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15 Interview Tips to Stand Out in Your Job Interview

Updated on 18 October, 2022

5.95K+ views
7 min read

After graduation, your next tough job will be to crack your first interview. Interviews are easy to crack if you prepare yourself in the right way. Of course, the domain knowledge, confidence and positive attitude contribute to cracking your interview especially if you are giving interviews for one of the top paying jobs for freshers, but these are just a few. Below are more tips for successful interview cracking.

Tips to Succeed in Interviews Successfully

1. Research About the Company

So, how to get ready for an interview? The first thing is to have some knowledge of the background of the company, and their products and services can help you be confident in the interview. Check the website and social media pages of the company, search for the company in the most recent press releases and have a solid picture of the company, it’s background and it’s goals. 

2. Practice Your Answers to Common Interview Questions

Most interviewers have a bunch of questions in common and you can find the common questions of your field by doing some research on the internet. Have long answers with scenarios and examples ready for these questions at your tongue tips.

Most interviews start with the question “Tell me about yourself”. Now this is a golden chance to showcase yourself and boast about all that you have done. Be sure to highlight the key achievements at each stage of your career. You need to be crisp and sharp on who you are and what value you are going to bring to their company. Check for the common interview questions and prepare answers for those as well. For example, if you are going for a Digital marketing interview which involves Google analytics, find Google analytics interview questions and get an idea.

3. Read the Job Description Multiple Times

Take a print out of the job description and read it multiple times. Understand the key skills the employer is looking for and include that in your resume as well as learn it from an interview standpoint. Build some scenarios and examples for those key skills and be fluent with them. Look back into your past and try to link the experience you have with these key skills the employer is looking for.

4. Answer Interview Question Using STAR Method

STAR here stands for Situation, Task, Action and Result. So when you are talking to the interviewer you need to be clear and concise with everything. All your answers must relate to a situation, a task that you have done, all the actions taken around it and the positive result that you have achieved. 

5. Set up Mock Interview Session with Your Friends

Voicing out your answers loud is the best way to prepare for an interview. Ask your friend to come over a telephonic mock interview and ask you the common interview questions for your area. Ask your friend to rate you based on your knowledge, presentation and confidence levels.  

6. Prepare with Scenarios and Situations of Your Work

Interview answers should always revolve around experiences. Showcasing your theoretical knowledge alone will not gain you many points. So prepare well for all situational questions and be ready with examples from the work you have done. 

7. Plan Your Interview Attire the Night Before

Appearing for an interview with a shiny formal attire can gain you extra points. Check out the company website if the firm has any special dress code. If not a simple formal attire is your best bet. Casuals and semi-formals should never be worn.

8. Be Prepared with Questions to Ask Your Interviewers

Interviews are to be two-way conversations and interviewers expect you to ask some questions. Your intention by asking a question must be to make the interviewer believe that you are seriously thinking about joining their firm. For example, asking about the day-to-day responsibilities of that job may be a good question to start with. Next, you may ask about building a career by staying with the company.

9. Bring Copies of Your Resume, a Notebook and Pen

Bring 5 – 8 copies of your resumes neatly printed on clean paper in case there are multiple interviewers. Be sure not to have any folds or stains on the paper. Check on this post, if you need resume writing tips. Use a notebook and pen to take down notes which you can later use on your thank you note. 

10. Arrive at least 15 Minutes Early for the Interview

For interview being on-time is equivalent to being late and getting rejected. Arrive at least 15 minutes before time so that you have space to freshen up and settle down. Walk to the interview room and settle down with ease and confidence.

11. Make a Great First Impression

The small little things contribute to your first impression. Take care to shine your shoes, clean up and tidy your nails, check your attire for holes, hair, loose threads etc. The next key to first impression is your confident body language and wearing a smile throughout.

12. Practice Good manners and Body Language

You might meet with lots of people on the way from the entrance of the building to the interview room. Treat everyone with a smile and respect. This elevates your positivity and confidence. Your interviewers might be around watching you walking in. If they witness you ill-mannered at any point, you stand high chances of being rejected.

13. Keep Your Answers Concise and Focused

Your time with an interviewer is limited. Interviews sometimes go as an elimination round. So if the interviewers sense any sort of lack of clarity in your wording you may get rejected upfront. Vagueness in answering situational questions is their permission to eliminate your profile.

14. Never Speak ill About Your Previous Employers

Most interviewers may ask about your previous employers and the reason for moving out. You should never speak ill about your previous employer. You always need to keep a positive story handy 

15. End the Interview by Asking About the Next Steps

Asking about the next steps is the best way to end the interview on a positive note. It also gives the interviewer and sense that you are genuinely willing you join the firm.

