Cracking The Job Interviews

7/29/2019 Cracking The Job Interviews

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Cracking the Job Interviews

How To Answer The QuestionsThat Will Get You Job!!

THEJOB INTERVIEWS

[ A C o l l e g e t o C a r e e r G u i d e ]

A for Interview & GD Skills

IBCA AIBC AcademyPublications


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Cracking the Job Interviews is designed to demystify the mythassociated with Job Interview process and delivers an innovativeand refreshing approach to develop the required skills andaptitude to face your next interview successfully. The Book shall

help you getting an exhaustive insight of the desirability from acandidate and thus helps bridging the gap between theexpectations of an Interviewer and the readiness of a prospectivecandidate.

It is always better to know in advance what is needed to succeedat interviews, as it goes one important step further anddemonstrates how you can prepare your own answers including

exercises designed to improve your skills. People who consistentlysucceed at interviews are those who take the time to preparetheir own answers rather than simply using answers they haveread or heard elsewhere.

Whether youre a recent college fresher or an experiencedprofessional, this book will show you how to prepare highlyeffective answers and how to deliver them in a confident mannerwhilst establishing that all-important rapport with interviewers.

The book has been designed to prevent you from:

giving those long-winded answers that drive interviewersto distraction;

failing to mention important key achievements andkicking yourself afterwards;

being stumped by certain questions and not providing anintelligent response;


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failing to build rapport and trust.

The skills and techniques you develop from reading this book shallremain with you for the rest of your working life. They willimmeasurably improve your chances of winning those hard-to-get

jobs and contribute to a rewarding career.

This Book is compiled by a Management Graduate and a SeniorBanker with over 26 years of rich working experience in IndianBanking Industry. The Book coverage is comprehensive and thesubject id dealt in a lucid manner.

Best Wishes for your success.

N K Gupta(mail your suggestions [email protected])
mailto:[email protected]:[email protected]:[email protected]:[email protected]


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CHAPTER

Life is full of challenges. We meet many confront in our daily life.When we are at the stage of entering school/college, we facemany tough challenges and learn many lessons of practical lifethrough them. After acquiring graduation/post-graduation,students usually move towards their specialization or adopt aprofession of their choices, according to their own interest,

keeping in view the market demand. Talents and Skills are the onlytools, which could lead an individual towards the door of successin this challenging time. To qualify for a professional degree or ajob, one should have strong past educational background alongwith integrated multi-dimensional skills. Its of no use acquiringhigher degree without building character, confidence, andexpressive personality.

To meet the challenges of professional life, one has to be familiarwith many skills to grab the attention of an interviewer, out ofwhich Interview skills are the basic necessities to meet up thefuture challenges with success. Either you are applying for a job orwant to qualify an entrance examination for a professionaldegree; you should prepare yourself in advance for an interview.Its the only way through which you can gain the trust andconfidence of an interviewer. An interviewer always attempt to

3


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decide or face the dilemma as to why they should select you?What are the qualities, which you have and other do not have?How can you benefit their organization? If you can show yourtrust, your confidence, your commitment, and appropriate skills,

then you could win a successful future. Interview is a form of oralcommunication. Its one to one, or one to group interaction,where an applicant proves themselves as a unique person to bethe part of an organization. Remember that interview is alwayspre-planned and structured. Its a formal presentation between aninterviewer and an interviewee. Only those pass it with flyingcolours - who are original and show their interest with confidenceand who present themselves appealing.

Depending upon the purpose, there could be many types ofinterview like Information gathering interview, appraisalinterview, exit interview, hiring/job interview, college/universityentrance interview, counseling interview and many more. In thisbook, we are going to deal about Hiring/Job interview and most ofthe process discussed here are common for a College/ universityentrance interview also.

Hiring/Entrance Interview is one of the best known and the mostwidely experienced type of interview, where an interviewer istaken by Human Resource Manager/ Subject domain Experts. Toreduce your chances being rejected, here are some basicprofessional skills, which will lead you towards the path of successin your interview.

