PERSONAL INTERVIEW
What is personal interview?
For Job
Personal interview is a formal meeting or dicussion and face to face interaction, between interviewer and interviewee, in order to assess the ability, attitude and personal attributes of an interviewee.
For Media
A questionnaire or conversation with a prominent person, in which required information is obtained, often conducted by journalists or reporters for digital and print media, for enlightenment of public
Personal interview
When people communictly with each other much more information is communicated between them like behavior, attitude, facial expressions and body language. Generally, before attending personal interview, people have to successfully emerge from written test and group discussion. The organizations generally look for the candidates who will match their needs and fit for particular job. Thus, all the organizations conduct personal interviews to select the candidates as per their required standards. The personal interview is more about personal questionnaire. you will be facing a set of questions from single person or from a group of professionals called interview panel. No matter how many years of experience one has, he or she will still feel nervous before or during the interview, and it is natural. But, one has to have a relaxed mind and focus towards interview.
It is clear that nobody will get selected without showing ability and soft skills, apart from having good academic and technical skills. In that case, why should we get worry! You must always keep in mind that your need the job and they need your services. It’s that simple, yet people get nervous. You have to just treat this personal interview as a one to one conversation, while showing your ability and firing all cylinders to come out of the interview with flying colors. Typically the main focus of personal interview is on the following aspects :-
- Personal details
- Academic details
- Your background
- Social awareness
- Your personality
- Experience
Ensure that the following points are observed :-
- Carry the original certificates, degrees, testimonials in a separate file duly kept in order
- Take mock interview sessions
- Have knowledge about the company
- Keep the original call letter
- Carry extra copies of Resume
Following are the universal commandments for personal interview, If followed diligently, your success is guaranteed:-
- Check the Resume for its correctness
- Prepare yourself for academic, general knowledge and job related subjects
- Maintain proper dress code
- Be punctual
- Wish the interview panel politely
- Present yourself in a relaxed and confidence manner
- Never answer a question with bias
- Do not argue or debate
- Never try to interrupt the interviewer
- Listen to the question with attention
- Maintain proper eye contact
- Behave in a dignified and professional manner
- Speak clearly while answering
- Maintain tone and tenor
- Display your skills to the best of your ability
- Feel free and never feel nervous
- Do not speak too qucikly or too slowly when answering
- Whenever the interviewer asks questions, listen carefully
- Ask for the clarification if the question is not clear
- If you don’t know the answer, be The interviewer will respect your integrity and honesty
- Never boast about your achievements
- Don’t get into an argument with the interviewer on any Restrain yourself.
- Display enthusiasm so that the interviewer will pay attention whatever you say
- Maintain cheerful disposition throughout the interview
- Maintain perfect eye contact with all the panel members
- Feel free to ask questions if necessary
- Talk naturally and genuinely
Body language during interview :-
- Make yourself in comfortable position in chair with dignity
- Maintain correct posture
- Do not slouch – Keep your body still and not too rigid
- Make use of hand gestures freely as necessary
Avoid the following traits :-
- Playing with your tie
- Artificial gestures
- Shaking legs
- Keeping your arms on chair in an awkward position
Good manners after interview
No matter how you fared at interview, you must thank the panel as a gesture of respect for the time they have spared for you. Do not forget to collect your belongings, before you leave interview room. Place the chair in its original position, once your get up from the chair.
Performance at personal interview is a gateway to your dream job
Performance at personal interview is like selling yourself. You have to market yourself. Nobody helps at your personal interview. You should be very particular about your preparation for interview. Always try to perform your best, as the competition is very high all the time, irrespective of the job opportunities available. Every mistake you do at personal interview entails to the advantages of other candidates. Check your resume for its cent per cent correctness and put down only your abilities and skills without exaggeration. Remember! Honesty is the best policy. Set everything right well in advance, and do not rush at the elevent hour. Make it a habit before every interview and try to rectify the mistakes committed in previous interviews. The common and regular personal interview questions are given below. Get yourself trained with perfect answers to crack the interview with flying colors.
Very universal and expected personal interview questions:-
- Tell us about yourself
- How do you handle stress?
