your success. They like to know if you are experienced enough to get back from such failures or lament about it and not learned anything from it. Lot's of behavioural interviews focus on this irrespective of how good you are at the job. Companies like resources who can do their job well in a safe and a secure way.
Interest and enthusiasm -
Always remember that in any market condition the resource that shows the utmost interest and enthusiasm is the one having higher chances to land in that difficult to get job. It is okay to not go to all the interviews but make sure you always can give your 100% in which ever interview you give. Worse comes worse you will at least learn what not to do in your next one.
Dress professionally -
Be it a video interview or a face to face. It is always important to show how important that job is for you. In a way you are communicating that you have prepared for the interview.
Answering unknown questions -
Now you are in the interview and answering most of the known questions. All of a sudden you are asked a question that you are unsure of how to answer. What you can do is a) to ask the interviewer enough time to able to think of the answer and talk about it. Now, let's say you have no such situation in your experience or no knowledge about that technology. What you could do is, you can say something like Unfortunately this didn't happen in your experience but a similar happened .... and you can go on answering like that. You can give similar answer if you didn't know that technology saying you didn't get chance to work on it but ..... you got chance to work on a similar technology and go on.
The interviewer or the Company always like to know that you know the requirements in the job description and have experience working on them or similar technologies. You should be in a position to make them feel comfortable that you are ready to wear that hat and can work and navigate independently by yourself.
No is not your answer -
Based on the so many interviews given I have noticed that being honest to your full potential can not be the best thing for you in an interview. Which I do not like honestly. However I try to answer by saying that I know similar technologies or experienced similar situations. One healthy advice here is make sure you read the job details and description thoroughly and prepare for them accordingly. I know it may not be the best experience but remember that job is important for you?
Time after the interview -
Now you are done with the interview and obviously tired. May be like later in that day or evening, recall all the questions that were asked and the answers you gave. Think how well you could have answered that difficult question? This is more like retro which if done will improve your interviewing or hiring skills too .
During the interview -
Look nice and kind.
Be optimistic.
Wait for the interviewer to talk first.
If you have not finished with the answer excuse yourself to continue. These nitty gritty behaviours are the ones which really impact the interview and sets you apart fro the others. They help the interviewer feel comfortable to hire you. It is like the small detail sticker finish on your vehicle if not according to you can linger somewhere in your mind until fixed.
End of interview -
Ask Questions. Ask! Ask! Ask!
This is the most important part in any interview. Make sure that you ask at least 2 - 3 questions after you interview. Say about the job, about the role, technologies and all. Be considerate about the interviewer as it can go against you if it is more specific. Asking these questions helps shows your interest in the job.
Good luck with your interview. Do pass on this message if you find success with this information and don't forget to pass it on to the others in need. The same way I received it from another gentleman.
Acknowledgement(s)
I would like to thank the man in that video for giving so much thoughts and inputs. His enthusiasm for its viewers is the one need to land in that special job you are applying.
Most of all! Remember! If it didn't go well, don't abstain - It is not personally you, but your lack of preparation
