Body Language during Interview

Everybody uses body language during the interview, but very few are prepared to be a winner in the body language game. Body language is merely the smaller, less prominent nonverbal cues that we give others while communicating. Following are some typical interpretations of body Language Cues: Openness and Warmth: open-lipped smiling, open hands with palms visible, unbuttoning coat upon being seated. Confidence: leaning forward in chair, chin up,putting tips of fingers of one hand against the tips of fingers of other hand in "praying" or "steepling" position, hands joined behind back when standing. Nervousness: smoking, whistling, pinching skin, fidgeting, jiggling pocket contents, running tongue along front of teeth, clearing throat, running fingers through hair, wringing hands, biting on pens or other objects, twiddling thumbs, biting fingernails (action itself or evidence of), tongue clicking. Untrustworthy/Defensive: frowning, squinting eyes, tight-lipped grin, arms crossed in front of chest, pulling away, chin down, touching nose or face, darting eyes, looking down when speaking, clenched hands, gestures with fist, pointing with fingers, chopping one hand into the open palm of the other, rubbing back of neck, clasping hands behind head while leaning back in the chair. As you can see, there are far more negatives than positives--possibly more than we are consciously aware of. This list is given not so that you can artificially adopt the positive body language techniques, but more to help you recognize and avoid the negatives. If you have a habit of doing any of the above negatives, remove that action from your pattern of behavior before it sends the wrong signal. Concentrate on removing it now so you will not have to think about it during the interview. And keep in mind the opposite side of the desk. As you talk with an interviewer, be aware of (although not preoccupied with) their body language and non verbal cues. Do not try to read in more than is actually being communicated, but try to develop a sense of the interviewer's reception of you. The most obvious example is the smile connection--when your smile brings about a smile from the interviewer. Do your best to stay connected with your interviewer--both verbally and nonverbally.

Tips for Interviews

Explain where ever possible. Do not criticise your current or former employers. Do not disclose confidential information of previous employers at the time of interview. Do not make counter questions Do not enquire about salary bonus etc on the initial interview. Practice asking yourself questions, then answer them with confidence in front of the mirror. This will give an idea of your facial expressions, pronunciation. Keep your answer brief. Never talk non-stop. You must know where to stop and start while answering questions Listen carefully to the interviewer's questions. Understand the questions and start your answer by recollecting your experiences and knowledge. If you are not able to understand the questions clearly. Ask the interviewer to repeat it. Request for more related information. If you do not know the answer say, "I do not know the answer" or "I have not experienced that situation." Keep a copy of your resume in front of you. The interviewer may ask about individual project details, your role, responsibilities etc. Refer to your resume quickly and answer the question promptly. Never show or express unwillingness to be interviewed. After completing the interview process if interviewer asks, "Do you have any questions?" clarify issues related to company background, place of work if hired, starting date and timings. Do not use abusive words always be positive If you feel you lack adequate communications skills, attempt to regularly converse with friend on general topics. Listen to radio, watch discussion oriented TV programmes. Talk to yourself in front of mirrors and watch for Speed lip movements and language

Interviewing Tips
The interview is when employers will get to know your personality, interests, goals, and objectives. You will no longer be a list of skills and experiences on a piece of paper; this is your opportunity to give specific examples and anecdotes and explain how these experiences make you the perfect candidate for the position. It is the perfect time to demonstrate your interest in the position and your knowledge about the company and the industry. This is the time for the employer to find out who you are, so be yourself. What Employers Are Looking For Interviews can be very stressful, but the best way to overcome this is to be prepared and know what employers are looking for: Job candidates with a definite idea of their goals, objectives, strengths, and skills. Candidates who are knowledgeable about the position they are interviewing for, the company and its products, and the industry overall. Candidates who can match their own skills and experiences with the needs of the company. Candidates who are confident in themselves and their ability to contribute to the company. Candidates who can discuss past experiences and give specific examples that demonstrate their skills and accomplishments. Prepare Beforehand Another way to decrease the stress of an interview is to prepare beforehand. Review your resume and make sure you know your skills, experiences, goals, interests, accomplishments, and objectives inside and out. You'll be asked a lot of open-ended

questions, and you will need to be able to give specific examples and articulate yourself clearly and concisely. Familiarize yourself with the most common Questions Asked by an Employer. Develop answers to these questions, but do not memorize your answers. Make sure all of your responses are positive and highlight your skills and accomplishments. When asked about difficult or negative experiences, describe those experiences as learning experiences. During the interview, the employer will not be the only person asking questions; you are expected to ask questions throughout the interview, as well as at the end when the inevitable question is asked: "So, do you have any questions for me?" Always ask questions. If the employer has answered all of your questions already, come up with something else to ask about. Your questions can demonstrate your interest in the position and your knowledge about the company and industry. Keep all of your questions job related. Interview Format Interviews can be one-on-one or you may be interviewed by a panel of people. You may interview with the hiring manager or recruiter for screening purposes or you may interview with people you will be working with and for. During the interview, the employer will ask you about yourself, your background, and your experiences. These will often include open-ended questions that you can use to relate your experiences to the needs of the company. Always give specific examples that highlight your skills and accomplishments. The employer will also present information about the company. This is a good opportunity for you to ask questions and demonstrate how you would contribute to the organization. At the end of the interview, the employer will typically ask if you have any questions. Make sure you have a few questions to ask during this time. You can also take this time to add any information that you didn't get a chance to mention earlier. Find out the next step in the interviewing process. Thank the employer for his/her time and make sure you get a business card before you leave so you can write a thank you letter. Answers to Some Interview Questions 1. Tell me about yourself? I am down-to-earth, sweet, smart, creative, industrious, and thorough. 2. How has your experience prepared you for your career?Coursework:Aside from the discipline and engineering foundation learning that I have gained from my courses, I think the design projects, reports, and presentations have prepared me most for my career.Work Experience:Through internships, I have gained self-esteem, confidence, and problem-solving skills. I also refined my technical writing and learned to prepare professional documents for clients.Student Organizations: By working on multiple projects for different student organizations while keeping up my grades, I've built time

