Personal
Interview: The term ‘interview’ is derived from the
French word ‘entrevue’ meaning ‘to glimpse’, ‘sight between’ or ‘to see each
other’. It is formal oral face to face communication. It is defined as “a
formal meeting between two or more persons for specific purposes”. In
interview, questions are asked to assess interviewee’s knowledge, skills,
views, attitude, ideas and perception.
Objectives
of Interview:
1) To
select a suitable person for job/employment.
2) To
know progress of the project over a given period.
3) To
collect information about the candidate.
4) To
get feedback.
5) To
asses and evaluate candidate’s views, ideas, attitude, communication skills,
confidence, etc.
6) To
know problems of the workers and find out a proper solution to the problems.
7) For
counseling.
Types of Interview:
1)
Job
Interview: The interview which is conducted to select a
suitable person for job/employment is called Job Interview. In it, the
candidate is asked questions to assess his knowledge, communication skills,
confidence, attitude, ideas and perception.
2) Campus
Interview: Campus Interview is conducted by the big
companies to recruit the fresh graduates in the campus of colleges or
universities. There are many reasons of recruiting fresh graduates. They are –
i) They could be trained and moulded according to needs of the company. ii)
Fresh minds bring fresh ideas. iii) They are equipped with new and latest
technologies. vi) They expect less salary. v) They remain ready to accept
challenges.
There are two types of
Campus Interview:
a) On Campus Interview:
On campus interview is conducted in the campus of a college or a university.
b) Off Campus Interview:
Off campus interview is conducted not in the campus of any college or
university. It is conducted in any hotel or any another place like that. Its
purpose is to give chance to fresh graduates from various colleges or
institutions. Here, the competition is
more than that of ‘on campus interview’.
3) Grievance
Interview: Grievance interview is organized to know the
complaints/problems/grievance of the workers in the company. Its another
purpose is to find a proper solution to the problem the workers are facing in
the company.
4) Exit
Interview: Exit interview is conducted when a worker is
about to leave the organization or company. The purpose of arranging exit
interview is to get feedback, suggestions and information about the
company/organization. Because the worker could be free and honest in his
comments and opinions about the company/organization. These honest feedback,
comments and opinions are useful for the future planning and development of the
organization.
How to Prepare for Interview?/How to Face
Interview?
Interview is a skill. No
skill could be acquired without preparation and practice. Its preparation could
be divided into the following three stages:
1) Preparation
Stage: This is a stage when one is looking for a
suitable job or
employment or may look for the better job than the job at present. Following
aspects could be considered while preparing for an interview:
a) Self-Assessment:
The candidate should make self-evaluation/self-assessment before any interview.
He should try to know his strengths, weaknesses, hobby, interest, attitude,
communication skills, etc through self-assessment. If he has clear idea about
all these things, he can properly answer the questions related to his personal
details.
b) Updating
Resume: The candidate should update his resume
before he applies for any interview. His resume is the first document which
speaks about the candidate with his employers. Hence, it should be
well-structured, properly formatted and in grammatically correct language. It
should make good impression on the mind of the readers,
c) Collecting
Information about the Organisation/Company:
Before the interview, the candidate should collect information about the
organization/institution/company in which he wants to work. He should try to
know mission, motto, objectives and function of that
organization/institution/company so that he can answer the questions
accordingly in the interview.
d) Thinking
over the Possible Questions: The candidate should think
over the possible questions asked in interview. He can prepare a list of the
possible questions generally asked in interview. After preparation of the list,
he can try to find out answers of such questions. It will raise the candidate’s
confidence.
e) Physical
Preparation: Presentable and well-groomed appearance
creates good and positive impression in an interview. The candidate’s dress
should be appropriate, formal and not too colourful. There is difference
between campus fashions and work fashions. The candidate should keep it in
mind. Therefore, he should wear the cloths suitable to the profession for which
he is facing interview. The candidate should have a suitable hair-style. He
must avoid dark perfume and nail-polish. If the candidate is physically
well-prepared, he naturally feels fresh and confidence.
f) Psychological Preparation:
Psychological and mental preparation plays important role in interview. The
candidate must have positive and vigorous attitude. He must have confidence
too. He should have stable and balanced mind. He should think about his
strengths and how they can be focused. He should not think too much about the
questions he is not sure about. It may decrease his confidence level. He should
bear in mind that ‘an interview is a psychological game’ and he should be
prepared for that.
g) Carrying
Documents: Before the interview, the candidate should
make sure that the documents are properly and chronologically arranged. He
should take at least two bunches of the Xerox copies of his documents with him
at the time of interview. He should have documentary proofs of the things he
has claimed in resume.
2) Performance Stage: Performance
stage is very important in interview. It is actual execution of interview. It
starts from the moment the candidate reaches the place/venue of interview.
Hence, the candidate should bear in mind some important points for successful
performance. The points are as follow:
· Reach
the interview place at least 20 to 30 minutes before the time given.
· Report
your presence at the reception counter.
· Observe
the environment of the organization/institution/company to be familiar with it.
· Treat
everyone with modesty.
· Before
entering the interview hall, seek permission of the interviewers to get inside.
· Greet
the interviewers politely.
· Don’t
sit directly in the chair.
· Wait
till someone tells you to sit in the chair.
· Sit
naturally by putting your both legs planted on the floor.
· Have
a cheerful face and pleasant look.
· Maintain
eye contact with every member on interview panel.
· Listen
to the interviewers carefully.
· Respond
and give answers relevantly.
· If
you are not sure about answer or don’t know the answer, admit it politely. Just
say, ‘Sorry sir, I
don’t know the answer’.
· Give
answer in full sentences.
· Don’t
give lengthy answers.
· Don’t
answer every time in ‘yes’ or ‘no’.
· Control
your temper, body language and gestures.
· Don’t
indulge in debates with the interviewers.
· Avoid
criticism and negative remarks about others or previous employers.
· If
you have any questions, ask politely to the interviewrs.
· Thank
and wish the interviewers before leaving the room.
3)
Evaluation
Stage: As soon as the candidate leaves the
interview cabin/hall, the interviewers discuss about the candidate’s
performance. They evaluate his performance. They make judgment whether the
candidate should be recruited/appointed or not. If they decide that the
candidate should be appointed, they convey it through appointment letter.
After
the interview is over, the candidate should make self-evaluation. He should
think over his strong points and weaknesses in interview. He should think over the
mistakes made by him during the interview. It will help the candidate for the
preparation of the next interview.
