Facing Interview For Success

Interview Process & its Components

What is an Interview?

It is more often than not a formal discussion

between a hirer and an applicant / candidate,
typically in person, in which information is
exchanged, with the intention of establishing
the applicant’s suitability for a position.

Sounds simple?
 Interview Process & its Components

Let’s try and Simple &

make your to this
successful
journey from
this
 Understand what Interviewers look for
Remember… Employers’ & Your Goals
Employers’ Goals
✓ To assess your knowledge,
skills, abilities
✓ To evaluate your “fit”
with the job & organization
Your Goals ✓ To hire the best candidate
✓ To fully understand the job for the job
✓ To match your skills,
experience & knowledge
to the critical aspects of
the job
✓ To demonstrate that you
are a good “fit”
 HOW TO PREPARE FOR A JOB INTERVIEW
• Preparation is key.
• Find out who your interview partner is and what their
position in the company is.
• You can use the company’s website or career networks such
as LinkedIn for your research.
• Furthermore, you should get to know the company’s history
and philosophy since that shows that you are well prepared.
• Some common questions to prepare:

• What are your weaknesses?

• Why are you the right person for this job?

• How would your family/friends describe you?

 PRACTICE MAKES PERFECT
• If you haven’t had the opportunity to gain any
experience with job interviews, the uncertainty
about the procedure and the situation will increase
your nervousness.
• That’s why it is recommend practicing a job
interview beforehand with friends or family
members.
• You will get a feeling for the course of the interview.
 DRESS CODE FOR JOB INTERVIEWS
• An important factor of your appearance is your outfit since it’s the first
impression you make.
• However, there isn’t “the one right outfit”, but there are company-related
factors that you should take into consideration:
• Comfort: • Colours:
• You should feel good in • Colourful and eccentric
your outfit and not have clothes show creativity
the impression that you and motivation, which
are dressed up. is not adequate for all
• Show your sense of companies.
style and your • Classical colours such as
personality! blue, black, dark green
or beige make you seem
more professional.
• Cleanliness: • Industry sector:
• Obviously, your clothes • Depending on the company you
want to work in, you can choose
should be freshly a more formal (blouse, vest,
washed and ideally blazer, jacket, neutral colours) or
more casual (colourful, jeans,
ironed. only a blouse or shirt) outfit.
• Creative sectors, start-ups or
smaller businesses tend to be
less formal than authorities,
banks, big corporations or
institutions.
• Brands:
• Maybe also pay
attention to the brand
of your clothes.
• If you apply at a
clothing company,
make sure that you
don’t wear their
competitors’ brands.
 Tip
To get a feeling for the company’s
dress code, look at their website.
What kind of clothes do the
employees wear on the pictures? Is
the website simple or intricate?
 TIME MANAGEMENT
• Punctuality is essential to make a good first impression.
• So, look up the journey to the company beforehand.
• How long does it take you by car or public transport?
• At the same time, calculate a time buffer in case of a traffic jam or
missed bus.
• If you arrive too early, you can make use of that time by walking a bit
and taking some deep breaths
 THE FIRST IMPRESSION
• Not only your appearance, but also your behaviour and your charisma
make up a first impression.
• Be polite, friendly and confident.
• Greet your interview partner and other employees you meet at the
company.
• Maintain eye contact with your partner and smile.
• Ask questions and show your interest
 TIP
Imitate your interview
partner’s body language
and behaviour! Try to
mirror it without copying
them
 LET THE INTERVIEW BEGIN
• Try to appear self-confident and motivated.
• In addition to common rules of politeness, you
should try to seem interested and develop a
conversation.
• Don’t wait to be investigated but ask questions
yourself.
• Usually, the job interview goes like this:

• Self-presentation (education, past work experiences, competencies,

weaknesses)
• Presentation of the company or position
• Questions
• Salary discussions
• Further steps
• Salary negotiations are oftentimes an important part of a job interview.
• Therefore, you should make up your mind about your salary
beforehand.
• For your salary wishes, you should get to know typical salaries in that
sector.
 ONLINE JOB INTERVIEWS: TIPS AND TRICKS

• Some job interviews take place online for practical reasons.

• The ground rules apply to this scenario as well.
• Make sure that you have a quiet and undisturbed place with
good WIFI connection for your interview.
• Even though you stay at home, you should put on your job
interview outfit.
• Maintain eye contact by looking straight into the camera.
• Take notes (e.g. names of important contact persons,
important data or further steps).
• Should you be unfamiliar with the video software, we
recommend that you familiarise yourself with it beforehand.
• Furthermore, you should also dial into the call a few minutes
early.
 PHONE JOB INTERVIEW: USEFUL TIPS
• You should also seek a quiet and undisturbed place for job
interviews via phone.
• Keep a notebook and pen nearby to take notes.
• Prepare a glass of water as well.
• Since the visual component is missing, make sure that you
let your interview partner finish speaking
 TIP
Smile throughout the
interview because this will
be evident in your voice,
which makes you more
charismatic
 AFTER THE INTERVIEW
• “Do you have any questions?” is usually the
beginning of the end of your interview and a
popular question, which makes a lot of applicants
stutter and grow silent.
• Therefore, think about what you want to know
about the company, the work life, your portfolio of
activities, the working hours or other beforehand.
• This is the moment to resolve open points.
• At the end of your interview, you should inquire when you
can expect a positive or negative response and how you will
receive it.
• For unresolved points or missing documents, you can send a
follow-up email or make a follow-up phone call and thank
them for the interview.
• Take a moment to think about how the conversation went,
what went well and what you can improve next time.
THE MOST FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
• Tell us about yourself.
• Don’t repeat all the points on your CV or Resume but present yourself and
give them a sense of who you are.

• What are your strengths and weaknesses?

• Talk about strengths related to this position and name weaknesses that
you can improve over time and are indirectly somewhat positive.
• Always add examples from previous work experience.
• Why should we pick you for this position?
• Think about which qualifications, competencies or soft skills make you the
perfect candidate.

• How do you work when stressed?

• Name some qualities that are helpful in these situations and illustrate
them with practical examples from your past.

• Why did you apply for a position at our company?

• This is an opportunity to complement the company, show your motivation
and put your good preparation to the test.
 Common Questions Asked
1. Tell me about yourself

This is one of the first questions to check your communication skills and level of confidence.
Just mention in brief about the education, past career, and some professional
accomplishments.

2. Tell me some primary things about our organization

An ideal answer should be in brief about the company's history, product offerings, branches,
expertise, etc. Make sure you do your homework before getting to face this question. This is
surely one of the most common interview questions.

3. Describe the most difficult task / situation you had to go through and how you dealt with it?

Here, describe a task or project that you handled using your willingness to work in a team,
expertise, and proper coordination with all associated staff.
Common Questions Asked
While answering questions, remember…

Lastly, keep calm

through the
process

Know when
to Shut Up
It’s not What Be confident Think before
You Say – It’s but not you Speak
How You Say arrogant
it!