Tips for interview

Research thoroughly about the company you are going for an interview. Find out the business of the company, what are the skills they are looking for, how you can contribute to the company's growth, company's prospects, your growth prospects etc. etc. Use your network to find out about the company, talk to career consultants to find out, look out on the internet.

If company has a web presence, visit their web site and note down all the factors, which will help you arrive at a decision. Make a list of questions you may have come up. These can be asked and get answered at the time of interview.

Talk to friends/acquaintances in the company to find out the inner details.

Dress formally for the interview, but don't overdress. Dress what is appropriate in your climate.

Always reach 15-30 minutes earlier than the expected time. You can use effectively utilize that time to make observations about the company and its employees.

If possible, get the interview scheduled in the morning hours, the time when both you and the interviewers are still fresh.

About the questions asked, always reply to the point. Do not repeat the same thing and politely decline, in case you don't know the answers. No one is supposed to know everything.

Look straight in the eyes of the person while talking. This shows your confidence.

Always have your doubts cleared at the end of the interview. Ask all the questions you had made a list. This shows you are sincere and have done your homework before appearing for the interview.

Never ask for the salary figures/details in the interviews. Leave these questions for later.

If an expected salary figure is asked, politely tell that it should be commensurate with your skills and experience. If still pressed for figure, give your currently drawn salary and ask for an appropriate raise over it.

At the end of the interview, always thank the interviewers and shake their hands.
Last but not the least, whatever may be your requirement for the job, never show your desperation for it

new 15 career tips for recent grads

Do Your Research

Before you go in for your interview, be sure to research the company you are applying to. By having an in depth understanding of the company as well as some background information on whoever is interviewing you, you will come across as prepared and interested in the company.

Practice Interviewing

Take time to practice interviewing before you go in for an interview. Have a family member or friend ask you the most common interview questions so you can be polished and know what you are going to say ahead of time instead of winging it.

Come Prepared With Questions

At the end of any job interview, the interviewer will ask you if you have any questions for them. Make sure you have a few questions to ask the interviewer. This can be anything from “what do you like best about your job?” to “how would you describe the work atmosphere here?” By asking a few questions, you show interest in the interviewer and the company.

When in Doubt, Dress Up

If you aren’t sure what kind of dress is expected of employees, be sure to go more formal than informal. By dressing up, you show that you are professional and that you are taking the interview process seriously.

Be Flexible

When applying for jobs, be flexible about where you apply. Don’t limit yourself to just one city or one company. Keep an open mind about all potential opportunities.

Keep Building Your Resume

While you apply for jobs, continue to build your resume. Take on an internship, volunteer, or take on a part time job. By continuing to build your resume and increase your skill set, you make yourself more marketable to potential employers.

Figure Out Where You Are Going Wrong

If you aren’t landing any jobs, take a look at where you are going wrong. If you aren’t getting any interviews, go back over your resume and spruce it up by getting more experience or adding information to it. If you are getting interviews but not jobs, practice your interviewing skills so that you can be more successful in your interviews and potentially get job offers.

Utilize Your Network

Reach out to the people in your professional network for their assistance in your job hunt. Oftentimes when it comes to getting hired, it’s not what you know but who you know. So send along your resume and have your contacts pass it along to anyone they know at their

Don’t Rely Solely on the Internet

When searching for a job, don’t depend solely on the Internet. Be sure to attend job fairs, industry events, and utilize other networking opportunities to get your resume out there.

Have an Elevator Speech

An elevator speech is a 30 second spiel about your experience and career goals. Having an elevator speech is not only a great way to quickly introduce yourself at networking events but is also a good way to answer the “tell me about yourself” interview question.

Sign Up for LinkedIn

LinkedIn is a great way to get all of your professional contacts in one place for networking. Sign up for LinkedIn, add everyone you know, and make sure to fill out your profile completely. LinkedIn also has a job search tool, so take advantage of that.

Send Thank You Notes

After every interview, be sure to send thank you notes to each person who interviewed you. Sending a thank you note shows that you appreciate the interviewer’s time and gives you an advantage over candidates who don’t send thank you notes.

Do What You Love

No matter what, take a job that you will love. If you don’t, you will be miserable and probably won’t end up staying at your job very long. Be sure you are happy with what you are doing.

Don’t Get Discouraged

If you are getting lots of rejections, don’t get discouraged. Remember that times are tough right now and getting a job is hard. Keep sending out your resume and stay positive.

Utilize Your School’s Resources

Most schools will give graduates access to their career center up to one year after graduation. So head on over to your career center to get your resume critiqued, practice your interviewing skills, and check out recent job postings.

Top 8 telephone Interview tips

The following 8 quick telephone interview tips will help prepare yourself for a successful call.

1. DO SOME RESEARCH
Try to find out who will be interviewing you. Will there be multiple people on the call? If possible get their names and titles. Become familiar with these before the call and you will have one less thing to worry about during the call.

