The Four Phases to an Interview

• Introduction:

  • Both the candidate and the employer are getting first impressions of each other.
  • You are selling yourself at this stage.
  • Personal introductions are made.

  Background and Probe Stage:

  • Questions are asked during this stage.
  • Different types of questions are used.
  • Notes are taken and later compared.

  Matching Stage:

  • The interviewer asks you if you have any questions of them.
  • Be prepared with a little knowledge of the company and what is happening at the company.

  Final Questions and Close:

  • These questions and the answers will determine if you go on to the next level or if you get the job.

    Preparation:(Interviewing tips)
    
    1.  Research the company on the internet, understand their financial stability, key office holders, mission statement, and viewpoints on their product or services.  Bring along to interview with highlighted elements for questions at a later time.
    
    2.  Be sure your resume is up-to-date and current with contact details and current career status.
    
    3.  Decide the corporate culture, and dress appropriately for the interview.  A suit (navy or charcoal preferred,whether male or female) should be the outfit of choice.
    4.  Take a pen and paper in a portfolio for note taking and follow-up.  Ask questions.  Do not be a sitting duck, the interview should be a dialogue.
    
    5.  You are under observation, have a great handshake, stand tall, eye contact, smile, and speak clearly and confidently.  Confidence is very important.  Know yourself, do not stumble when questioned about your background. Be professional.
    

   

  How to Dress for an Interview:

  Men's Interview Attire:

  • Suit (solid color - navy or dark grey)
  • Long sleeve shirt (white or coordinated with the suit)
  • Belt
  • Tie
  • Dark socks, conservative leather shoes
  • Little or no jewelry
  • Neat, professional hairstyle
  • Limit the aftershave
  • Neatly trimmed nails
  • Portfolio or briefcase

  Women's Interview Attire

  • Suit (navy, black or dark grey)
  • The suit skirt should be long enough so you can sit down comfortably
  • Coordinated blouse
  • Conservative shoes
  • Limited jewelry (no dangling earrings or arms full of bracelets)
  • No jewelry is better than cheap jewelry
  • Professional hairstyle
  • Light make-up and perfume
  • Neatly manicured clean nails
  • Portfolio or briefcase

  What Not to Bring to the Interview

  • Gum
  • Cell phone
  • Ipod
  • unwanted documents .
  • If you have lots of piercings, leave some of your rings at home (earrings only, is a good rule)
  • Cover tattoos

  Interview Attire Tips

  • Before you even think about going on an interview, make sure you have appropriate interview attire and everything fits correctly.
  • Get your clothes ready the night before, so you don't have to spend time getting them ready on the day of the interview.
  • If your clothes are dry clean only, take them to the cleaners after an interview, so they are ready for next time.
  • Polish your shoes.
  • Bring a breath mint and use it before you enter the building.

     

   

  • Interviews: Points to be considered
    
    While writing a good resume helps you fight half the battle, performing well in the interview helps you to win the rest of the battle.
    
    Before attending the interview it is very important to understand the objective of the interview.
    
    A lot of people attend interviews to check their market value. Unless you are interested in a change you may not want to take an interview. Introspect and find out if you really want to change before you decide to attend the interview.
    
    Interviews can be at various levels, it could be a HR interview or it could be a technical interview. Understand the objective of the interview. Find out if it is telephonic or direct.
    
    If it is a direct face-to-face interview make sure you get the directions very clearly to reach the place.
    
    
    Before attending the interview, you must make pains to read about the company. IF you know somebody in the company get additional details. You may want to read the web site and understand their operations. Try to understand from the HR and/or the recruitment consultant the role that you will get to perform in the company. Try to correlate the role, which the company has to offer, and the operations of the company. The role that is offered should have the potential to grow as the company expands its operations. There must be a clear-cut growth path for you.
    
    When you attend an interview
  • Take efforts to refresh your knowledge on the particular skill and domain area where you are to be interviewed.
  • Be wary of the tone of your voice. It is important to appear modest.
  • Keep your answers brief and to the point, nothing less and nothing more.
  • Beware of your body language. Humans communicate 55% of the time through their body language.
  • Look into the eye and talk .
  • Avoid shaking your legs.
  • Listen to the questions carefully.
  • Incase you do not understand, the question, seek clarifications.
  • Incase you are not able to answer the question, it is better to tell upfront that you do not know the answer
  • Be prepared with a list of questions that you may have and seek answers from the interviewer after he is done with the interview. This will help the interviewer understand you better.
  • When it comes to discussion of compensation, your expectation should be reasonable. Unreasonable expectations will reflect on your personality and can be detrimental in getting the job.
  • Be very clear about your notice period times. Any unrealistic time frames committed by you can put you as well as your prospective employer, current employer and you in trouble. Remember that it is important for you to honor client commitments. It is part of your professional responsibility.