Conclusion

Here are a few tips for a successful interview. We hope this article has given you enough insight on preparing for an interview to crack it and secure the dream job.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

1. Why is formal attire necessary?

A person wearing formal attire in an interview setting is assumed to be respectable and assumed to take up responsibilities. It is important to build a positive first impression. Formal clothes show the dignity and worthiness of the candidate. Appropriate dressing makes you look serious and interested in getting the job or the business deal. Wearing well ironed and tidy clothes is also very important. There should be no stains and no loose thread on your attire as well. Fitting and color of the dress should be suitable. It should neither be of vibrant colors nor of dull colors. A white shirt is often the best thing to wear while going for an interview.

2. What does a smiling and happy body language indicate?

Body language is a nonverbal behavior. It tells us a lot about the current mental state of the person displaying it and can help us get a better idea of how the person is feeling. It is one of the most important ways our brains communicate with other people, which can either be positive or negative. It is an essential tool for building rapport, and is often used in presentations, interactions, and job interviews to let people know that you are listening, interested, and want to be able to connect. The body language of the people you are watching has a strong impact on their perceptions of you and it has a strong impact on their behavior towards you.

3. How to show willingness to join the firm?

The willingness to join the firm is one of the first and most important qualities that a candidate brings to a new employer. It helps to convey that the candidate is not only a strong leader, but also is honest, hardworking, and committed to providing the best service possible. It can be shown by making the interview a two-way conversation rather than monotonous. Asking questions like package details and work culture at the right time makes you look more interested in acquiring the position. Taking a follow up and asking for next steps is also important.

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This isn’t just a catchy headline meant to shock you, though that would be a justified reaction. If you are 25 years old, have graduated from a reputed institute in a traditional higher education discipline and are looking for a job, you may not be handed one on a platter any time soon. You may be cushioned within the famous Indian demographic that is supposed to yield a “dividend”, but unlike what you’ve been reading everywhere, this does not guarantee you employment. Between 1980 to 2010, 90% of world labour force growth occurred in developing countries and about 500 million new workers emerged in India and China alone (workers went from 260 million to 470 million in India, between this period). India, along with other developing counterparts, is all set to fuel 60% of the global growth in labour in the upcoming years. Keep in mind that enrolment in Indian higher education is only 24% right now. With India attaining almost universal elementary education and increased retention in secondary schools, the projected demand for higher education and jobs thereafter, will only escalate. By 2050, India will be home to more than a billion job seekers. This means providing jobs for over 12 million new entrants annually. There is also the challenge of finding jobs for the backlog, which reached 60 million by 2014. So isn’t this good news? India finally placed on the world map with a solid advantage where labour supply is concerned. Well, it may not all be good news. The new-age job-seeker must strive to acquire specific skill sets to be considered employable. Currently, only 43% of Indian youth are considered fully employable. Indian millennials are being touted as the future of jobs and the saviours of the working world. But this won’t hold true if in-demand skills are not imparted to the youth entering the workforce. The world of work is changing and industries are transforming. It’s a fact that we are moving towards a massive labour pool, but we are possibly riding a low-skill, low-wage cycle to get there. The country is on a trajectory that involves a surplus of millions of low-skill workers, whereas most nations, including India, will be increasingly demanding a high-skill workforce. Impacting Education: My Journey and UpGrad Most industries are replacing low-skill jobs with high-skill ones. Skills relating to upcoming technologies like cloud computing, social media, artificial intelligence, robotics, nanotechnology, etc, are gaining immense relevance. Unfortunately, our education system is not preparing students well enough to enter the workforce as high-skill workers or equipping them with skills in the mentioned emerging domains. Gone are the days when just holding a graduate degree was enough to get employers to clamour to hire you. Education is not enough. The new-age job-seeker must strive to acquire specific skill sets to be considered employable. Currently, only 43% of Indian youth are considered fully employable. Gone are the days when just holding a graduate degree was enough to get employers to clamour to hire you. Education is not enough. The positive connotation associated with our demographic shift has been taken for granted and assigned the term “dividend.” But if we don’t strategically harness this change, we could very easily be faced with a demographic disaster. We don’t want to be stuck in a situation where we have too many job-seekers with inadequate skills, and therefore not enough jobs for them. India is moving workers out of farm jobs at a very fast rate, and this will only add to the burden of providing jobs in other sectors. We need a wake-up call and more concerted efforts towards large-scale skill development and training. We may have a situation of too few high-skill workers and not enough jobs for medium- or low-skill workers. This needs to be rectified by adjusting the education and skilling system to ready ourselves for the jobs of tomorrow. UpGrad develops various programs such as Digital Marketing Certification Program, and Product Management Certification Program in collaboration with IIIT Bangalore, specially designed for working professionals looking to up-skill themselves.  Check out the free courses.
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by Mayank Kumar