2. ORGANIZE YOUR THOUGHTS
Make a list of your accomplishments, goals and strengths. On another list write out your weaknesses and what you are doing to overcome them. On a third sheet write down why you are interested in the company.

3. PRACTICE, PRACTICE, PRACTICE
Never forget that a telephone interview is still an interview. Take time to practice interview questions with friends or family. Ask them to provide honest feedback so you can improve your responses. Mock interview questions can easily be found on the internet or the bookstore.

4. DO A SOUND CHECK
During the mock interview, have your friend ask you questions both over the phone and in person. Make sure that he/she listens not only for content, but also tone, rate and clarity of your speech. If possible, record yourself speaking. Are you speaking slowly and clearly? Can you easily be heard?

5. FIND YOUR LOCATION
Stake out a quiet space to occupy during your interview. Ideally, there should be a comfortable place to sit as well as a table to lay out your papers.

6. ORGANIZE YOUR PAPERS
Have a copy of your resume and cover letter close at hand. Take out those lists you made while organizing your thoughts. In addition keep any notes related to the company that you feel may be helpful during the call.

7. GATHER YOUR WRITING TOOLS
Place a notepad and several pens or pencils on the table. These will be helpful in writing down notes, questions and most importantly, your interviewer's names

8. ELIMINATE DISTRACTIONS
As the appointed hour draws near, make sure that the television and the radio are turned off. Exit your email and turn off your computer screen. If possible, disable your call-waiting.

Top Interview Tips

The job interview is your chance to impress the interviewer with your skills and confidence.

Before the Interview

Review the job duties included in the Vacancy Notice.
Research the department.
Dress professionally. Don’t wear perfume or cologne.
Bring extra copies of your resume.
Bring a pen and paper to write down any information you might need to remember.
Prepare a few questions to ask the interviewer.
Prepare answers to any questions you think you might be asked (see sample questions below).

At the Interview

Arrive on time. Try to be a few minutes early if possible.
Try to relax. Be yourself.
Show self-confidence – make eye contact; answer questions in a clear voice.
Remember to listen.
Think before answering questions. Try to make your answers as clear as possible.
Avoid negative body language – crossing your arms, swinging your foot or leg, slouching, covering your mouth while speaking.
When given a chance, ask any questions that you have prepared in advance. You can also follow up on anything that the interviewer tells you during the interview.

After the Interview

End the interview with a handshake and thank the interviewer for his or her time.
Find out when the department plans to make a hiring decision.
Follow up with a short “thank you for the interview” note.

Top 10 Interview Tips

1. Prepare and over-prepare

Preparation should be done in such a way that you have thorough knowledge of the organization plus you should be able to answer all questions regarding the position related to that interview.

2. If you don’t know admit it

If at anytime during the interview you are faced with a dilemma of not knowing something then don’t hesitate in admitting the same. You could also ask the recruiter to rephrase the question for you again and yet if you remain unsure of your reply you will be better of admitting that you do not know the answer. After all not everyone is a genius to know every answer.

3. Make sure your responses match your claims

It is quite common that you could have had some kind of on job training during your previous job, or you could have taken extra coursework to qualify for a particular position. Your resume would reflect that surely and the license or certification will be there as well. While speaking about such a qualification do not overstate the facts but just subtly build upon it as your strength.

4. Speak about your strengths with confidence

The interviewers will certainly discuss with you about your weaknesses & strengths. Thus it is of great importance that you not only know about your strengths but are also able to emphasize such strengths that can have an impact on the job you have applied for. Do not rush through at all as this is your chance to create a massive impression.

5. How best to describe your weakness as strengths

This is tricky, so let's think about why the question is asked. The interviewer probably wants to learn several things about you with this question, such as: whether or not you are arrogant ("I really don't think I have any weaknesses"), whether you know yourself ("Well, I've never really thought about that"), and finally, what you are doing to eliminate your weaknesses.

6. Speak Softly

During your interview you must approach a conversation or answer by speaking slowly and softly than you usually do. If you are heard well means your words are getting across clearly.

7. Speak about your aim and display enthusiasm

The exact response depends upon the specifics of your job hunting campaign, but the principle is: be specific while allowing yourself the flexibility which suggests that you understand the complexities of the business you're applying for.

8. Be Friendly

You might be very cordial and exceptionally bright but if you cannot gel with the others as a team then you might become a loner. Also during the interview do not attempt to get to friendly with the interviewer; he might want you to leave in a hurry.

9. You would like to interview the interviewer

Some unknown conditions might warrant a few applicants to settle for anything offered then they aren’t going to get the best jobs either. Good and foresighted interviewers shall respect your knowledge about the organization and the prized attached to such a job.

10. End on a positive note.

In case of the interview not turning out to be the way you planned it, leave the place on a positive note. Convey your thanks to the panel & that you look forward to hearing from them soon. Another positive thing you can say that its was a challenging but rewarding day. Make eye contact panel members and shake hands as well. This will create a good impression against if you leave without saying a word.