Dressing for an Interview
I have seen my fair share of candidates in jeans and T-shirts and casual clothes appearing for interviews. I’ve had fresh out of college guys and gals asking if it is really so important to dress formally for the interview. So here’s my take on this. Interview is an opportunity for both the parties to ‘check each other out’. Just as you form an impression about the company when you walk in through the doors for the interview, the company (or it’s representatives) form an opinion about you when you walk in through the door for the interview.
Why not dress properly and show that you actually care about getting the job. If you don’t have a formal wardrobe yet, since you are fresh out of college, this is a good time to start getting yourself one – you are starting on the path of employment after all!
So here’s what works and what doesn’t for an interview:
For women
Western formals
Dos
Trousers with a crisp cotton or silk blouse
Skirt (knee length or longer) with a crisp cotton or silk blouse
Colours should be subdued and not too loud
Coordinate your outfit
Formal shoes with a slight heel
Light make up (compact, lipstick, eyeliner)
Light jewellery
Light nail paint or clear nail paint
A leather purse or portfolio holder
Don’ts
Short skirts
Tight pants
See through tops
Loud colours or patterns
Dark nail paint
Loud or too much make up
Indian ethnic dress
Do’s
Churidar or a Punjabi suit
Top coming to mid thigh or knees
Saree
Chappals or open toe sandals
Light make up (compact, lipstick, eyeliner)
Light jewellery
Light nail paint or clear nail paint
A leather purse or portfolio holder
Don’ts
Don’t wear see through tops or saree blouses
Don’t wear low neck or low back saree blouses
Too much ‘bling’ or mirror work on the dresses or sarees or chappals/ sandals
Too much or heavy jewellry
Loud colours or patterns
Dark nail paint
Loud or too much make up
While you are at it, you could also pay attention to a few other details such as:
Hair
Keep it neat and simply tied up. Whatever you do, do no have hair falling on your face. If you have flicks or bangs on your forehead, make sure to keep them back with the help of pins.
Long hair
Keep your hair neatly tied up in a pony tail if it is mid length or in a French plait if it is long.
Short Hair
If it is short, make sure to keep it off your face with the help of pins/ clips.
Body hygiene
I’ve seen numerous interviewers who have been turned off by the body odour of the interviewee. Reasons for the BO are many, you are so late for the interview that you don’t have time to squeeze in the shower before you head out.
So here are some do’s and don’ts
Do's
Bathing and shampooing your hair before you go for the interview will go a long way in keeping you fresh for your interview.
Perfume – spritz some on before you leave. Also carry a small purse size bottle of spritzer with you. If you have a long wait, this might come in handy.
Mints – pop in a mint just before you enter the premises. If you have been given numbers for the interview and you know it will soon be your turn, pop one beforehand.
Keep your palms dry – it’s not very pleasant to shake hands with someone with wet palms
Monday, April 5, 2010
Interview Questions
List of interview questions
Job Interview Questions About You
• Tell me something about yourself?
• What is your greatest strength?
• What is your greatest weakness?
• Describe a typical work week.
• Do you take work home with you?
• How many hours do you normally work?
• How do you handle stress and pressure?
• What motivates you?
• What are your salary expectations?
• What has been the greatest disappointment in your life?
• What are you passionate about?
• What do you do in your personal time?
Interview Questions: Work History
• Tell me something about the company you worked for?
• What were your job responsibilities?
• What major challenges and problems did you face? How did you handle them?
• What did you like or dislike about your previous job?
• Which was most / least rewarding?
• What was the biggest accomplishment / failure in this position?
• How was your relationship with your supervisors and co-workers.
• Who was your best boss and who was the worst?
• Why are you leaving your job?
• What have you been doing since your last job?
• Why were you fired?
Job Interview Questions About the New Job and the Company
• Why do you want this job?
• What do you know about this company?
• What interests you about this job?
• What applicable attributes / experience do you have?
• Are you overqualified for this job?
• Why should we hire you?
• Why are you the best person for the job?
• Why do you want to work here?
• What challenges are you looking for in a position?
• What can you contribute to this company?
• Are you willing to travel?
• Is there anything I haven't told you about the job or company that you would like to know?
Interview Questions: The Future
• What are your goals for the next three years/ five years / ten years?
