Everyone of us is bound to go through an interview in our life and most of us are unable to make a good first impression during an interview. I have made this presentation to help the interviewees understand the basic rules and skills they should use for a successful interview.

1. Interviewing Strategies & Skills

2. What is an ‘INTERVIEW’??
An Interview Is A Conversation Between Two Or More
People Where Questions Are Asked By The Interviewer
To Elicit Facts Or Statements From The Interviewee.

3. Interview Process (3 Steps)
1. Preparation

4. Know yourself
 Be Able To Articulate YOUR
 Skills
 Values
 Interests
 Abilities
 Long Term Plans
 Be Able To Give Examples Of Them
 Know Your Resume Inside Out
 Use Common Sense

5. Know The Employer
 Research! Research! Research!
 Prepare To Demonstrate Your Knowledge Of The
Profession And The Company
 Prepare To Give Reasons For Your Interest In Working
In That Profession/Company
 Develop Questions In Advance To Ask About The
Job/Organization

6. Common Questions To Prepare
 Tell Me About Yourself.
 Why Do You Want This Job?
 How Did You Become Interested In This Field Of Work?
 What Do You Have To Offer This Organization?
 What Are Some Of Your Strengths And Weaknesses?
 What Do You See Yourself Doing In Five Years?
 How Do You Handle Stress And Pressure?
 Why Are You Leaving Or Have Left Your Job?
 Why Should We Hire You?
 What Are Your Goals For The Future?

7. Rehearse
 Practice
• Tape Recorder
• Mirror
• Video Camera
• Friends, Family
 Visualize The Interview
 No Memorized Answers
• Just Concepts And Key “Buzz Words”

8. Interview Process (3 Steps)
2. Presentation / The Actual Interview

9. Types Of Interview
 On Campus Interviews
 Screening Interviews
 On Site Interviews
 Second Round Interviews
 One On One
 Panel Interviews
 Group Interviews
 Over A Meal

10. First impressions
Men Women
Suit
Jacket
Pressed Shirt
No Beepers
Suit
Plain Jewelry
No Perfume
Hair Groomed

11. Different clothing types
 Professional Dress
Interview outfit
Daily clothing for professional office setting
 Business Casual Dress
Dress down Fridays or casual office environment
Career Fair
 Casual Dress
Company picnic
Traveling for work

12. Women’s Professional

13. Women’s Business Casual

14. Women’s Casual

15. Men’s Professional

16. Men’s Business Casual

17. Men’s Casual

18. Hints
 Dress For The Position You Want, Not The Position You Have
 Men
 Wear A White T-shirt Under Dress Shirt
 Helps With Perspiration
 Have Someone Help You Tie Your Tie
 Women
 Pull Hair Back
 Go Easy On Make Up
 One Ring Per Hand

19. Accessories
 Shoes
 Polished, Comfortable
 Socks/Hose
 Do Not Go Without Socks/Hose
 Belts
 If Have Belt Loops, Wear A Belt
 Jewelry
 Minimal
 Purse/Attache Case

20. Day Of The Interview
 Fresh Shower, Well Groomed
 Leave Plenty Of Time For Mishaps
 Eat Prior To The Interview
 Avoid Too Much Caffeine And Sugar
 Arrive Early
 15Too Early Makes Interviewers Nervous
 Minutes Ample Time
 When Arriving A Business, Be Courteous To All Employees

21. The Interview
 Give A Firm But Gentle Handshake
When You Meet Your Interviewer(s)
 Sit When Invited To Do So
 Make Direct Eye Contact And Remember To Smile.
 From The Moment You Meet, Your Communication With
The Interviewer Forms Part Of The Decision-making As
To Whether To Recruit You; In Fact Most Decisions Are
Made Within The First Three Minutes! So, You Need To
Be Aware Of Both Your Verbal And Non-verbal
Communication Skills

22. Verbal Communication
 Verbal Communication
 Show Genuine Interest In The Position
 Listen And Answer The Questions Asked
 Never Argue A Point
 If You Do Not Understand Or Hear A
Question, Ask For It To Be Repeated
 Do Not Interrupt

23. Non-verbal Communication
 Appearance And Mannerisms Are Very Important – Think
Of Body Language And Facial
 Expressions
 Put Your Feet Squarely On The Floor Or Cross Your Legs
At The Ankle
 Put Anything You Are Carrying On The Floor
 Rest Your Hands In Your Lap
 Nod Your Head To Show You Are Listening
 Do Not Fidget
 Be Serious But Do Not Forget To Smile

24. Mistakes To Avoid In An Interview
× Be late
× Fidget or look at your watch
× Argue
× Put anything on the interviewer’s desk
× Say anything negative
× Appear indifferent
× Appear aggressive or act in a superior way – nobody
likes this!
× Show too much interest in money and holidays

25. Tricky Questions
a.k.a..
Behavioral
Questions

26. Behavioral Interview Techniques
 S - Situation
 T - Task
 A - Action
 R - Result
STAR METHOD

27. Behavioral Interview Questions
 Give me an example of a problem you encountered & how you handled it?
 Give me an example of a time when you faced a lot of obstacles to
achieving a goal…
 Talk about a stressful situation you’ve experienced…
 Tell me about a time when you’ve been a team player..
 Tell me about a project or role that you’ve taken on that is outside your
job description….
 How have you handled situations in which you had to deal with something
that you're not totally comfortable with?
 How do you build your confidence?
 Give me an example of how you’ve failed…
 Tell me about a time when you’ve had to challenge authority...

28. Closing The Interview
• Ask Your Questions - Make Sure You Have Asked All Your
Prepared Questions About The Job, Company And
Management.
• Reinforce The Positive - This Is The Time To Make A Positive
Closing Statement By Highlighting Why You Are The Best
Job Candidate.
• Make Sure You Have Addressed The Interviewers Concerns -
You Want To Be Sure That All The Issues Have Been Dealt
With. Try An Approach Such As,"are There Any Issues Or
Concerns That I Need To Address?"

29. Closing The Interview
• Find Out the Next Step - you need to know exactly what
happens next in the interview process - a second interview,
assessments, a medical etc. Establish the timeframe for a
hiring decision to be made and who you should get in
touch with to follow up the status of your application.
• Thank the Interviewer - Thank the interviewer sincerely
for the time spent with you. Give a firm handshake and
make confident eye contact when doing this. Ask for a
business card from the interviewer to follow up and write
a thank you note.

30. Interview Process (3 Steps)
3. Post-Interview / Follow Up

31. Most Importantly
 Remember to be yourself…
 Everyone is nervous…
 Be prepared

32. Hope You Learned Something
Worthwhile.. 