How to face Campus Recruitment Interviews

1. For how long will a typical interview last?

Placement interviews last anywhere from 5-6 minutes to 30-40 minutes. However, you should not com about your chances based on the duration of the interview. A short interview is not necessarily bad. A l necessarily good. 2. What are the types of recruitment interviews?

While some companies conduct separate HR and Technical interviews (these could be individual elimina candidate may be put through both the interviews) some companies combine both Tech and HR modes interview. 3. What is the size and composition of the interview panel?

The size of the interview panel normally varies from one to three. With the top I.T companies drasticall intake, recruitment teams are under time pressure. Hence single panels are becoming increasingly pop teams comprise senior or middle management personnel from both HR and Technical functions in the c 4. Should I carry all my certificates with me to the interview?

Carry all the original certificates (starting from 10th standard) with you when you go for an interview. P set of attested photocopies of all the certificates (which you can give to the interview panel in case they

You should also carry any certificates that you may have pertaining to your extra-curricular activities (i won, participation in various events/games/sports). 5. What is the appropriate dress code for an interview?

An interview is a formal occasion and you are expected to attend the same in formal wear. Casual wear sneakers, etc. are ruled out. If you are a male, you should tuck your shirt in, use a tie and wear formal the morning of the interview do not go for the interview with stubble. If you are a female, you can we saree or skirt and shirt. If you have long hair, neatly plait it or tend to it in a manner that it does not lo

Before you go into the interview room, make sure that you take a couple of minutes to comb your hair.

6. How should we enter the interview room? What should we do after we enter the interview

Normally, when your turn comes, either one of the panel members or an assistant will come and call yo your interview. Whether the door is open or net knock gently on the door. At the door, clearly and loud in, sir and walk in without any trepidation.

Once you reach the interviewers table, wish the panel members (by saying Good morning or Good a for the interview panel to ask you to be seated. 7. Is there any good sitting posture?

There are no rules regarding sitting posture. You may read in some books that you should cross your le tuck your feet under the chair, put your hands in your lap, etc. as suggested ways of sitting in an interv such advice whatever posture you are comfortable with, adopt that posture. However, you have to en convey seriousness. So, any posture conveying casualness should be avoided like sitting back in the c the chair on its hind legs.

As far as your hands are concerned, you can keep them on the arm-rests of the chair you are sitting in them in your lap.

8. Can I lean forward and keep my file and rest my elbows on the interviewers table?

No. The table belongs to the interviewers it is their property. Do not lean on the table. Keep your file However, you can use the table when the need arises for example, if you need to write or draw some your reply to a question, then you can keep your paper or book (and the file) on the table, write whate once it is over, take your file and paper back and keep them in your lap. 9. What type of language should we use in the interview?

As already discussed, an interview is a formal occasion. It requires formal language and that too, Englis vernacular in the middle of your conversation in an interview. However, you need not worry about the f language. Go ahead and communicate your ideas in as simple a language as possible without worrying errors you may make. 10. What role does body language have to play in an interview? Use body language movement of hands, head, etc. in a manner that conveys confidence and has a the interviewers. Do not overdo your hand movements, etc. Gesticulate only to the extent necessary. 11. What does the interview panel look for in a candidate in an interview?

The interviewers will look for a candidate who has an aptitude and skill required for the job and who ca take up higher levels of responsibility in future. The suitability is established by looking at the knowledg dimensions. Knowledge, aptitude, willingness to learn, ability to adapt to situations, ability to be a part flow of ideas, balanced thought process and a very clear goal orientation are some of the parameters th check on. The candidate should also be able to apply his skills in tune with the ethical and moral framew 12. How do the interviewers assess the candidate in this manner?

The interview panel members assess the candidate by asking him/her a variety of questions and lookin responses for these questions. Whatever be the questions asked, they look for certain qualities and attr candidate. The main qualities that they look for in the candidates are: Level of knowledge the candidates possesses Conceptual understanding of issues Clarity of thought Communication skills Planning of career Basic personality Reacting to a situation Knowledge is the single most important attribute that the interviewers look for in the candidates.

The candidate should have a proper understanding of the issues involved. Whether it is the subjects tha college or it is other areas that you claim to have knowledge in (like computers and software), the pane interested not just in the marks scored in exams but also your basic conceptual understanding of variou

In addition to conceptual understanding, the interviewers will be interested in your ability to apply wha other areas. This reflects in the clarity of thought that you are able to exhibit. Your thinking process is r answers to a variety of questions and hence, it is imperative that you think through the question before a reply to the question asked.

Your ability to express your ideas clearly and succinctly is an attribute that carries a lot of weight in the is something that the interviewers will be looking for specifically. Communication skills play an importan have to make a conscious effort to communicate properly what you have in mind.

The interviewers will also be interested in knowing how well you have thought about your career how y your career. They want to be assured that you are not generally drifting in the sea of life and have com by chance but you are there by design and prior planning. You will also be evaluated on a number of personality related issues including, your value systems.

The interview panel members are likely to create situations to see how you will react to different situati essential because, in real life, you will face a number of situations and you will have to react to them w time to think about them.