Job-relevant interview content

Interview questions are generally designed to explore applicantsattributes that are specifically relevant to the job the person isapplying. The job-relevant applicant attributes that the questionspurportedly assess are considered necessary for one tosuccessfully perform on the job. The job-relevant constructs thathave been assessed in the interview can be classified into threecategories: general traits, experiential factors, and core jobelements. The first category refers to relatively stable applicant


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traits. The second category refers to job knowledge that theapplicant has acquired over time. The third category refers to theknowledge, skills, and abilities associated with the job.

General traits:

Mental ability: Applicants capacity to learn and processinformation

Personality: Conscientiousness, agreeableness, emotionalstability, extroversion, openness to new experiences

Interest, goals, and values: Applicant motives, goals, andperson-organization fit

Experiential factors:

Experience: Job-relevant knowledge derived from priorexperience

Education: Job-relevant knowledge derived from prioreducation

Training: Job-relevant knowledge derived from priortraining

Core job elements:

Declarative knowledge: Applicants learned knowledge Procedural skills and abilities: Applicants ability to

complete the tasks required to do the job

Motivation: Applicants willingness to exert the effortrequired to do the job

SOFT SKILLS:

Don't forget Interviewing is an art and you are there to sellyourself and the services that fit in the requirement of theemployer. When an employer is interviewing a potential employeethey are usually looking for hard as well Soft/behavioral skills thatan employee can apply on the job. The soft skills are not technical


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in nature related to the job, for which they are looking at thecandidates, such as your personality and how you will fit in withother colleagues etc. They usually only have between 15 minutesto a half hour to try to figure out that you are all about? The more

you can sell yourself in this time frame, the better your potentialfor being hired.

The desirable soft skills are:

1. Inter-personal Skills: Working with others. Participation as amember of a team. Your contribution to a group effort.Teaching others a new skill. Serving clients/customers. Theability to work well to satisfy a customer's expectations.

Exercising leadership. The ability to communicate ideas tojustify a position, persuade and convince others, responsiblychallenges existing procedures and policies. The ability tonegotiate by working toward agreements involvingexchange of resources amicably to resolve divergentinterests. To be able to work in a diverse environment. To beable to work well with either men or women from diversebackgrounds.

2. Communicate effectively: It is very important tocommunicate effectively. To communicate effectively thecorrectness of grammar is very important.

Because a job interview is a communication process, your

skills will become more polished over time. It is helpful to

remember the following:

Speak clearly and enthusiastically about your experiencesand skills. Be professional, but don't be afraid to let your

personality shine through.

Listen carefully: You may be asked multi-part questions,

and your ability to recall all the parts of the question may

be part of the examination. Thus, you need to focus and

concentrate on what is being said, both explicitly and


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otherwise. Your answers should be concise and to the

point.

Be positive: Employers do not want to hear a litany of

excuses or bad feelings about a negative experience. Ifyou are asked about a sudden job change, or a weakness

in your background, don't be defensive. Focus instead on

the facts (briefly) and what you learned from the

experience.

Pay attention to your nonverbal behavior. Look the

interviewer in the eye, sit up straight with both feet on

the floor, control nervous habits (cracking knuckles,drumming fingers, etc.), and smile as you are greeted.

Don't be afraid of short pauses. You may need a few

seconds to formulate an answer. The interviewer may

need time to formulate an appropriate question. It is not

necessary to fill up every second with conversation.

3.Use Information effectively: The skill to acquire and useinformation effectively. The skill to acquire and evaluate,organize, arid maintain, interpret and communicateinformation. The way one uses a computer to processinformation.

4.System: The skill to understand complex interrelations. Theability to understand systems, know how social,organizational, and technological systems work and bow to

effectively operate them. To be able to monitor and correctperformance based on distinguishing trends, predictingimpacts on system operations, diagnosing systems/performance and correcting malfunctions.

5. Technology: The skill to work with a variety of technology.The ability to select appropriate technology by assessingprocedures, tools or equipment, including computers and


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related technologies. To be able to apply the appropriatetechnology by understanding the overall intent and properprocedure for setup and the operation of the equipment.The ability to maintain and troubleshoot equipment and

technology in order to prevent, identify, or solve problemswith equipment, including computers and othertechnologies.