20 Jun'16
Only 25% Of Indian Graduates Are Employable, And The Solution Is Obvious

6.59K+

Only 25% Of Indian Graduates Are Employable, And The Solution Is Obvious

Co-authored by: Apoorva Shankar, Business Development Associate, UpGrad The world today has enhanced productivity requirements. Due to this, the demand for highly skilled labour is growing. China and India are set to drive this demand. Globally, the share of low-skill jobs is likely to decline from 74% of employment in 2010 to 62% by 2020. On the other hand, the shortage of highly skilled workers with a tertiary level of education is expected to reach 18 million by 2020, globally. But due to its demographic dividend, India will have a labour surplus of 47 million by 2020. However, this surplus may only be of low-skilled labour. And while the demand for highly skilled labour is increasing, the supply isn’t quite keeping up. The challenge, as well as opportunity, that India faces is how to train such a large reserve of labour and convert low skills to high skills. One solution that immediately comes to mind is providing higher education for all. But at present only 24% of those meant to be participating in higher education, are actually enrolled. Plus, traditional college or university pedagogy has been increasingly criticized for being outdated and irrelevant to the jobs market. If you attended school or college in India, you will have first-hand experience of the ills that plague the system. Some of the reasons for this are: Absence of a customized or personalized approach to education (necessary as different students have different needs and learning capabilities). Restricted resources due to not-for-profit nature of educational institutes and over-regulation. Lack of technology infrastructure. Poor teaching quality. Lack of skills-based learning. Low focus on research and development. Minimal partnerships with industry/foreign academia. Outdated curricula not reflecting requirements of a dynamic market environment. Skill-intensive industries are expected to contribute more than 90% of India’s GDP by 2030. The opportunity is staring at us in the face. Only about 25% of Indian graduates are considered employable by the organized sector. Further, 48% of Indian employers said they were having difficulty in filling jobs, in 2012. Despite employers expressing difficulty in finding employable candidates, in 2009-10 the unemployment rates in India were higher for those who were more educated (graduates had more difficulty finding jobs than secondary or primary level graduates). [b_color background=”#EDFF3D”] Also Read – Technology will surely kill some jobs, but not all of them [/b_color] So Indian education, in its current form, hasn’t proved to be enough training for the incoming workforce. The numbers also prove that just completing higher education in any field is not all it takes anymore. This pinch is being increasingly felt as the world of jobs is turning upside down; which is why we need skill training. Skill-intensive industries are expected to contribute more than 90% of India’s GDP by 2030. The opportunity is staring at us in the face. It’s not just about the potential but also the responsibility we are tasked with — restoring balance to the global supply of labour. The country needs to invest in skill development and training for a large chunk of its population. Exploiting sheer numbers is therefore one major reason to skill our workers. Secondly, the demand for advanced skill-sets in emerging areas is growing. Knowledge-intensive roles such as finance, business, etc, and those related to information technology and entrepreneurship are gaining momentum. The reality that these skills must be acquired will take root for more and more individuals, including drop-outs from the mainstream education system and those who have completed such education. Currently, the actual supply of these workers falls drastically short of matching growing demand. Hence, the gaps in domain knowledge are another reason to scale up the skilling. You are likely to be at a disadvantage, in terms of skill training and thereby employability, when compared to someone your age in China, USA, South Korea… In China about 47% of the workforce has received some kind of skill training, 52% in USA, 68% in UK, 75% in Germany, 80% in Japan and 96% in South Korea. Comparatively, only about 10% of the Indian workforce received such training in 2008. India is seventh in the category of countries facing maximum difficulty in filling jobs, i.e., 58% difficulty, where the global average is 38%. These figures reflect that just belonging to the young Indian demographic is not enough. You are likely to be at a disadvantage, in terms of skill training and thereby employability, when compared to someone your age in China, USA, South Korea etc. To address these imbalances, India needs unprecedented increase in both education and job creation. At this point, there is no guaranteed advantage for India in the contest for high-skill talent. It will be dependent on skilling. Considering the state of higher education and the skill upgrade required to be carried out in the future, the process will not just be about learning for professionals, but rather unlearning and re-learning.
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by Mayank Kumar