• How do you plan to achieve those goals?
• What are your salary requirements - both short-term and long-term?
• What will you do if you don't get this position?
Job Interview Questions About You
• Tell me something about yourself?
• What is your greatest strength?
• What is your greatest weakness?
• Describe a typical work week.
• Do you take work home with you?
• How many hours do you normally work?
• How do you handle stress and pressure?
• What motivates you?
• What are your salary expectations?
• What has been the greatest disappointment in your life?
• What are you passionate about?
• What do you do in your personal time?
Interview Questions: Work History
• Tell me something about the company you worked for?
• What were your job responsibilities?
• What major challenges and problems did you face? How did you handle them?
• What did you like or dislike about your previous job?
• Which was most / least rewarding?
• What was the biggest accomplishment / failure in this position?
• How was your relationship with your supervisors and co-workers.
• Who was your best boss and who was the worst?
• Why are you leaving your job?
• What have you been doing since your last job?
• Why were you fired?
Job Interview Questions About the New Job and the Company
• Why do you want this job?
• What do you know about this company?
• What interests you about this job?
• What applicable attributes / experience do you have?
• Are you overqualified for this job?
• Why should we hire you?
• Why are you the best person for the job?
• Why do you want to work here?
• What challenges are you looking for in a position?
• What can you contribute to this company?
• Are you willing to travel?
• Is there anything I haven't told you about the job or company that you would like to know?
Interview Questions: The Future
• What are your goals for the next three years/ five years / ten years?
• How do you plan to achieve those goals?
• What are your salary requirements - both short-term and long-term?
• What will you do if you don't get this position?
FAQ
Q 1. What if I’ve just started having a coffee or a snack and I get called in to the interview?
A 1. If you have been having a cup of coffee or a snack while you were waiting to be called and the call comes when you haven’t finished, leave your coffee, snack and conversation behind (however great the coffee may be and however interesting the conversation may be) when you enter the interview room.
Q2. What if I don’t understand what the interviewer asked me? Is it ok to ask them to repeat?
A2. Ask the interviewer to repeat the question. You may want to say “I’m sorry I could not hear what you said clearly, could you repeat it for me please?” OR “could you rephrase that question since I did not understand it?”
Q3. Why do the interviewers ask us to tell something about ourselves when the CV is right in front of them?
A3. There are a number of reasons for this. One of the reasons is to see how you describe yourself, your accomplishments, your responsibilities. Another is to see if there are any descripancies in what is written on the CV as against what you are saying. The Cv gives facts but describing your job will show your mindset; e.g. how did you see your job? Do you see it as a painful experience or do you look at it as a challenge to be overcome? Be prepared with the answer to this question for this is a favourite of interviewers.
Q4. If I’ve had problems with my job/boss/company in the earlier company, should I tell the interviewer about it?
A4. Was your earlier boss the worst nightmare anyone could have? And your colleagues complete idiots who needed to have their heads examined? Don’t say so even if it is true. Bad mouthing earlier employers is a definite no-no. you could mention that you faced challenges and how you handled them but don’t turn it into a big crib.
It's sometimes a smaller world than you think and you don't know who your interviewer might know, including that boss who is an idiot... You also don't want the interviewer to think that you might speak that way about his or her company if you leave on terms that aren't the best.
Q5. How do I prepare for the interview if it is my first interview?
A5. Practice makes perfect! Do mock interview with friends. Practice answer the simple questions that are listed in this blog. There are other sites that will list interview questions. Practice answering them on your own first. Then ask your friends, family or anyone who will fill in the role of the interviewer to ask those questions to you and any others he/ she can think of (relevant ones ofcourse). Try and answer them the way you would want to during the interview.
Q 1. What if I’ve just started having a coffee or a snack and I get called in to the interview?
A 1. If you have been having a cup of coffee or a snack while you were waiting to be called and the call comes when you haven’t finished, leave your coffee, snack and conversation behind (however great the coffee may be and however interesting the conversation may be) when you enter the interview room.
Q2. What if I don’t understand what the interviewer asked me? Is it ok to ask them to repeat?
A2. Ask the interviewer to repeat the question. You may want to say “I’m sorry I could not hear what you said clearly, could you repeat it for me please?” OR “could you rephrase that question since I did not understand it?”