EFFECTIVE LISTENING

If you thought interviewing was only about answering questions,you've been missing the point. You've also been missing anopportunity to gather valuable information. Listening is one of the

most underused skills in a job interview. Most candidates go intoan interview thinking about how they will answer the questions,and they forget they are also there to learn about the job andcompany. They fail to listen, observe and read between the lines.

While you are formulating your answers to the interviewer'squestions, you miss a premium opportunity to garner informationabout the situations you may come across and the challenges thejob offers. You could probably miss an opportunity to impressinterviewers in a way few people do. Listening helps the candidatelistening not only what was said -- but sometimes what was notsaid. The best questions you can ask come from listening.

There are few better ways to make an impact with a perspectiveemployer than by catching the details of what the interviewer issaying, and then spinning those points into observations or well-crafted questions. Smart employers see curiosity as a valuable

trait, and you accentuate your curiosity by listening intently.

Five Forms of Poor Listening Skills

1. Pseudo listening : This is a form of non-listening in whichsomeone only pretends to listen when they really are not. Typicalnon-listening behavior includes smiling and nodding occasionally,and looking directly at the speaker. Other non-listening techniques
http://hubpages.com/topics/business-and-employment/business-management-and-leadership/active-listening/1063http://hubpages.com/topics/business-and-employment/business-management-and-leadership/active-listening/1063


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include "stage-hogging" in which the listener changes theconversation on purpose so that the conversation is about him orher.

For example, if someone is having a conversation about their

work, the non-listener will chime in about something unrelated yetmake the conversation the subject of him or her. The non-listeneris deliberately trying to tune out what is being said and showsdisrespect for the speaker. When the non-listener tunes outsomeone or changes the topic its because they are genuinely notinterested in what is being said to them. In my opinion, this type ofperson just wants to maintain control over the conversation,which, to me is disrespectful.

2. Monopolizing: This means when someone continually focuseslistening on themselves, not the speaker. The person listeningkeeps shifting the topic to themselves. This is a very selfish andnarcissistic approach to listening because the person wants theconversation to be all about them!

3. Selective listening: Involves listening to only parts of theconversation. Selective listening happens because people cannot

absorb everything being said. So they use selective listening as asort of screening tool to filter out parts of a conversation. Icompare this to skimming pages when reading.

4. Defensive listening: Defensive listening happens whensomeone perceives a personal attack on them. For instance, if I tellsomeone that they look like they have lost weight, the personmight think Im suggesting that they used to look fat. I didnt

intend to criticize them, I merely meant to compliment thatperson on how they look now than they did before.

5. Literal listening : This type of ineffective listening happens onlywhen the listener ignores the relationship level of meaning. Bylistening literally we become insensitive to others feelings. One

example of listening on a literal level is when a boss dishes out thecompany policy on sick leave, but has no real interest in the sickworkers reason for taking off from work.
http://jenniferchait.hubpages.com/hub/Workplace_Interpersonal_Skills_Tips_for_Improving_Communicationhttp://dluck.hubpages.com/hub/benefitslisteningmusichttp://pattyinglishms.hubpages.com/hub/The-Top-Seven-Motivatorshttp://dcbrown2000.hubpages.com/hub/Compliment-Children-To-Improve-Their-Self-Esteemhttp://mrose.hubpages.com/hub/How-to-Overcome-Codependent-Relationshipshttp://anamikas.hubpages.com/hub/How-to-be-a-Good-Boss-Manager-Qualitieshttp://anamikas.hubpages.com/hub/How-to-be-a-Good-Boss-Manager-Qualitieshttp://mrose.hubpages.com/hub/How-to-Overcome-Codependent-Relationshipshttp://dcbrown2000.hubpages.com/hub/Compliment-Children-To-Improve-Their-Self-Esteemhttp://pattyinglishms.hubpages.com/hub/The-Top-Seven-Motivatorshttp://dluck.hubpages.com/hub/benefitslisteningmusichttp://jenniferchait.hubpages.com/hub/Workplace_Interpersonal_Skills_Tips_for_Improving_Communication


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Best piece of advice I can give is to avoid using these five poorlistening traits. If you have a habit of being a non-listener andexhibit any of the five non-listening behaviors, then begin workingon your listening skills. Start today.