- Can you work under pressure?
- What motivates you?
- How do you evaluate success?
- What is your greatest disappointment in your life?
- What are you passionate about?
- What are your pet peeves?
- What do people most often criticize about you?
- What makes you angry?
- When was the last time you were angry? What happened?
- Why should we hire you?
- What are your salary expectations?
- What do you find is the most difficult decision to make?
- What is your greatest weakeness?
- What is your greatest strength?
- Describe a typical work week?
- Do you take work home with you?
- How many hours do you normally work every day?
- Do you prefer to work independently or in a team?
- Give some examples of teamwork
- What type of work environment do you prefer?
- Did you ever handle heavy workload? How did you handle it?
- Why are you leaving your present job?
- Where do you see yourself five years from now?
- Why do you want to work in our company?
- What are your career options right now?
- How do you feel about working nights and weekends?
- Would you lie for the company, if situation and demands?
- Why did you choose this career?
- When did you decide on this career?
- What goals do you have in your career?
- How do you plan to achieve these goals?
- Describe a situation in which you were successful?
- What do you think, how oneself is successful in his career?
- Are you a team player?
- What type of role would you like to play in a team?
- Are you a goal oriented person?
- What type of role would you like to play in a team?
- Are you a goal oriented person?
- Tell us some of your goals and how did your achieve it?
- What is your short team goal?
- What is your long term goal?
- What is your favorite subject?
- Do you want to ask us something about or company?
- Do you have any location preferences?
- What do you do, if we ask you to relocate in the future?
- Would you like to travel? How frequent?
- Why did you apply for this job?
- Are you ambitious?
- Who is your role model in life and why?
- Are you speaking to some other companies?
- Which companies are you talking to?
- You have switched many jobs, why?
- What was your biggest mistake?
- Why haven’t you got a job yet?
- You do not have all the experience we require, what you say?
- Have you ever made a mistake at work? How did you rectify it?
- What are the major problems did you face in your last job?
- How do you feel about doing repetitive work?
- How did you manage to attend the interview during work hours?
- Is your career being developed the way you aspired?
- Would you take up this job if we offer it to you?
- What is your hobby? Or what are your hobbies?
- What are the skills that you have developed so far?
- Do you have any project experience ? Emphasize it
- What would you do if your team fails to reach target?
- Do you have any plans for further education?
- What do you know about our company?
- Would you like to ask a question?
Introduce yourself or tell us about yourself or tell me about yourself!
Since this question is always expected form the interview panel, we should emphasize our abilities in brief, apart from telling about ourselves. A typical answer from a fresher is given below:-
As you know, my name is kumar. My qualification is B.Tech. I have studied at JNTU campus. I have completed my shooling from ZPHS school, Siripuram, Guntur. I was a captain of my college cricket team and our team has been the winner for three consecutive years. I have learned some of the qualities how a team builds up and how to lead the team. I have been consistent in my academic performance. I am a good learner and enjoy working with others as a team. I am now looking forward to join a company that offer a challenging job with new opportunities. My father is a bank employee and my mother is a school teacher. My parents are very supportive and whatever I am now is because of their affection and valuable contributions towards my life. We are three siblings I am the elder one, and the younger is my sister studying intermediate and the youngest is my brother who is in 10th class. They are good at academics. I teach them math and English when I get some free time. I have few friends, with whom I participate in social service. I like to invent something new in my area of concern. I would like to give something back to the society as a responsible citizen.
Note :- You may try to write down the answers to all the interview questions mentioned above. Change the answers according to the time and situation. No need to make fake resumes, if you have skill and ability to face the interview. Moreover, you feel guilty with fake resumes. With guilty you can’t improve your personality or soft skills.