In fact, if we have to describe what an interview is in one statement, it is all about how you think on yo situations. 13. What are the different types or categories of questions?

Different companies focus on different aspects. The nature and type of questions also vary from one ca for the same company. Hence, a candidate should prepare on a range of areas/questions like. Self introduction Subject Knowledge/specialization Awareness about the domains/areas where the company is operating Career related questions Personality related questions Hobbies/Interests/Extra-curricular activities

14. Since you are saying that certain questions or types of questions are likely to be asked in it advisable to prepare answers for these questions and go for the interviews?

While you should prepare for interviews, you should not be preparing a specific answer for any question the difference. Preparing for the interview or for a particular question will mean that you think through your approach will be in handling the question and what points you will consider in answering the quest answer will necessarily entail working out your answer (in its entirety) and, probably, even committing will not help. Once you are clear as to what points you will cover in your answer, the answer itself shou interview on the spot. Make sure that you never go with answers learnt by heart. It is very easy for a interviewer to make out that the answer is not spontaneous and that it is coming from memory. 15. What should be the answer for the question Tell us something about yourself?

First of all, note that there is nothing like the answer or the correct answer for any question excep which require a fact to be given as the answer.

Tell us something about yourself is the first question asked in a number of interviews. This question is different reasons. The first is that it puts you at ease, as it is a fairly easy question to deal with. The se the interviewers get to know some basic details about you, while at the same time, getting a little bit o your application/bio-data.

Nevertheless, it is an important question. This often lays the foundation for the entire interview a num questions can be based on what you say in response to this question.

You should cover your educational background very briefly and then emphasize on your technical skills subjects. Highlight your achievements be it academics or otherwise. Mention hobbies and extracurricula few details on the kind of person you are likes etc. Family background is not essential. In case you cove briefly. 16. What is the level of questions in academics?

Subject knowledge is given significant weightage by interviewers. Such questions are aimed at testing y of the basic concepts in the area of your graduation. Focus would be on areas of work of the company, favourite subjects etc. You should have an idea about new developments in your area of study. Unless thoroughly for academic related questions, you could get into serious trouble in the interview.

17. Most I.T companies recruit students from non-I.T branches. How should I prepare?

You should be comfortable in answering questions in your branch of study and should be able to indicat I.T. For example, if a mechanical engineer is going for an I.T job, he should still be clear about basic co mechanical engineering. The interviewers may check this out to see how good your basic engineering s are. The candidate should also be clear about applications of I.T in his field of study and should highligh proficiency/aptitude in programming/other areas in I.T to establish his interest in this field.

18. What are the typical questions that the interviewers ask in the area of personality relate

Personality related questions basically include two types of questions. The first type is about your "Stre Weaknesses." Strengths and weaknesses are asked very frequently and this is a fairly important questi thinking and proper preparation.

The second type of questions on your personality relate to your value systems. The interviewers may a values you believe in. There can be questions on honesty and integrity. Very often, the interview panel create a situation involving compromise of values and ask you to react. 19. What are the strengths that we can talk of?

Do not look at a standard list of strengths from which you can pick up your strengths. You have to as personality and come with your strengths. Typically, they may pertain to hard working nature, congenia ability, discipline, punctuality, goal-oriented approach, analytical approach to problem solving, working Make it your list of strengths and not what somebody else has told you. Also, after you tell the interview strengths, be ready to face a follow-up question asking you to give a situation where your strengths he explain how you realised that you had these strengths. You should be prepared to give an example by n incident which highlights your strengths. 20. Can I say that I do not have any weaknesses? If I mention some weaknesses, will it not

There will hardly be any human being without any weaknesses at all. So, do not worry about mentionin in an interview. It will not go against you. What the interviewers will be interested in is how well you ar yourself, and after identifying your weaknesses, what action you are taking to overcome such weaknes

If you give a reply like I do not have any weaknesses, it will reflect poorly on your self-assessment ca your weaknesses along with your strengths before you go for the interviews. Talk to your close friends family members. They are the best people to give you an idea about your weaknesses what you are n prepared to explain what steps you are taking to overcome your weaknesses.

Almost every one of us will have one or more of the weaknesses like lack of punctuality, impatience, im making, etc. 21. What are the typical questions that the interviewers ask in the area of career related qu

Typically the questions will focus on what you intend to do in life, how you envisage your career taking chose your branch of study, how do you plan to use the knowledge acquired in work, why you want to area/branch of work, alternate career plans, why you intend to join a particular company, which domain work in, how you will contribute to the organization, where do you see yourselves in 5/10 years from n

Most interviewers expect you to have a goal or a career objective. You may not be in a position to spell detail. Nevertheless, you should have a broad framework and alternate plans in mind. If you indicate th about your future plan, it could mean that you are a drifter and this could work against you.

For questions on where you see yourselves 5/10 years from now get details from seniors or friends wo industry and from websites of leading companies in the industry. This will help you to understand how c progress in organizations and to frame an answer.