Be truly interested in the conversations you have with others,don't interrupt often, wait your turn to speak, don't change thesubject to suit your selfish interests and don't talk over people asthis is rude.

The expected behavior of the candidate attending the interview isgiven below and I am sure, the candidate would benefit byadopting these judiciously.

BEFORE INTERVIEW

First of all, prepare yourself mentally and organize your thoughtsthat you are going to face the interview next morning. Relaxyourself and do what you like most like listen to music, watch TVbriefly etc. in order not to get nervous, tense or tired. It is alsoadvisable to pre-plan a few things, viz.:

1. Do your homework and gather data to learn about the

organization and their business activity, strengths andshortcomings etc.

2. Visualize or anticipate the likely questions and try developinggood answers. Prepare answers to typical questions. Practice youranswer and never rote learn it.

3. If you are lucky to know the name of the person(s), who willinterview you, then memorizes his/her name properly. Decide

what to wear.

4, Remember to Dress simply but elegantly. Dress should be wellironed without crease. Wear comfortable shoes. You can evencheck what management wears and dress similarly without overkill. Read further on how to dress for the interview in chaper-4.

5. Prepare your file having your portfolio, educational degreecopies and extra copies of your resume.


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6. Find proper address of the location, in advance, that where areyou going in the morning.

7. Last but not the least; get a good night sleep.

ON THE DAY OF INTERVIEWTake a bath. Do not apply heavy makeup. Dress effectively.

Always carry a purse or a small handy briefcase with you to carryyour portfolio file.

Do not eat anything containing garlic or onion in your breakfast.

Arrive 15 minutes earlier to show your prompt and seriousness.

DURING INTERVIEW

Start it off winner. Offer your hand and give a firm shake or elsegreet them with your pleasant smile.

o Take a permission to sit on a chair.o Show a positive confident attitude and introduce yourself.

Dont get tense. Be comfortable and face the interviewer

effectively.o Listen to their questions effectively and answer it genuinely.

Answer every question with confidence.

o Have a proper eye contact towards your interviewer.Remember that the interviewer might be more than one, sokeep your eye contact with every individual interviewer tomake them feel unique.

o Whatever you want to answer, speak clearly with a normaltempo voice. Do not shout. Show your confidence level atevery moment of an interview.

o Show your certifications or achievements only when theyask you to show.

o Always sit straight. It might help them to analyze yourpersonality and your traits.


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o Use the medium of answer, in which you feel comfortable.Remember to use good grammar and strong vocabularywith neutral accent. Always clarify your answer. Do not sayYes or No.

o Never complains about your past organization oremployees.

o While giving effective answers, do not argue and alwaysgive respect to your interviewer.

o Always keep neutral thinking and try to mould your answeraccording to your interviewer personality.

oDo not eat chewing gum, while answering questions. If theygive you a chance to ask any query or question, only askrelevant question.

o Request and try to get everyone's Business Card, beforeyou leave, be sure to get the business cards of all of theInterviewers. If you feel this is not feasible, ask thesecretarial/support staff for their names and e-mailaddresses.

Sometimes, you may perceive, within a few minutes of the start ofan interview that the job is not one you want to pursue. Despitethis, remain positive and don't give up on the interview butcontinue with it, as if the job was the most important thing foryou. This will help you to practice for your next interview, whichmay be, who knows, may be for your dream job! Not all interviewswill lead to offers of employment, but, if you approach everyinterview as if it's the most important interview you ever had, youwill surely come out a winner!

Thank the Interviewer

Thank the Interviewer(s) for their time and courtesy, beforeleaving. If feasible, shake hands once again, while leaving.


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Within a day, send thank-you letters to all of the interviewers withwhom you spoke. Care not to use slang language in the e-mail.