RECRUITING SYSTEM – MANAGER’S ROLE
Recruiting right candidate is not an easy task
All the organizations contain and run with people only. There is not even a single company or organization in the world that run without people. People are most valuable and major asset of any company towards its goal and achievement. And all the companies look for best candidate for the post available and to be filled in, as the whole universe come very closer without any boundaries and all the business entities work as neighbors, though virtually. It becomes mandatory for all companies to have a good recruiting system to meet the ever increasing demands and changing world. Otherwise, half of their valuable resources go to
drain. This process requires assiduous efforts to filter right candidates from myriad applicants. Moreover, the recruitment process should be well structured and compliant with relevant rules and regulations that are prevalent. Remember! This is the last phase of selection process and you have last chance to filter.
Following sequential points are must for any recruiting process :-
Know the exact number of posts available to be filled in
Know the skills to be checked (Academic, Technical and Soft skills) Prepare mandatory check sheet / questionnaire
Filter the resumes for interview after written tests Short list for interview
Gather total information of the candidates
Complete the background check and veracity of resume Select the best candidate
Complete the induction program by conforming legalities
Check soft skills thoroughly
As pet the latest survey conducted by well known institutions throughout the country, it is found that the job candidate’s attitude and behavior have declined drastically. The apparent reason is – lack of
self-awareness-lack of ethical education – lack of proper guidance from faculties and mentors – lack of soft skills. One can’t put the total blame on candidates, as they are products of our education system. Changes are required at the grass root levels. All recruiting managers have specialized knowledge with interview process, with the same set of questionnaire, which is out dated and primitive. An innovative check sheet that is judiciously linked with appropriate software will address the gap.
All hiring managers need to have soft skills embedded in them. Then only they can select the right candidates. Many recruiting managers have wrong notion that they had the ability to select the right candidates with the knowledge they have. Many of them do not know what soft skills are, due to the fact that they have also come from the same educational system, prevalent in the country, They need to change.
The following points are required to be borne in mind by the recruiting managers:-
- Focus should be on hiring qualified employees
- Use right tools to select and make a strong candidate pool
- Filter the candidates for interview meticulously
- You should be well conversant with soft skills
- Define job description well to understand the job requirement
- Proper check sheet is to be maintained to screen the candidates
- Develop appropriate behavioral based interview questions
- Make the balance between open ended and closed questions
- Listening skills is must for interviewer
- Note down candidate’s strength and weakness areas from interview process
- Make the offer quickly to avoid losing the best person for the job
- Notify rejected candidates with reasons and maintain their portfolio
- Document the entire hiring process to avoid legal implications
- Wrong selection of candidates entails companies failure
- Select candidates who can shoulder responsibilities in accordance with the vision of the company
- Should have the ability to ask right questions in particular sequence
- Check the candidate’s effectiveness on communication skills, rather than verbose attitude with artifical verbal jugglery
- Check the candidate’s personality, which comprises a set of personal traits: such as attitude, behavior, confidence, competence, communication, enthusiasm, assertiveness and emotional intelligence
RESUME SHOULD BE AUTHENTIC
For all most all jobs, submission of Resume/CV/Bio-data is must. There is a subtle difference between each of these.
A resume is a summary of our skills that includes experience and academic qualifications. Whereas Curriculum Vitae is summary of skills as well as complete details of certifications, hobbies, awards, honors and extracurricular activities. And a Bio-data is simply includes one line titles like Date of birth, nationality, gender, religion, marital status, height, vision, blood group along with educational qualifications.
There is no perfect and legitimate format for resume, But, the most prevalent format is given below:-
1. Name and address, E-mail address, contact numbers
- Qualifications
- Academic
- Technical/Professional
- Languages known
- Certifications
- Additional qualifications
- Awards/Research papers / Publications / Articles
- Extracurricular activities (Hobbies, games, sports ,)
- Experience and project details
- List of companies worked (If any)
- References (with contact details and job particulars) Declaration
The details and information mentioned in this document are true to the best of my knowledge. Place :
Date :
Signature
Important points to note down:-
- Make a table for qualification details and separate each category for brevity and
- No need to follow others and copy from others for resume
- Decoration of resume never gets you the job, but authenticated and required skill
- Never send your resume without covering letter. Always highlight your strong areas in resume, and also highlight the key words those are meeting organization’s requirements related to the
- Apply the best written communicaton skills in covering A perfect covering letter will definitely make much difference.
