How to face an interview - P1

The following are the points to be followed to get success in the interview


1.     Golden Rule: Speak

• Loudly
• Clearly  
• Slowly

2.     You need to make sure that you arrive and are ready to take the phone call about 15 minutes before the scheduled interview time. Please make sure the phone is not busy (or engaged) about 10 minutes before the scheduled interview time.

3.     Have a pen and paper ready to take notes during the interview with your resume and verify the resume experience.

4.     Be calm and composed before and during the interview.

5.     Be enthusiastic during the interview. Smile. They can definitely hear it in your voice. Discuss hot buttons for client.

6.     Provide direct and complete answers to all questions that are asked of you. Always research the client’s website before the interview to get an idea of the client’s business.

7.     If this is an international call, there may be delay across the phone line. Wait for the interviewer to finish talking and then respond to the question.

8.     The interviewer begins the conversation with “How are you doing?” You need to respond back with “Fine. How about you?”

9.     You need to end the interview with. “Thanks for your time. It was nice talking to you and I look forward to being a part of your project”.

10.  Always call the interviewers by their first name only. For example, if the interviewer’s name is John Smith, make sure you call him John. Do not call him Mr. John or Sir. Make sure that you write down the names of the interviewers so that you remember to address them by their name during the interview.

11.  Find out from the sales representative and recruiter about the requirements of the project for which you are being interviewed prior to the interview. Tailor your answers to best suit the details of the project for which you are being interviewed. For example, if the project is an accounting system, make sure that you highlight any experience that you have with any accounting systems that you have worked in the past. Also, for example, if the project requires Sybase as the backend database, make sure that you highlight your Sybase experience, if any.

12.   Anticipate what the interviewer is looking for and provide intelligent answers to satisfy the interviewer’s questions. If you have not worked on a particular software or version, do not answer saying “No”. Say that you have worked on a similar product or that you are a quick learner and some of the other things you would bring to the table.

13.  Never use the words “involved in”. This implies that someone else did the work and that you were assisting them. Either say “I was responsible for”, if you were in charge of the work, or “I carried out” if you were part of the team carrying out the work.

14.  Never use the words “we”. Always say “I”. This clearly indicates that you did the work.

15.  If the line is bad or you can’t hear, never keep saying “Hello”. Simply say “I’m sorry, the line is bad, I cannot hear you. Would you please repeat the question?” Or simply “Would you please repeat your question?”

16.  If you do not work for X but for the subcontractor, make sure that you never mention that you work for the subcontractor instead of X. Always indicate that you work for X directly, unless instructed otherwise by the recruiter/ sales representative. Never discuss rates or salary with the client.

17.  Make sure that you check with the recruiter/sales representative as to what the interviewer’s expectations are and make sure that you provide a suitable start date.

18.   Highlight any special training or certifications you have.

19.   Never discuss personal issues with the client.