The internet and FacebookWithin the past few years, the job interview - as well as the wholehiring process - has changed in several important ways. Thesechanges require both interviewees and interviewers to betterprepare for the interview. Most changes reflect the need ofemployers to better define their hiring needs and then make moreintelligent and cost-effective hiring decisions.

"Job seekers should be aware that their future employersare closely observing their Facebook profiles in search

of a window into their personality."

This means more extensive screening of candidates and focusingon patterns of accomplishments in order to best predictsemployee behavior. In order to screen undesirable candidates andalso to find out the personality traits without any manipulations or

alerts to the candidates, most of the employers have startedbrowsing Internet and specific websites like Linked.in, Facebook,Google Circle etc. to know more about you. Your inappropriate

Facebook profile, posts and photos could lose you your next job.They screen the posts and the data posted by the prospectivecandidates and use their findings to take an informed decision,mostly negative ones for the marginal ones. This is a reverseinformation gathering process which the interviewers use to

collect vital information about the candidate.

At the same time, employers are taking more time to screencandidates with everything from drug, skills, and psychologicaltesting to in-depth background checks. Within the interview itself,more and more employers are asking behavior-based questions toascertain a candidates ability to make decisions and solveproblems relevant to their organization. Consequently, candidates


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who prepare for interviews with memorized or canned answers toanticipated interview questions do not do well in such interviews;they appear coached and thus lack authenticity.

According to one study in the USA, more than 90% of recruiters

and HR Professionals have visited a potential candidate's profileon a social network as part of their screening process. And,alarmingly whopping 69% of recruiters have rejected a candidatebased on the content found on his or her social networkingprofiles. This situation is not very different in India as well.Therefore, it may be wise to clean up your profile and web-historyforthwith so that another smart HR professional may not detectanything adverse on your profile next time.

Within the very near future, the Internet may play a key role inscreening candidates, from doing background checks andadministering skills and psychological tests to conductinginterviews via a video link. Indeed, the Internet is proving to be theperfect medium for improving both the job search and the hiringprocesses. For employers, new Internet based hiring software willenable them to eliminate many of the costly face-to-face steps

currently involved in interviewing candidates. In so doing,interviews will be more employer-centered with greater emphasisplaced on what you can do for the employer.


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This is an advanced PREVIEW copy of

forthcoming Book

Cracking the

Job InterviewsBy Author N K Gupta

This is meant for select and private reading and no

part, full or a little may be reproduced, copied andcirculated.


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CHAPTER

Today the young brigade is pursuing contemporary fashion, whichis considered a sign of modernity and youthfulness. There could bea number of case stories describing about the candidates for jobswearing jeans, purple sweat suits, and spike heels or sneaker andthey do not find anything really amiss in their sense of dressing.Some still bolder applicants are even not afraid to show their

pierced body parts and spiked hair. Still others chewed gum orshowed up in rumpled clothes or with their pants falling down.One recruiter even told a candidate with his trousers down belowhis hips, to "Pull your pants up."

Even if the candidates possess some extraordinary skill sets orexpertise, such dress mannerism is generally loathed by theInterviewers. Needless to surmise that such outlandish dresssense costs most of these candidates the job they needed mostbut cared less. Surely, you do not wish to stand one amongstthem!!

DRESS YOUR BEST WHEN INTERVIEWING

We act the way we dress. Neglected and untidy

clothes reflect a neglected and untidy mind.

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Does it really make a difference how you dress for an interview? Inmost cases, it does. I'll never forget the gentleman I interviewedonce for an executive position in a Private Bank. He had been outof work for a few months and wanted to show me why. He took

off his jacket, unbuttoned his shirt and started to pull down hispants to show me the scar from a motor cycle accident that hadinjured him. He didn't get the job. Neither did the young lady in abright red skirt so short and tight that she could hardly sit down!

In another such instance, I recall an incidence about a candidatewho came for interview for an officer post in our Bank, in thewarm, sultry summer of Mumbai. He was sweating all over, hisshirt was crumpled due to a long journey in the local train and his

hair was undone. Just by looking at him in the very first fewseconds, my first impression was not a favorable one and thus theinteraction started with a negative frame of mind. As the interviewprogressed, I found that the candidate was though meritoriousand knew his subject reasonably well. It did not, however tookmore time for me and my colleagues at the Interview Committeeto prefer the candidature of another candidate over him duemainly to his lackadaisical approach, poor dressing sense and lack

of seriousness for such a life-turning and important event.

