Interview Toolkit

Prolific Systems and Technologies

Private Limited
Preparation
 Preparing for job interviews is probably the most
important aspect.  Do this right and you will
breeze through it, go unprepared and you will fail
miserably.  Preparing for a job interview means
getting your mind right and feeling confident.
Remember you are the best person for the job,
you just have to show them that
 Firstly do some research on the company and its
products, know who their customers are and what
the company's objective is.  Once you have this
information, then make a list of what skills or
knowledge you have that would be valuable to
them.  You cannot sell yourself to them if you
don't know what it is you are selling.
Physical appearance
 You have to dress right for job interviews, don't
wear anything too flashy. Being neat and clean is
more important than the show-casing latest
fashion.  The aim is to look professional without
overdoing it.  If you are not comfortable with a
shirt and tie, it might be best not  to wear one,
unless the job will require you to dress this way. 
 It is important that you feel comfortable, the last
thing you want is to be worried about your
appearance during the interview.  It will only
make you nervous and you will quickly lose
confidence
The Day of the Interview

 In face-to-face communication, 90% of your

effectiveness rests on how you look and sound.
Only 10% of your credibility comes from your
content and you have only seconds to make your
first impression.
 On the telephone, 80% of your credibility is based
on the way you sound, 20% is based on content.
When there's inconsistency in your message,
people believe what they see more than anything
else so be sure to package your ideas so they’ll be
consistent and obviously get through unscathed
The Day of the Interview
 Prospective employers are interested in what you
have to say, but they're also interested in how
you say it. This includes your overall appearance,
how you’re dressed, how you conduct yourself (on
and off camera, winning and losing), your facial
expressions, and your body language.
 Most people don’t believe they can read minds
but they do believe they can read the tenseness
in your body, or curtness in your voice. Your
voice, demeanor, choice of words and appearance
can convey a great deal about you
The Day of the Interview
 The day of the interview, remember to
speak deliberately and in a low pitched
voice. The higher your pitch, the more
emotional you sound. Most interviewers
are trained observers – they'll build an
impression of you based on your attitude
and behavior.
 Always speak in complete sentences, not
fragments if you want to get your
thoughts across clearly, don’t mumble
and speak loudly enough to be easily
heard.
What you need to take with you
 Work out what you need to take with
you.  A copy of your CV, originals (and
copies) of your qualification papers,
copies of references, samples of your
work (if applicable) and anything else that
they may want to see.  Again make sure
everything is well organized and neatly
presented. 
 Don't take a pile of paperwork that you
have to sift through for ten minutes to
find something, that will give them the
impression that your are disorganized.
Interviewing Methods
 Panel Job Interviews The panel might
just have 2 people or it can be as many
as 10.  To handle this interview well, you
must appear to be confident, don't
hesitate too long before you give an
answer.  Watch your posture and try not
to fidget too much.  When answering a
question make eye contact with one or
two of the people.  Find a friendly face
and use that person for most of your eye
contact, it will help in making you feel
more relaxed.
Interviewing Methods

 One on one job interviews :The

best way to handle these type of
interviews is to relate to them as a
form of conversation.  You should
ask questions and exchange
information as you would during a
normal conversation.  Offer your
own information as needed without
waiting to be asked. 
Handling job interview questions
 Most job interviews start with chit-chat type of
questions, designed to break the ice and get the
conversation flowing.  Questions like "did it take
you long to get here", "did you find the place
alright", "were you able to find parking".  Most of
these just require a "yes, no problem" type of
response.
 Saying something like "It took me ages to get
here, traffic was so bad, I hate traveling to this
side of town.."  would not make a good
impression.  If this is the place where you would
be working, they would automatically be worried
that you will be late to work everyday
Handling job interview questions
 Most questions will be geared towards finding out
a bit more about you.  They might be historical
questions regarding your previous employment or
education, or they may be hypothetical questions 
"what if...".  These are geared to finding out how
you would handle a situation or to find out your
personal views to certain areas.
 Whenever answering a job interview question,
give as much information as you can.  Tell them
why, where, when and how.  Make a statement,
then qualify it by giving a sample of a situation
and how you handled it.
Handling job interview questions

 There are times that you will be

asked a hard question during a job
interview.  Don't panic, there is a
reason why these questions are
asked and that is to see how you
handle a difficult situation.  Being
prepared is always the best policy
Tell me about yourself

 Start with a quick overview of your

career progress and education. 
Don't recite your resume. Say that
there are a few things you'd like to
highlight and mention them
quickly.  You'll finish with number
one, which should be a specific
competency or career
accomplishment
Tell me about yourself
 This should be something that you have reason to
believe the company will value.  If there's a story
involved, tell a very abbreviated version, leaving
out peoples' names and other irrelevant details. 
 The interviewer is only interested in what
obstacles you overcame or how you served your
employer at the time.  If there's no story
involved, explain (again, briefly) why you believe
it's important and how you feel that this attribute
can benefit the interviewer's company
Tell me about yourself
 Don't go overboard with this explanation.  Stop
just short of telling everything and leave the
interviewer room to ask some follow-up
questions.  Especially if you drop in something
intriguing, like " My manager said it was the most
creative solution to a problem he'd ever seen,"
without specifying what the solution was.  People
are naturally curious and interviewers are likely to
take the bait.  If you can lead the interviewer
down your path, you've gained a measure of
control over the situation
Tell me about yourself
 Technically not a question, but still an opening
gambit.  This is the perfect spot for a concise,
well-rehearsed statement.  If put together
properly, it's almost guaranteed to get the
interviewer to go in a direction favorable to you.
 First, keep in mind that your answer shouldn't
exceed two or three minutes - which is actually a
long time.  Next, come up with three things that
you want the interviewer to know about you.
Then, rank them in order of importance to build
the outline for your answer
Do's and don'ts for the "Tell me about
yourself"
 Do inject some humor or lightheartedness into
your answer; everyone likes to be entertained
 Don't start your history from birth
 Do write down your answer so you can see if it
makes sense
 Don't respond with "What would you like to
know?"  This ball is in your court.
 Do practice giving your answer conversationally. 
It shouldn't sound like a list or a speech
 Don't shrug your shoulders or act like there's
nothing to tell about you.  If you can't find
anything good to say about yourself, why should
the interviewer look closer?
Why Do You Want to Work Here?

