February 08, 2022
16. INTERVIEWS
Interview is an
interaction between two or more people. During
an interview there is usually an interviewee – a person who is posed to
answer the questions on one side. On the other, there is an interviewing team – also known
as interviewers that consists
of one more persons. An interview may differ from occasion to occasion
as it is conducted to achieve different
objectives. Interviews are usually conducted by the employers to recruit and select
employees and by the media to know the opinions of intellectuals and well- placed
people on various issues
that effect us in one way or the other. Job interviews are the most common method of recruitment and
selection of candidates for different jobs.
The Screening Interview: The purpose of such interviews is to weed unqualified and unsuitable
candidates for a particular job. The interviewer here will be interested in
looking for the gaps in your employment
history. He may ask you the reason for such gaps and what you
did during this
period. Obviously you have to
sound convincing. The interviewer usually looks for questionable matter
in your bio- data.
The purpose is to
disqualify you if your qualifications are not acceptable and
convincing. The interviewer will also examine
your earlier experience and
the new job fit.
Keep the following points in mind while
participating in such interviews:
1.
Give simple and direct answers.
2.
Be ready
to comment on your suitability for the job and difficult areas of your bio- data.
3.
Instead
of quoting
the exact figure for the salary your
are expected to give your employer the range, making his
choice bigger. Do not
raise the salary issue on your own, let the interviewer
talk about it.
4.
Keep a note-card handy
with important details when you are commenting on the acceptability and recognition
of your degrees and diplomas. You must possess relevant
documents in support of your statements.
The informational
Interview: The informational
interview is conducted by a company keeping in mind the future
requirements of
employees. The immediate
objective is not to hire your but to keep you on the list of candidates who are likely to be called for interview
when the demand in your area of specialization arises. Here the interviewer is
more interested in knowing the details of your education and experience, your
interests and your future plans. Since the interviewer would be examining your prospective employment in the company in
future he is likely to ask questions to know your academic standard, communicative competence and
your approach to the issues being faced by the
company and even your
approach to the
issues being faced
by the company and
even problems encountered by the public in general. Take care of the
following while attending such interviews:
1.
Update your knowledge on academics and current issues.
2.
Be ready to convince the
interviewer about future role in the
company. It will do
good if you match your ambition wit
the expectation of the
company.
3.
You
can inform the
interviewer about the
person who introduced
you to the
company. This is especially important if the interviewer
and your referee know each other.
The Directive
Style: While conducting such an interview will ask
questions that are already prepared. Sequence, questions and attitude of the
interviewer are supposed remain the same with all the candidates called for the
interview. The objective is to compare the answers given by the different
candidates and then select the best person. The excel in this type of interview
you should keep the following in mind:
1.
It is quality and not the quantity
that is important. Ensure that
the quality of your answers is high and consistent.
2.
Listen to the interviewer carefully
and understand
his questions
in the right
perspective.
This will raise the quality of your answers.
3.
While tacking difficult questions,
use your wit and common sense to arrive at a reasonably good and acceptable answer.
16.4 The Meandering Style: This type is the opposite of the earlier directive type of
interviews. Such interviews are usually conducted by experienced interviewers.
The interview usually starts with easiest questions such as “introduce your self to the members of
the panel.” The objective is
to put you at
ease and to let you
talk without stress. However, the
interviewer will ask
the next question based on the answer given by you to
his earlier question.
Thus, in a way, you decide what
will be his
next question. If
you are careful, you
will be able to control the direction of
the interview in you favour. To excel in this type of interview, you should keep the
following in your mind:
1.
Prepare your
write-up to introduce yourself to the
members of
the panel and practice it in front of a mirror or your friends.
2.
Effective delivery and simple
language is necessary to ensure that your message gets across.
3.
As these interviews
also assess your communicative and
inter personal
skills it is
important to remain confident till the end even when certain
questions are difficult to answer.
The Stress
Interview: The stress interview involves keeping
the candidate in stress, in order
to know how
a candidate would
react or respond
in difficult and stressful
conditions. You may be asked to
wait for a
very long period of time without
any plausible reason. In such an interview, you may face cold stares, jeering
and guffaws at your cost. Someone may
choose to humiliate you about
your persona, your
personal beliefs, even
your academic performance. Again the purpose is
to provoke you and to put you under stress and then examine your
reaction in. While tackling such an interview you must bear in mind the following.
1.
Remember that
your calm and confident attitude is your best asset in
this type of interview.
2.
Keep in mind that if you get provoked, you lose everything.
3.
Presence of mind and your wit and
humour can save you from a typically difficult
situation.
The Behavioural
Interview: The company that wants
to hire you would like to make a detailed inquiry about
your problems, day
routines, opportunities and
challenges, competition from colleagues,
over-all prevailing environment, etc.
1.
Have a
critical look at your bio-data
to include the skills you used ad initiative that you showed in order to excel in a given situation.
2.
Exclude from your bio -data what you think would be difficult
to justify.
3.
Prepare a story or an anecdote to
explain a particular skill you practiced for solving a problem.
4.
Make a
list of achievements in your previous job and the skills that helped
you make these achievements.
The Audition: Many companies are interested to know how you perform in
a real-
job situation. The audition is, in fact, a good opportunity
for those candidates who do not
possess extraordinar y
communication and interpersonal
skills but have acquired all requisite skills needed for their particular job, which otherwise
does not need much interaction with other individuals in the company. Such an
interview can usually be conducted when
the company is planning to hire employees
for posts like computer programmer,
data analyzer, graphic designer, etc. keep the following in
mind to do
well in this type of interview.