In the conservative business climate I worked in at the time,appearances did matter. In other environments it isn't asimportant. However, it does make sense to dress your best for theinterview, regardless of the dress code at the organization. Ifyou're in doubt about how to dress for an interview, it is best toerr on the side of conservatism. It is much better to beoverdressed than underdressed (or undressed). If you're not sure,check with the person who scheduled the interview and ask.

To hire the best applicants for the job, interviewers formjudgments, sometimes using applicants physical attractiveness.

Physical attractiveness is usually not necessarily related to howwell one can do the job, yet has been found to influenceinterviewer evaluations and judgments about how suitable anapplicant is for the job.
http://jobsearch.about.com/od/interviewattire/a/interviewdress.htmhttp://jobsearch.about.com/od/interviewattire/a/interviewdress.htm


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Once individuals are categorized as attractive or unattractive,interviewers may have expectations about physically attractiveand physically unattractive individuals and then judge applicantsbased on how well they fit those expectations. As a result, it

typically turns out that interviewers will judge attractiveindividuals more favorably on job-related factors than they judgeunattractive individuals. In other words, two individuals foundequally suitable for the job, the dice would turn naturally in favourof one who appear more attractive and presentable and liked byothers on the basis of his/her physical appearances.

People generally agree on who is and who is not attractive and theattractive individuals are judged and treated more positively than

unattractive individuals. For example, people who think another isphysically attractive tend to have positive initial impressions ofthat person (even before formally meeting them), perceive theperson to be smart, socially competent, and have good social skillsand general mental health.

MAKING THE FIRST IMPRESSION

Though the studies have shown, my personal experiences also

confirms that most interviewers make their decision to hire acandidate within the first few seconds of interface with thecandidate, even before the first question is asked. The saying alsogoes like the first impression is the last impression. Once a set

of impression about a candidate is formed prima facie, in theperception of the Interviewer - mostly negative ones, it could takemore that extra-ordinary effort and skills to improve and modify itin your favour. The battle is lost before it even ever began.

The first impression you make on a potential employer is the mostimportant one. The first judgment an interviewer makes is goingto be based on how you look and what you are wearing. That'swhy, in many cases, it is still important to dress professionally for ajob interview, regardless of the work environment.


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We act the way we dress. Neglected and untidy

clothes reflect a neglected and untidy mind.

What's the appropriate dress code for an interview? You'll wantthat first impression to be not just a good one, but, a great one. Ingeneral, most would agree that a candidate dressed in a suit andtie is going to make a much better impression than the candidatedressed in scruffy jeans and a t-shirt. You would not wear a casualdress for your marriage or on other important occasions in yourlife, then why for a Job interview?. The event being so importantthat it may transform your career and a success may influenceyour finances and personal life significantly. This certainly calls forthe necessity to show a reasonable degree of responsibility andsincerity to the occasion and to show the best side of yourpersonality to the Interviewers.

Given this knowledge, it is crucial that you make a successful firstimpression on the Interview committee members. Taking steps tomake an impression that projects professionalism, ability, andcapability will optimize your chances for success. Alwaysremember that there is always a razor thin margin between the

success and the failure.Prominent nonverbal communications researcher Frank Bernieribelieves strongly in "being well dressed and nicely groomed" andsays,

"You wouldn't believe the impact of attire on the

first impression. It is overwhelming.

The candidates are expected to dress themselves properly as aprofessional and the dress code appropriate for the occasion isrecommended as below. We also recommend suitable alignments,as applicable, depending largely on the climatic conditions of theparticular place, body color of the candidate, and the likings andpreference of the local/regional context.


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Women's Interview recommended Dress code

Decent color Suit - navy, black or darkgrey (no bright colors), conservativesuit or Trousers.

