How To Face Campus Interviews

BALU.... (CCI STUDENT....) (44650 Points)

08 February 2010  

 

Before going for the interview, remember to do some googling on the company.
Spend about 30 minutes on their corporate website. Check out the press
releases section for the latest news. If it is a publicly traded company,
check out when it was in news the last time and why.The interviewer wont
expect you to know the company too well. But, it is important to have some
knowledge about the company, the sector it operates in, its main products or
solutions and major clients. Read about the organization, ask people about
what they do, what their hiring policies are like, keep track of the
company’s visit to other college campuses across India.

How you dress for an interview is perhaps as relevant as the way
you lay out your resume. A person who is sloppy in appearance shows a sloppy
personality, so you have to be decently dressed.Of course, decently dressed
does not necessarily mean being dressed to the gills. A tie, shirt and pant
should do the trick.Most HR experts would also tell you to mind the
accessories like ties, belts and shoes. To be sure, badly matched shoes and
ties can have a jarring effect on an interviewer. Similarly, please avoid
heavy jewellery or personal accessories as they would look incongruous on
you.



There is a common saying that minds are made up within the first 5 minutes
of an interview. So keep in mind these important first impression
indicators. Walk in the door as if you already work there, carry yourself as
though you feel perfectly comfortable with the situation. Arrive on time or
a little early. In the waiting area, politely tell the receptionist who you
are meeting and in a friendly way, ask where you should sit. Take slow, deep
breaths to help you remain calm and focused. When introduced to the
interviewer, have a firm, but not painful, handshake. Smile. Have good
posture when sitting or standing. Introduce yourself in a relaxed, confident
manner. Have a well-groomed, professional appearance. Project a feeling of
confidence. Bring extra copies of your resume, some thing to write on and
something to write with.



Interviewers, whether they are from HR or from the actual department you’ll
be working, want to recruit people who are energetic. Imagine for yourself:
Would you rather have someone who is always on the go or someone who looks
sleepy allthe time? In addition, if a person does not show much energy
during the interview, the interviewer will think, “Geez, if this person
cannot get excited about an interview, how is he or she ever going to be
excited about the job?”There is one area where being energetic really pays
off:.Many interviewers start with the question, “Tell me about yourself ?”.
If you cannot enthusiastically talk about yourself for at least five minutes
or so, the interviewer will wonder if you’ll be interested in your future
job for much longer.



Behavorial questions are the ones that are open-ended, the ones designed to
find out about your experience. This type of questions, common during
mid-level interviews, have been on the rise for on-campus interviews as
well. An example of the behavorial questions is, “Tell me a time when you
were under extreme pressure, and how you handled it?”. Preparation makes a
big difference in how you’d perform in answering this type of questions.
Also, before you walk into the interview, think about the different
situations that you have gone through, whether it be pledging for a
fraternity (I personally find this a great one), completing a project, your
part-time job, or any other situation you can think of. This way, when the
questions come up, you won’t need to come up with the example right then and
there.



An interview often develops into a discussion and then the interviewer might
find you sincere for doing the ground-work.In most cases, the last question
in an interview is “Do you have any questions?” Do not neglect it. This is
your opportunity to speak. With a little bit of preparedness, you may grab
this chance to start a short dialogue regarding the goals of
the companies or the latest product it has launched. You can do this only if
you have done some study on the company.



Now Prepare well people,All the best for your future.