If you are a fresher aspirant, on with your job search, one of the most dreaded situations must be when you are called for an interview. But in fact, it’s time to be happy that you have been shortlisted and at the same time should prepare yourself to face the employer. A few tips might do the trick. So here’s a little guide to discuss about the right approach to talking about your activities and interests in your job interview.
Understand the question
First and foremost understand the question, if you couldn’t hear it at first, or were unable to grasp it, ask the interviewer politely. The next step is to analyze the question and then answer accordingly. Giving an answer which is prompt but completely out of context can get you into trouble.
Talk about relevant skills
Do a detailed research about the company’s work roles and specifically about your job position. This will help you focus on relevant skills. For example, if you have applied for a front-end developer job, there’s no point you describing them your great writing skills.
Focus and talk about relevant skills.
Share previous experiences
The hiring managers prefer an experienced and skilled employee over a naive one. Sharing your working experiences with the interviewer is a nice move. Even though your resume writing has probably already done the job, emphasizing it yourself makes a positive impact and holds that your experiences are true in nature. If you don’t have any experience, then you can always share about your college project works and internship experiences and how they shaped your skills and knowledge base.
Be expressive
Usually the hiring managers and interviewers expect the interviewees to be more expressive. Unless you are asked a closed question, do not answer in just yes or no. Try to incorporate some past story, experience, related fact, or feature into the answer. Don’t go overboard with it either. You must know how much is too much.
Illustrate your answers
When you are asked about a situation and your response to that, try to illustrate your answer with an example. You can create a virtual situation and then suggest a way out of the same, or what your response would be under such circumstances. It makes a great impression on your employer.
Go in sync with your resume
Don’t forget about the resume you sent across just over the excitement of being called for the interview. In fact, scrutinize the very resume you sent to that particular company and make your points strong against what you have mentioned in the resume.
Your interests and activities mentioned in the resume should match to what you narrate yourself.
If you have submitted your IT resume, talk about relevant skills, for a front end developer resume, one should talk about that, and so on…
Also, be prepared to answer about the goals, strengths, weaknesses, and achievements that you mentioned on your resume. While you are sitting their answering their questions, your resume is right in front on them and most of the questions are based on that.
Conclusion
Though it is true that employers are looking for someone who is ready with his answers, but they aren’t looking for mindless answers. You should always give a thought to the question raised before you respond. The following is a great experience based thought to explain the same:
“When I interview people, and they give me an immediate answer, they’re often not thinking. So I’m silent. I wait. Because they think they have to keep answering. And it’s the second train of thought that’s the better answer.” – Robin Leach