The suit skirt should be long enoughso you can sit down comfortably

Coordinated blouse which goes welland in matching colors

Moderate shoes, preferably black orbrown, as suited to the dress

Limited and light pieces of jewelry;No jewelry is better than cheapjewelry

Neat and professional hairstyle,preferably not left hanging loosely Tan or light hosiery Light make-up & perfume (Avoid

strong perfumes)

Manicured nails Portfolio Bag or a light briefcase


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Men's Interview recommended Dress code

Solid color, (say Navy, Black, Gray etc.)conservative suit or Trouser; Wear

Jacket only if the situation or theposition demands

White colored coordinated FULL sleeveshirt neatly buttoned

Conservative matching color Tie (avoidbright colors)

Dark color socks, professional shoes (inBlack or Brown color)

NO or very limited jewelry viz. rings,chains, bracelet etc.

Neat, professional short hairstyle,properly combed DO NOT OIL YOURHAIR

Go easy on the aftershave, do not wearstrong perfumes

Neatly trimmed nails Portfolio Bag or a light briefcase

Things you should not wear for Interviews


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What Not to Bring to the Interview

We strongly believe that it is more important to know and practiceWHAT YOU SHOULD NOT DO in an interview than WHAT TO DO.Thus, we have given due emphasis on the negative list first :

Gum: Do not chew gums, tobacco etc. either - before, duringor after the interview, till you are present in the premises ofthe prospecting company/organization.

Cell phone: Switch off your cell phone invariably while goingfor an interview. It is unquestionably considered an ill-mannerand may mar your chances of success.

Ipod / Tablet PC etc.: Do not use these instruments till you arepresent in the premises of the prospectingcompany/organization.

Coffee or soda: Avoid carrying drinks tea/coffee or soda etc.to Interviews. You can certainly manage a few hours withoutthese on these special occasions.

Body piercings: If you have lots of piercings, leave some ofyour rings at home (earrings only, but for a female candidateand not for a male one, is a good rule)

Do not wear threads, tawiz etc. on your neck or on the armwhich are visible. This shows your biases and may not be likedby many who have opposite views on it.

Tattoos: Cover your tattoos, if any on the body. Showing offthese tattoos would no way impress Interviewers positivelybut could be a dampener as mostly the professionals carry anegative bias towards it.

Oil on Hairs: Do not oil your hairs and come for the interview. DO NOT stuff your shirt pocket with paper, currency or other

extraneous material. Remove everything and keep only agood-looking pen.

Even if it is warm climate, DO NOT fold up your shirt arm. Dolet your shirt arm buttoned properly.


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To get a handle on how to properly dress for a job interview, let'sfocus on mastering the professional look of the suit and tie. Thekey to achieving this professional look is to assemble an outfit thatis tasteful, coordinated, and composed appropriately.

Let's take these steps one by one:

Tasteful: Taste is in the eye of the beholder and the beholder inthis case is the interviewer. Of course your personal taste will bethe one making the decisions, but keep in mind that your choicesshould reflect the expectations of your interviewer. You shouldmake a determination about the image and style of dress of thecompany in your sights. Are they conservative in their appearance

like a bank, or more contemporary like an ad agency, or are theysomewhere in-between?

Coordinated: What looks good together is both are an art and ascience. The first step is to choose a suit that is a single dark coloror a subtle dark pattern. The classic choice is the dark bluebusiness suit. The color choice of the suit will set the frameworkfor selecting the shirt and tie.

Choosing the shirt and tie is the second step. A good rule is thateither the shirt or the tie should have a stronger pattern or colorwhile the other should have a subtler pattern or color, but theyshould both not be too strong nor too subtle.

With these ideas in mind it is helpful to gain hands-on experienceto see what looks good on you and what you feel confidentwearing. One of the easiest ways to learn this is to visit a qualitydepartment store and try on a variety of suits and ties. When you

arrive, ask for help and tell the salesperson, "May I please get yourassistance in selecting a suit and tie that would be appropriate fora job interview at XYZ Company". A good salesperson will be ableto provide you with several excellent choices of attire that meetyour needs.