22. How to tackle a question why do you want to join us?.

Before the interview, prepare specifically on the company by gathering information about them from m and friends working there and the company website. Check out basic like revenue, net profit, growth, s countries/states, take overs, domains/areas of specialisation, products, awards won, latest news, corpo etc. This will give you ample information to be prepared for this question. 23. How should we prepare for questions asked about my hobbies and interests?

Normally, the interviewers will ask you questions on your extra-curricular activities, hobbies and interes have none, tell them that you do not have any. But if you have any, then you should be ready to deal w depth. For example, if cricket is one of your extra-curricular activities or hobbies, then you should be ab statistics, current happenings in cricket including the names of players in the teams of various countrie

If reading is one of your hobbies, potential questions include: the names of the authors whose books yo of the books that you have read in the recent past, the main characters in those books, an analysis of t

If you indicate reading of magazines as one of your interests, then you should be ready with the followi magazines that you read regularly: the names of the publishers, the number of languages in which they names of the editors, recent cover stories, etc.

For the newspapers that you read daily, you will need to know details like the places from where the ne published, the names of the editors, etc.

You may also face a question on how your hobbies/interests have helped you mould your character or w achieving your career goals. 24. How much time will we get to think before we start answering a question?

The general rule that you should observe is Think before you answer any question. Do not be in a tea reply. You need not start your reply the moment the question is asked. You can take 2-3 seconds to an This valuable time helps you collect your thoughts before you answer the question. This is particularly u is slightly uncomfortable.

25. Should we give short and crisp answers to the questions asked or should we give elabora

You should avoid giving Yes or No as the responses to questions that you are asked in the interview avoid one-word answers. While you should not end up giving a very long answer to any question, give answer to communicate clearly your thinking on the issue that is under discussion. Remember, the inte to know your personality, clarity of thought, etc. Hence, you should look at every question as an opport interviewer know more about you.

26. If we do not know answers to some questions, can we guess? Arent there chances that t himself may not know the answers?

Do not underestimate the calibre or the intelligence of the interviewers normally they are very learne your interest that you do not work on the premise that the interviewer may not know the answer. If yo answer, say that you do not know. However, if you want to guess, do so by saying that you would like answer. You can say, Sorry sir, I do not know the answer. However, can I make a guess?

Your making a guess will work only for questions that are fact based and not opinion based. If the inter your opinion on an issue, you cannot obviously say that you do not know. 27. Should we always be completely honest in an interview?

In general, honesty is the best policy in an interview. Be your natural self as far as answering questio However, in our day-to-day interaction with anybody, all of us wear a mask to show a different identi are. The type and level of mask may vary from person to person. You should try to have a genuinely pl on your face. Smile often. 28. What should we do if the interviewers ask irrelevant questions?

Do not ever believe that the interviewers are asking you questions that are not relevant to the selection

interview, there is nothing like an irrelevant question. Remember that the interviewer is trying to asses you react to situations. As discussed already, look at every question as an opportunity. Tackle it keepin thought process is under scrutiny the issue under discussion is not relevant. 29. What is a stress interview? Are stress interviews common in campus selection process?

In almost all the Campus selection interviews, the interviewers try to make the interviewee as comforta Very seldom does one come across stress interviews in campus recruitments. In stress interviews, the candidate is subjected to pressure.

Right from the word go, the interviewers shoot questions at rapid-fire speed. They will probably not g the interviewee for any question before the interviewee can complete an answer, the next question is the next question is asked even before the candidate starts the answer. The interviewers also tend to m candidate almost throughout the interview making comments that the candidate does not know anyth ask very personal questions in a stress interview which can make the candidate very uncomfortable.

While stress interviews do not form a significant proportion of the total number of interviews conducted is not uncommon to find a stress interview here or there. You should be mentally prepared to face a str 30. How should we tackle stress interviews?

On the basis of how the interview progresses, you can make out whether your interview is a stress inte half a minute itself.

The most important thing in a stress interview is that you should keep your cool. Since the panel memb under severe stress, they will give you the benefit of doubt in case you are not able to answer the ques give a wrong answer. They will not hold it against you as much as they would in a normal interview.

Do not react to their taunting remarks. If they make a caustic remarks, just smile and say, I understan view, sir, but my view is . Do not sitting there cursing yourself for getting into that mess. Focus on they are asking next. Overall, a candidate who can keep his/her cool will come out in flying colours from a stress interview.

31. At the end of the interview, how will the interviewers indicate that the interview is over?

They will make a clear statement like, Thank you, Mr. ---------. Wish you all the best. Sometimes, the ask you question like, Would you like to ask us anything? Such a question also indicates that they are questions. 32. In such a case, can I ask them any questions? You certainly can. However, ask questions that are relevant. Please do not ask questions like How did interview? or How did I do in my written test? or Will I get selected?

You can use this opportunity to highlight your interest in the company. For example say, you have bee growing at the rate of 30% annually. What helps you to maintain such a high growth? If you dont have any specific questions just say Thank you sirs. I dont have any questions to ask 33. What should I do before I leave the interview room?

Stand up, push your chair back a little, wish the interviewers by making statements like, Thank you, s you all, sirs, turn back and walk gracefully out of the room. If the door is closed when you are going o close the door behind you after you go out.