Monday, June 19, 2006

Interview Etiquette

Are there any set rules to follow while attending a job interview? The interesting part is that most employers get to understand our personality even before we make ourselves present for the interview. This is done in different ways.

1. Your resume acts as an interface to introduce your personality even before you present yourself. Therefore, begin with making your resume to suit with your personality and learn to reflect the same personality as you attend the interviews.
2. Specify certain key words in your profile and master them as you learn to attend the interviews. A candidate who has mentioned that his key strength is confidence was very nervous in the interview and this reflected lack of honesty. Avoid making these silly mistakes. Stick to what you say in your resume.
3. Prepare yourself and your resume to suit the job requirements. People are coming up with on-the-fly resumes to each interview that they would like to attend. When you try to apply for two different jobs, prepare two different resumes that suit each job. The internet is a great resource with many samples related to each job.
4. Following the minimum guidelines necessary when it comes to your style of dressing, try to be as bold as possible when you attend the interview. Lack of courage is often misinterpreted as caused some guilt feeling within. Administrative experts suggest that certain candidates who lie on their resume with regard to experience or education are more nervous and they show signs of guilty and are easily avoided.
5. Psychological experts suggest you to be ready to the interview. A candidate who is well dressed but has no knowledge about the company is easily ignored. Allocate your resources to know more about the company and get equipped with some homework even before you face the interview. Apart from the age-old rules of interviews such as punctuality, these rules are fast gaining prominence.
6. Honesty is appreciated by employers. Try not to beat around the bush when you are unsure of the answer of a particular question. Learn to say no when you do not know the answer. There are certain situations in which the interviewer accepts the answer even if it is wrong and later rejects your application. Avoid these mistakes and remain honest in your approach towards the interview.
7. Experienced people who stick to an organization for a good number of years are often frightened to face interviews when they have to change the organization. The problem can be avoided by understanding more about your current job and the responsibilities needed for the new job. Most interviewers try to grasp your knowledge in the domain by asking you to relate to your experiences in the job. This gives little time to question you in subject related matters. Even managers are in search for people who have adequate practical knowledge. The subject knowledge can be imparted through coaching and training while it takes a long time to really gain the practical knowledge. Hence, the next time you wish to attend an interview, make a broad perspective of your current job and try to relate it as much as possible. This also adds to the confidence as you are ready to be interviewed.

Remember that the interviewer is also nervous to meet people. Reinforce the fact that this interview is not your last chance to strike gold in any company. Put your best foot forward and get prepared for the worst.

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