 This is a critically important

question - have a specific answer. 
It's the place where you put your
research about the company into
the conversation and explain why
this is where you'd like to be. Make
sure your answer is more than a
thinly veiled interest in their
excellent signing bonus.
Why Do You Want to Work Here?

 Whether you respect the company or its

products, are excited about the personal
opportunity to grow posed by the
position, or want to get involved with a
new technology that you know they use,
let the interviewer know directly.  Tell
him/her what intrigues you and why you'd
like to be part of the organization.  Be
enthusiastic, but don't fawn.
Why Do You Want to Work Here?

 Don't ever give an indifferent

answer or say that you don't know. 
It shows that you haven't prepared
for the interview and instantly blows
your chances.  If you can't be
bothered to come up with
something positive to say, why are
you wasting everyone's time?
(Yours included.)
Why Should We Hire You?
 No matter how this might sound to you, it is not
meant as a challenge. It isn't asked to put you on
the defensive.  The interviewer is giving you - the
candidate - an opportunity to sell yourself to the
company.
 Some people are dumbfounded by this question
because they're completely unprepared to
respond.  Since they only focus on themselves
and their own interests, they've never stopped to
consider the hiring decision from the company's
point of view.
Why Should We Hire You?
 It's all about value...what are you bringing to the
table?  Why you rather than somebody else? 
What if you were hiring?  Would you hire you? 
Why?  Get ready to answer this, considering the
company's perspective.
 No exaggerating, no boasting.  Just honest,
straightforward business value.  You: "I can build
a Linux server for you today."  "I've taught myself
Java script and built four websites; here are the
addresses."  "When I'm on a project, I meet my
deadlines and the project manager never has to
chase me for deliverables."  These are the things
interviewers want to hear.
Why Should We Hire You?
 Even disadvantages can be turned into
advantages if they're phrased
properly. Remember that interviewers are looking
for the best fit for the job.  Given the current
labor market, this can mean the least unqualified
candidate. 
 You: "I know I don't have any experience yet, but
I did well in training and I'm a very hard worker.
I'll appreciate the chance if you give it to me and
I won't let you down."  Sincerity and willingness
can count for something.  Not so great for your
ego, but if it gets you the job, it will do.
Where do you want to be in five years?

 The interviewer wants to know what

you intend for a career path. 
Explain not only what you want to
be doing, but also what you plan as
a strategy for getting there,
including training or certifications. 
 Hint: this is not the place to tell the
interviewer what other place you
intend to be working by then.
What's your ultimate career goal?

 It's okay to talk about a dream job or to

say that you're not sure yet. Technology
continues to evolve at a fantastic pace -
let the interviewer know you want to be
part of it.  Make certain that your answer
indicates increasing levels of responsibility
and explain how you are willing invest in
yourself to get there.  If you're able to
work in how this can benefit the
company, so much the better
How long do you think you would stay
with our company?
 This is a loaded question.  You really have
no idea, since you don't really know what
it would be like to work there.  The right
answer is something vague to the effect
of "as long as I would continue to have
challenging assignments that help me to
grow professionally." 
 Turn it around and ask the interviewer
how long people in the position you're
applying for typically stay.  If it seems
short, ask why.
What are your weaknesses?

 Don't say 'I don't have any".  Everyone

has weaknesses and it takes strength to
recognise them.  Say something relevant
but not hugely important to the specific
position, and always add a positive. 
Something like "I haven't had a lot of
exposure to on-site maintenance,
however I am looking forward to being
more involved in dealing with customers
directly and learning their needs".
What are your strengths?

 Customise your answer to meet the

position requirements, remember the
things they asked for in the
advertisement?  Tell them your strengths
but also demonstrate them and show
them how they would apply to this job. 
 Use samples of how your strengths were
valuable, use the "why, where, when,
how" demonstrate and prove your
strengths.
How would you handle a difficult
customer?

 Be careful here, don't say that you have

never had a difficult customer as anyone
who has dealt with customers knows that
is impossible.  Use a sample to
demonstrate how you handle a difficult
customer.  Talk about an incident at a
previous job (where, when), explain the
situation, how you handled it, and what
the outcome was
Do you have any questions for me?

 If you don't, you should.  Ask about

things like training opportunities, typical
work hours and conditions, and
possibilities for career growth/promotion
within the department, if they haven't
been discussed. 
 These are all good indicators of job
satisfaction and should help you to
determine if this is the right place for you.
Finally…
 Interviews are a two way process, a conversation
where interviewers want to get to know you
better and you want to find out more about the
position.
 Someone once said, "preparation is always better
when done in advance". However, remember that
practice is not a one-time thing – it's an ongoing
commitment.
 Try and keep calm, smile and show
professionalism
 Promotions, raises, and star status can also hinge
on your ability to sell yourself in an interview – so
keep your skills sharp!
Email: [email protected]
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