13 Jul'16
7 reasons to watch UpGrad Talks today

5.2K+

7 reasons to watch UpGrad Talks today

There is really no secret sauce for success. Provided you have had the opportunity to view the exclusive online tete-e-tete sessions brought to you by UpGrad Talks. With an amazing roster of world-class speakers, some from the top 1000 companies of India such as Mahindra & Mahindra, Tata Sky, Coca Cola, JP Morgan, JWT to start-up poster children such as RedBus, Snadeal, Ola & Zivame and many more, Upgrad Talks provides insights into their formulae for success. The talks also share deep learning from situations that didn’t work out and many valuable nuggets of honest, down-to-earth and practical advice from successful entrepreneurs, experts and industry leaders. While some lip service has been paid to new-age technologies and skill sets, and the evolution of industries because of these, a deeper understanding of what this signifies is missing. Upgrad Talks intends to fill this gap by bringing together thought-leaders from different walks of life and raising the level of discourse in this area, as they share their experiences. Here are the top reasons why you must visit talks.upgrad.com today and make it your daily source of insights and motivation: Get Inspired Inspiration can come from many different sources. You may get inspired when you see a problem that needs a solution, which you are able to ideate, or get inspired when you hear stories of adversity being overcome by sheer willpower. Rarely does the simple existence of wealth inspire us. It may motivate us to work harder, but inspiration stems from a deeper place that needs real stories. Upgrad Talks are stories from the folks who have lived these stories, first hand. Not only does hearing someone’s complete story of challenges, thought process and subsequent outcome inspire, it also gives birth to new ideas and provides impetus to grow in your own space.  Moreover, inspiration also stems from well-put statements such as, ‘attitude will sail you through,’ by Harit Nagpal, CEO of Tata Sky. A key benefit of listening to industry leaders is that it also inspires us to think. ‘What we think, we become,’ is a quote by Buddha that sums up this well. Go ahead, face challenges It does not matter if you are a startup or an established financial organization; challenges, big or small, exist in every level of most businesses. Challenges faced, strategized and overcome is the rite of passage for almost everyone. Not only do Upgrad Talks cover challenges faced by leading industry veterans, it also covers it from various stages of businesses along with discussion of the solutions that helped overcome them. Upgrad Talks speakers’ discuss challenges faced by businesses in different spaces, which makes these talks an interesting listen. Furthermore, is quite motivating to hear the candid conversations of business leaders. So what is the common thought on challenges in the Upgrad Talks? No challenge is too big. It also strengthens the belief that challenges help you grow and become stronger and develops a sense of confidence to take on the next big challenge. Learn from influencers People who can motivate are great influencers. To hear success stories at Upgrad Talks, which have been driven by deep-rooted passion as well as courage of conviction can be a great influence on most people. It is likely to help you push yourself to greater heights and also follow your dreams a bit more diligently. To quote Snapdeal’s Kunal Bahl, ‘ there is a fine line between stubbornness and persistence.’ Upgrad Talks is likely to help you define the lines as an excellent selection of influencers talk also about the key soft skills required to make it a significant mark on the industry that you belong to. Mentoring As you listen to entrepreneurs, business leaders and experts on models that have worked, one can also start drawing parallels to one’s one business or profession. Mentoring of this kind is both subtle and effective as it helps you choose some key takeaways from the shared experiences that are most relevant to you. Follow the series to get premium access to the best mentors in the country as they talk about education, the emerging digital age and its impact on businesses, talent shortages and advice to youngsters. A bit of crystal gazing In the series of Upgrad Talks, one is likely to come across a vast amount of business knowledge which has been converted into digestible insights that can also help you choose the next steps in your career. Speakers’ at Upgrad Talks share their business mantras and what the future is likely to be.  This is crystal gazing of the finest variety and yet another reason to tune into the talks. A healthy dash of optimism One of the unique selling points of the Upgrad Talks is that they also brings out the combined optimism in business from key industry leaders. Apart from that one can learn what is next in the industry, and explore potential future opportunities in the workspace. The upbeat and positive nature of these talks makes them a must-listen. Easily available online Just in case you were wondering how far you would need to travel to listen to such a wide range of speakers, you can breath easy. Upgrad Talks are delivered online and you can listen to them at your own convenience. All you need to do is to long onto talks.upgrad.com and you can access high quality, pre-recorded sessions online. Upgrad is making content richer, bigger and better as it kicks off with 15+ talks delivered by entrepreneurs, experts & business leaders.  You definitely do not want to miss out on the educational transformation that UpGrad is fuelling in partnership with some of the greatest minds. Remember, one can never stop learning. So, if you always aspired to hear great advice and insights from the top Indian business leaders on how you can grow your business, choose a career goal or get inspired, do take a look at Upgrad Talks. They are truly the voices that impact. Join us today and be a part of it at talks.upgrad.com.
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by Omkar Pradhan

06 Aug'16