Campus Placements : Ensure You Don't Remain Unplaced

How to Crack a Job Interview Successfully? 141

Some of the tips that can be helpful in case of telephonic

interview are as follows:

•

Decide the time of the interview in advance so that you can be

prepared with all the documents and are ready to receive the call.

•

Ensure there is no distraction or external noise around.

•

Smile because it gets communicated over the phone.

•

Speak clearly and slowly, stay upbeat, and use positive language.

•

Listen to the question patiently, and then answer without

interrupting.

•

If you do not understand the question, you may politely ask the

speaker to repeat. You may also rephrase to confirm the question.

•

Refer to your web portfolio or blog or LinkedIn profile, if

required.

Some of the tips that can be helpful in case of video inter-

views are as follows:

•

Test all the equipment before the interview to avoid any last

minute glitch.

•

Minimize distractions like mobile ringtones, door bells, or

any other noise from people around you.

•

Keep all the documents readily available with you.

•

Be sure to look at the camera while speaking and at the screen

when not speaking.

•

Take care of the background; it should look presentable.

•

Avoid bright colors and stripes that may not be appealing on

camera.

Frequently Asked Questions and

Techniques to Answer

Interestingly, every interview is a unique experience, and there is no

simple mathematical formulae to crack it. Two candidates with similar

academic performance and work experience despite giving the same

answers are likely to get dierent outcome based on the way they

exhibit their skills through body language, attitude, professional eti-

quette, communication skills, willingness to learn, adaptability, prob-

lem-solving approach, focused approach etc. Therefore, your responses

are a reflection of your personality and convey volumes about you.

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142 CAMPUS PLACEMENTS: Ensure You Don’t Remain Unplaced

Some of the questions that are frequently asked in the interviews

along with suggested techniques to handle them eectively are

discussed here.

1. “Tell me something about yourself.” Or “Take us through

your profile.”

This seems to be the simplest as well as the most challenging

question. It is the simplest question because it is all about you;

so, you can easily talk about it. It is challenging at the same time

because it gets dicult to filter the information that needs to be

shared at this stage and in the appropriate structure to get the right

emphasis. To understand the common mistakes committed by

students in handling this question, let’s refer to the real-life case

situation discussed in the Chapter 2: Personality Development

under the section Communication Skills.

INDUSTRY BYTE

The response to this question helps us understand what a

candidate thinks of him- or herself. It is also a good way

of judging them on their confidence, communication

skills, thought process, and their selling skills. Details

regarding family background give a good sense of their

background and help in evaluating a lot of things.

–Saurabh Kalra,

Director – Human Resources of a

Travel Portal Company

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Before deliberating on the techniques to handle this

question, let’s understand the interviewer’s perspective while

asking this question. In an attempt to help you settle down

comfortably and to get the discussion started the interviewer

asks this question. The first impression formed during this

interaction makes or breaks the discussion and sets the tone

for the interview.

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