Continued... (Atlast)

Now onto the D-day………..

During the interview:

Talk:

If the interviewer ask you an irrelevant question like your favorite author or recent movie its an act to get you talking. So don’t act smart by saying you don’t read books or watch any movie. This will definitely annoy them which is nothing to your favor. There was a guy I met in the interview who never read books, watched movies, followed any leader and never had memorable school/college days. We asked him to pack his bags even before he had set his tent.

No Wet hankies:

Although I know a few instances where a person got a job by narrating stories like ‘lame sister, blind brother, only earning member of the family etc etc L’ it usually doesn’t work out and I would definitely not want to hire such a person. It’s a bad way to start off in a new job and even if the person hires you, your chances of getting promoted to a senior level are next to none as you have already showcased the fact that you scarcely can handle yourself.

Strict No - No’s:

Don’t put off your prospective employer by annoying habits like sneezing loudly, loud ringtones (if you did excuse yourself). You must be conscious of what you are doing. Best way to act would be, think that you are wooing a woman (or a man as applicable) and do what you can best do. Never talk ill about your previous employer, school or college principals or teachers or even about the organization. You never know your interviewer might have passed out of the same organization and worser might have a soft corner for them. Don’t get emotional about topics like politics. It so happened that, one of the interviewee was an ardent supporter of a political leader both me and my lead were against and he started advocating in loud voice and harassing the other political leader. He was instantly branded as a guy with an attitude problem. Disagree with the interviewer if you must, but don’t get emotional.

For a written test:

Understand what the requirements are and know ahead how much time you have in hand.
Let content be your first priority but do not lose track on spelling and grammar errors. Many organizations value essays solely based on the no. of errors as against the total words written.
Double and triple check. Don’t lose track of the time.

For aptitude test:

Many companies have aptitude test as the initial screening round. And it’s always good to go prepared ‘cos clearing aptitude is like you are more than 50% through it.

· Some companies have model papers and previous papers posted in the net. Try them. If it’s not available try a few random mock tests from the book or net.
· Don’t get stuck to your most or least favorite topics.
· Split your time wisely between the sections. Learn to move on.
· Don’t lose track of the time.

After the interview:

In the end:

Well usually ‘we’ll get back to you’ or ‘Our HR will give you a call back’ means “You’re not selected. Better luck next time” and ‘pl. wait’ means “Let’s start negotiating terms.” Well if you’re not selected and you are not sure what you did wrong or is one of your first attempts on an interview be bold enough to ask your interviewer a feedback. This should definitely help you look at yourself in a different perspective.

If you’ve got the job – ‘Congrats’. Good job. But that’s not all. I’ll talk about the salary negotiation part in the next post, till then…. Good luck and good bye.