1.
Revise and practice the skills that are useful to handle the job in question.
2.
Have a
hands- on experience on the apparatus, gadgets
and machines you are likely to
use in your next job.
3.
Your bio-data
should specifically mention
the skills that
you possess and those that are
likely to be used frequently in your
future employment.
The Tag -Team Interview: When you are made to face four or five
persons simultaneously or when your are supposed to see them one
after another, your are passing through the tag
team interview. The tag team interview is arranged in a company when the company
wants to examine
you as a candidate who can handle many persons at
the same time
or different times of the day.
They want to see
your ability to
make a judgement taking into consideration
the differing opinions of different people in the organization.
This inte rview also tests your ability
to sift the grain from the chef.
To do well in such an interview you should keep the following in your mind.
1.
Maintain eye contact with the person who you are taking to.
2.
Acquire fine communicative
competence and listen to every member very carefully.
3.
While responding to the questions of the panel, offer balanced opinion.
4.
Maintain your
cool when you have to adjust with the contradictory opinion of the different
members of the panel.
5.
Remember that
each member of the team is equally important
and neither should be ignored
The Mealtime
Interview: As the name suggest,
mealtime interviews are conducted over meals.
1.
Stay controlled and observant throughout the interview.
2.
Be guided by
the eating habits and manners of your hosts as
they
may be representing the company culture you are intending to work for.
3.
Be polite and do not go for very expensive food items
on the menu, in case your
are offered to make a choice.
4.
Do not be very finicky to display your strange food habits. Try to
accommodate
with your
hosts.
5.
Listen to each and every member carefully and do not
mix business with personal talk.
6.
It is always safer to reply to the interviewers’
questions on personal matters than
venturing on your interests
without being asked to
do so. However, one can always take calculated risks
on matters pertaining to office.
The Follow-up Interview: There is a
possibility of your being called to
second, third or even fourth interview by the
same company. A
company chooses to call you for
more than one interaction for various reasons. If you are meeting the people
you have met earlier, use this opportunity to cement relationship and inquire
about the goals of the company.
1.
On getting a call from
the company where you have already been interviewed, revise your facts,
skills and aptitude carefully, keeping your earlier interaction in mind.
2.
You may also try to obtain more
knowledge about the company and its
products
3.
If your are able to find somebody who has already worked in the organization and
your are
able to collect
first hand information,
it would prove be an added advantage.
Preparing for the
Interview:
Prepare an update on your newly acquired skills, interests, values and accomplishments
Show that you have really taken care of things
and are well-prepared for the job at hand.
Do anticipate and practice elaborately the
questions that are likely to be asked in the interview. Both content and style
matter.
Your must have full information
about the location and the available transport facilities to reach the
venue of the interview. You must reach the place at least half an
hour early before
the scheduled time.
Keep enough margins for transport delays.
Decide in advance a
suitable dress for yourself to be worn on the occasion. Keep
a file in which you arrange the relevant pieces of information, articles, and comments of the experts on matters related
to your areas of study and interests. You can access the
web site of the company or approach some of its past or present employees.
Do not forget to collect the business cards or
the contact numbers of the experts. This informa tion could be of great help at
a later stage.
You must make your presence
felt at the interview.
Sharpen your communication skills by developing
a perfect command of a suitable vocabulary range and structures.
Your answers must exhibit your creativity and
the originality of your approach. You must project yourself as a thorough
professional who is going to be an asset to your company. Your answers must
reveal your profession.
Think positively before and after the
interview. Suppose you were not selected somewhere, believe it was for the
best.
While
leaving the venue do indicate to the panel that if position is
offered you will certainly join it.
Finally, learn some calm down
techniques. When you go to
the interview venue and feel very
agitated, inhale and
exhale deeply
three times and you will feel
some respite.
Body Language and Interview:
Walk straight with confident steps after you
have been called in. Politely greet the interviewer/interviewers, expressing your confidence and
good manners.
If the interviewer holds out his hand, give
him a firm handshake revealing your interest and confidence.
Do not shake
your legs or hands while sitting
in the chair. This reveals your nervousness.
Sit straight and look into the
eyes of the person who wants to question you.
You should smile confidently each time after a
question has been thrown at your to indicate
that you have listened carefully and
you are going to answer.
Never interrupt your interviewer. Let him complete first.
Use your hands to explain things.
Movement of your hands should explain your meaning. For example, do not
spread your hand
wide while you talk about small sizes.
Speak your answers in
a clear audible
voice. Never mumble
and fumble for words.
Don’t forget to wish the people in the interview. Gree t them when
you enter and when you leave, leave with a cheerful ‘Thank you’.
The sole aim of
an interview should be to probe into the
psyche of a
person and bring out surprising and
unknown facts that the interviewee may
not know. Physical appearance, gestures and the very way you communicate
count a lot in an employment interview.
Types of Interviews
Questions: A true
interview is a friendly discussion where in a variety of questions are asked. They
can be broadly classified as:
Direct Questions: They are explicit and demand
specific information.
Eg. What is your name?
Open ended questions:
They are not so straight. You are asked to
elaborate on a specific topic.
Eg. 1. What is your opinion about Women’s reservation Bill?
2. Tell us something about your previous job?
Closed questions: They demand ‘Yes’ or ‘No’ answer or a one word or sentence response
1.
Are you comfortable?
2.
Would you
like to have a glass of water?
3.
If selected how much of time would
you take to join
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