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The Internet is another good place for ideas. Visit the "suit"section of any major department store's website for the latest inwhat is in style for this season and what appeals to you.

Composed Appropriately: At a basic level, this means brown

shoes go with a brown belt and black shoes go with a black belt.Clothes should be cleaned and shoes polished and ready to go thenight before your interview.

More substantively, it means the proper tie knot, tied correctly.The tie is the most crucial component of the outfit because it isthe most prominent and can be worn correctly or incorrectly and itsignals your competency immediately. If you haven't had sufficient

experience with tying ties now is the time to learn.

The Pratt Knot is a medium-sized, symmetrical knot appropriate formost shirt collars and should be in everyone's repertoire. Here is howto tie a Pratt Knot.

1. Place the tie around your neck with the inside of your tie, the sidewith the label, facing OUTWARD, i.e. backward. Place it so the wideend in your right hand and the narrow end in your left hand.

2. Cross wide end under the narrow end and end on the left side.

3. Continue by bring the wide end of the tie up over the narrow endand down through the loop around your neck, remaining on the leftside.

4. Next cross the wide end in front of the tie from left to right endingon the right.

5. Now come up through the neck loop and down through the loopmade by the previous cross at the front of the tie.

6. Tighten carefully and draw up to collar.

7. The tip of the tie should just cover your belt buckle. If it is too longor too short, reverse these steps to untie the tie and shorten orlengthen it accordingly.


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Most men learned to tie the Four-in-Hand knot from their father. Itworked fine as a young man and still has its place, but wearing aFour-in-Hand knot to a job interview would be a poor choice. Inmost cases it looks small, lopsided and amateurish on a grown

man. It would be a giveaway sign to any HR person that theapplicant has little experience in a professional environment.

A better suggestion would be the Pratt Knot, a very easy to tieknot popularized by news anchor Don Shelby. It should be notedthat shirt collars have different sized openings. The choice of tieknot should correspond to the type of collar opening.

Formal Vs Casual Interview Attire

When the workplace or the job is less formal, such as a IT companyin Bangalore, Gurgaon or at Hyderabad, the dress code may be alittle casual. The general organizational perception and workculture is not formal and the situation demands that you shouldalso follow the trend. In such environment, a candidate appearingin a formal Black Suit attire may find himself completely out ofplace and embarrassing.

Should you wish to be extra careful and if you're not sure what towear, it's absolutely fine to check with the person handling theinterview about the expected attire. However, it's still importantnot to dress like a slob Shorts, Baggy Trousers, Slippers, T-shirtsetc. are strictly on the negative list. Instead, you may considerwearing something falling within the purview of Business Casualattire.

Interview Attire Tips

Before you even think about going on an interview, makesure you have the appropriate interview attire. Zip,button etc. are proper and there are no stains on thedress and everything fits correctly.
http://jobsearch.about.com/od/interviewattire/g/business-casual-attire.htmhttp://jobsearch.about.com/od/interviewattire/g/business-casual-attire.htm


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Always select your best dress for these occasions, leavingnothing to chance. Show yourself the sincerity theoccasion deserves.

Get your clothes ready the night before, so you don'thave to spend time getting them ready on the day of theinterview and would have enough time to organizeyourself properly.

Still better, wear the dress in the night before theinterview and check your preparedness well in time sothat anything amiss could be corrected well in time.

If your clothes are dry clean only, take them to thecleaners after an interview, so they are ready for nexttime.

Remember to get a hair-cut well in time, say a few daysbefore the day interview is scheduled and shampoo it onthe most important day. DO NOT get a hair-cut a day priorto the interview day.

Polish your shoes properly. Bring a breath mint and use it before you enter the

premises.

Remember, your good attire and attitude reflect your sincerity andeagerness to be part of the organization you are appearing for aninterview. Your professional dress sense shows how much youcare for them and respect their values. At the same time, yourcasual dress sense and care-free attitude may reflect yourdisinterest for the organization and may be treated as an insult.

After all, dont you go well dressed to a marriage ceremony, birthday party or a House warming ceremony? Then why not for yourinterviews which may have a life changing capability?

Documents

Cracking The Job Interviews