P: Profession Pod Series Interview Hygiene Checks
We discussed on creating a powerful profile in the previous blogs.
Cracking an interview is a challenge for a lot of job seekers despite them being good candidates , having impactful profiles and experience too.
In my experience, there are some important elements that one needs to consider during the start to end of an interview process.
Lets begin with Telephonics....
When you decide to apply for an opportunity, a must do homework includes researching about the organisation, their work & culture, the role, money range and travel time. Ofcourse you will not get work next to your home all the time but do take in to account your daily travel time, your stamina and it's possible impact on your productivity.
But study all of this before you apply. These questions shouldn't be coming to your mind when you get an interview call or after a shortlist for that matter!
There is this one thing that you must never forget. Brand or Company Name, Profile and Pay are the three keys with which your job door opens.
You may not have all these keys to your access all the time. Remember, if you have two out of the three, you are good to go!
For beginners, remember ....
Candidate A has recieved a very high CTC at the entry level.
Candidate B has also received a good offer but lesser compared to A.
Both are entry level post graduates and their performance is super across the year. The organisation decides to appraise and promote both.
Keep in mind, when you are promoted or even with getting senior an a company your responsibility increases & what is expected out of you also does.
But the monetary rise mainly depends targeted v/s actual business for the year and many other elements which are way beyond only employee performance.
Besides, for every designation slab there is a salary bracket or a range most companies have pre- framed. I mean five employees of the same designation will not have the same salary ofcourse but the range will obviously be an aligned one.
So coming back to Candidate A and B, while both did well , the incremental percentage will differ but end point will get them both in the pre-framed range.
This is to keep environmental harmony in the organisation.
Again, as you get senior, your work increases but the appraisal percentage may not increase at the same speed.
Hence the saturation point of entry level candidates who start with higher CTC's comes earlier than others and the job switch frequencies as well.
This definitely does not mean that you don't consider salary criteria but just make sure you keep in mind all of this.
Experienced candidates must do a complete study on the hike percentage and prepare to justify their qoute.
Beinv well informed is half ready !
Telephonic interviews are extremely essential part of the the selection process of many organisations, specially in the media fraternity since it’s an extremely dynamic segment.
This makes it easy for a prospective talent to be spontaneous, confident & poised across forms of communication over an above he or she having the domain knowledge & the other criteria specified by the company.
Having applied for an opportunity, ensure you are well read as interviews come at short or no notices, be it – Telephonic or Face to Face.
For a pre-scheduled telephonic interview, be ready with your resume, all the job details along with the highlights of the organisation.
It's a good idea to keep with you a paper & pencil to make notes. If your telephonic interview is not a scheduled one, it’s all the more important for you to keep yourself in a prepared mode!
If the telephonic interview is an unplanned one, request the caller for 30 seconds to get to a quiet place & organize stuff.
Introduce yourself clearly. Keep your voice modulation in tune with the conversation at all times. A smile makes a big difference in a conversation, even on the phone.
Your voice reveals both your personality and your attitude towards the caller.
While you communicate, sound well informed, talk with dignity & never sound all over the place
During the tele-talk be calm & precise in your communication. Understand the question well before you answer.
Do not fidget with things or papers around. No shuffling papers in the background !
Your ultimate aim should be to communicate to the interviewer that you are the best candidate for the position, With out sounding desperate please!
Lets now get to the Face to Face interviews. Consider the Top 10 Hygiene Checks as you prepare...
1. Greet the interviewer because it's one of the first impressions we leave on a panelists
Most of us feel that the interviewers are ones sitting in the interview room either single or in a panel format. Here is the thing, the one who opens the interview room door to call out our name for the interview also has a role to play in your selection process ! The truth is we are so anxious at the point of time that it doesn't even strike us.
2. Handshake with interview panelists
Once we are in the interview room, whether your initial gesture will be a head nod or a hand shake needs to be an informed choice. If the interview table speaks of the psychology of distance, we may choose to say good morning with a head nod. Else a handshake does it well. Here, in both cases, a pleasant smile with eye contact is necessary. Also the handshake needs to be a professional one and not a fancy finger - palm touch !
3. Seeking permission to have a seat
Once you're done with the greeting part, the interviewer will usually ask you to sit down. Incase not make sure you politely seek permission and sit on the interviewee chair
4. Using the interview table
Once you are seated, do remember that the interview table is the interviewers property and not your peripheral. It is a good idea to not rest your hands or keep your belongings on the interview table.
5. Introducing yourself
"Good morning Sir / Ma'am, My name is Aditi". A lot of us tend to make errors here. Do remember the interviewer has your resume with your name mentioned and you have already finished greeting them.
6. Eye Contact
During this make sure to have eye contact with the panelist who has asked you the question, while answering until he or she is looking at you. Looking elsewhere or on the floor while you talk or while you are being spoken to is not appropriate etiquette. This is crucial as it reflects on your confidence levels
7. Bluffing
There will be situations in an interview where you don't know the answer to a question asked. It is completely okay to politely accept that you are not aware of the answer. If you aren't sure and wish to make a guess, spell it that way.
Bluffing or faffing is big no because often you are evaluated on the fact that whether you know that you don't know & how honestly you deal with it!
8. Getting your body language right
While having interview conversation if we tend to fidget with any stuff around or touch our face or hair oftenor shake our legs or tangle our hand fingers and more of such stuff reflects signs of nervousness or then distracted. The key is to stay calm and maintain focus.
9. Scripted Instances
A lot of us don't keep ready instances for value based or hrq's. These questions are often asked to judge a candidate's personality or a specific behavioral skill. Here typically we are asked to give an instance of a dilemma handled or a decision taken or then a situation is given and the candidate is asked to opine or reflect.
10. Don't miss it.
Be ready with an interesting question to ask at the end of the interview. Often candidates are asked if they have any questions. You may ask about the organization, more about what is expected or something to that note depending on the shape your interview has taken in the course of the conversation. If you realize you can't do that, you may thank the interviewer for their time....
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