Q3. Why do the interviewers ask us to tell something about ourselves when the CV is right in front of them?
A3. There are a number of reasons for this. One of the reasons is to see how you describe yourself, your accomplishments, your responsibilities. Another is to see if there are any descripancies in what is written on the CV as against what you are saying. The Cv gives facts but describing your job will show your mindset; e.g. how did you see your job? Do you see it as a painful experience or do you look at it as a challenge to be overcome? Be prepared with the answer to this question for this is a favourite of interviewers.
Q4. If I’ve had problems with my job/boss/company in the earlier company, should I tell the interviewer about it?
A4. Was your earlier boss the worst nightmare anyone could have? And your colleagues complete idiots who needed to have their heads examined? Don’t say so even if it is true. Bad mouthing earlier employers is a definite no-no. you could mention that you faced challenges and how you handled them but don’t turn it into a big crib.
It's sometimes a smaller world than you think and you don't know who your interviewer might know, including that boss who is an idiot... You also don't want the interviewer to think that you might speak that way about his or her company if you leave on terms that aren't the best.
Q5. How do I prepare for the interview if it is my first interview?
A5. Practice makes perfect! Do mock interview with friends. Practice answer the simple questions that are listed in this blog. There are other sites that will list interview questions. Practice answering them on your own first. Then ask your friends, family or anyone who will fill in the role of the interviewer to ask those questions to you and any others he/ she can think of (relevant ones ofcourse). Try and answer them the way you would want to during the interview.
During the Interview
Communicate before your interview begins!
Communicate well with everyone you meet while on the premises of the company for an interview. You might find yourself in a situation where you were rude to someone only to find that person on the panel. While this may be a great and even funny snippet for a sitcom, it will certainly not be very happy for you. You never know who might be on the panel!
Once you enter the Interview room, be confident; make eye contact, shake hands, smile. Don’t fidget with your clothes or watch or file or anything for that matter.
Tech Savvy
You may have the latest cell phone but that doesn’t meant that you flash it at the interviewers when a call comes and answer it. Good idea is to keep it switched off or if that is not possible then put it on silent mode. The interview must be absolutely and the only priority for that time for you and you need to show it to the interviewers.
Need for speed
Answer questions slowly. There is no need to rush through the questions. Take your time to think about the answer before you begin. It’s better to think the question through before you answer rather than start off and then not know what to do when you run out of steam.
Also, if you speak fast or very fast, as many candidates do, the interviewer may not understand what you are saying. So take a deep breath before you begin.
Need for silence
At the same time do speak during the interview. Answering the questions in ‘yes’ or ‘no’ is not going to land you a job for sure. Give reasons for what you are saying or elaborate on why you said what you said. This will afford the interviewer a peak into your thinking and analyzing ability. He needs this peek to know if you can handle the job and therefore will help him decide whether to offer you the job or no.
Communicate before your interview begins!
Communicate well with everyone you meet while on the premises of the company for an interview. You might find yourself in a situation where you were rude to someone only to find that person on the panel. While this may be a great and even funny snippet for a sitcom, it will certainly not be very happy for you. You never know who might be on the panel!
Once you enter the Interview room, be confident; make eye contact, shake hands, smile. Don’t fidget with your clothes or watch or file or anything for that matter.
Tech Savvy
You may have the latest cell phone but that doesn’t meant that you flash it at the interviewers when a call comes and answer it. Good idea is to keep it switched off or if that is not possible then put it on silent mode. The interview must be absolutely and the only priority for that time for you and you need to show it to the interviewers.
Need for speed
Answer questions slowly. There is no need to rush through the questions. Take your time to think about the answer before you begin. It’s better to think the question through before you answer rather than start off and then not know what to do when you run out of steam.
Also, if you speak fast or very fast, as many candidates do, the interviewer may not understand what you are saying. So take a deep breath before you begin.
Need for silence
At the same time do speak during the interview. Answering the questions in ‘yes’ or ‘no’ is not going to land you a job for sure. Give reasons for what you are saying or elaborate on why you said what you said. This will afford the interviewer a peak into your thinking and analyzing ability. He needs this peek to know if you can handle the job and therefore will help him decide whether to offer you the job or no.
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