management and efficiency skills. Additionally, I've developed leadership, communication, and teamwork abilities. Life Experience: In general, life has taught me determination and the importance of maintaining my ethical standards. 3. Describe the ideal job. Ideally, I would like to work in a fun, warm environment with individuals working independently towards team goals or individual goals. I am not concerned about minor elements, such as dress codes, cubicles, and the level of formality. Most important to me is an atmosphere that fosters attention to quality, honesty, and integrity. 4. What type of supervisor have you found to be the best? I have been fortunate enough to work under wonderful supervisors who have provided limited supervision, while answering thoughtful questions and guiding learning. In my experience, the best supervisors give positive feedback and tactful criticism. 5. What do you plan to be doing in five years' time? Taking the PE exam and serving in supervisory/leadership roles both at work and in professional/community organization(s). 6. What contributions could you make in this organization that would help you to stand out from other applicants? In previous internships, my industriousness and ability to teach myself have been valuable assets to the company. My self-teaching abilities will minimize overhead costs, and my industriousness at targeting needs without prompting will set me apart from others. Additionally, one thing that has always set me apart from my scientific/engineering peers is my broad interests and strong writing abilities. I am not your typical "left-brained" engineer, and with my broad talents, I am likely to provide diverse viewpoints. 7. What sort of criteria are you using to decide the organization you will work for? Most importantly, I am looking for a company that values quality, ethics, and teamwork. I would like to work for a company that hires overachievers. 8. What made you choose your major? My academic interests are broad, so I sought civil engineering to achieve a great balance of mathematics, chemistry, biology, physics, and writing. 9. Have your university and major met your expectations? The College of Engineering at MSU has exceeded my expectations by providing group activities, career resources, individual attention, and professors with genuine interest in teaching. My major has met my expectations by about 90%. I would have enjoyed more choices in environmental courses, and would have preferred more calculus-based learning. 10. What made you choose this college? I chose this college for the following reasons: my budget limited me to in-state schools, I was seeking an area with dog-friendly apartments, the MSU web site impressed me, I saw active student groups, and the people were very friendly. 11. List 2-3 of your greatest achievements since you've been in college and why? Receiving the SWE Outstanding Member Award and College of Engineering Student Service AwardI got involved with student activities to overcome my debilitating shyness. Receiving these awards signified that I had accomplished a transition from dragging myself to participate to feeling energized by it.Receiving the SWE Web Site AwardWithout training in web design; I competed against not only the other student sections, but professional sections around the nation. Despite competing with more HTML-experienced people, I brought this award to my section. After getting so much from SWE, I was able to give something back.Earning the highest grade in an organic

chemistry class of ~200 peopleI worked very hard for this grade and loved the subject, so it was a great feeling to see that the hard work paid off. 12. Which subjects have you enjoyed studying the most and why?I have enjoyed hydrology, fluids, solid & hazardous waste management, water and wastewater treatment, and oceanography because I love water and environmental topics.Calculus and linear algebra excite me because I love logic. I enjoyed the writing and analysis in economic history. Business law thrilled me because I have a strong interest in legal matters. 13. Which subjects did you dislike and why?Introductory soil elicited little interest in me, most likely because the professor was inexperienced, the book was ineffective, and I had little spare time that semester to look into other resources. 14. Do you have plans to continue your education? Yes, but not immediately. I plan to continue part time with either an MBA or an environmental engineering masters, depending on which will be more beneficial to my work. 15. How would a professor who knows you well describe you? One who does not know you well? A professor who knows me well would likely describe my personal qualities: sweet, down-to-earth, smart, hard-working, and conscientious. As specific examples of those who did not know me well, my soils professor and soils teaching assistant each considered me smart and respectful, and both thought that I must have enjoyed the class a lot, due to my performance. 16. Given the chance, how would you alter your education? Knowing now what I like the most, I would have used my electives for extra math and psychology classes, since I tend to be well-rounded enough that a variety of classes are unnecessary; my personal reading is diverse enough. I have found that mathematics and psychology are helpful to all career and life paths. 17. Which part-time job did you enjoy the most and why?Working for PM Environmental was most enjoyable to me, since I felt like I was significantly contributing to the company, and I enjoyed learning on my own. 18. Interests: Some of my interests include dogs, hiking, snow-shoeing, water sports, writing, reading (especially Charles Dickens' novels), skiing, drawing, crafts, and computers. 19. What are your strengths? My strongest strength is the ability to teach myself difficult material, regardless of the subject (with the exception of theater and drawing blood from dogs, which I have no talent for). Additionally, I have always excelled verbally and look forward to writing opportunities. 20. What are your weaknesses? I tend to try to do too many things, leaving little time for myself. I have worked on balancing myself for the last several months. I am also working on improving my public speaking skills. 21. What sort of serious problems have you experienced, and how have you handled them? My apartment building burned down at the end of January during one of my semesters at MSU. Before the fire got too bad, I was able to rescue my pets and the neighbor's dog, as well as my textbooks and backpack, but I lost most of my mementos and possessions. While the firemen were preparing their hoses, I drove to school (with the animals in the car) to meet my lab partners, who were waiting for me. I explained the situation, emailed my professors, and rushed back to the apartment. Fortunately, I had renter's insurance. I missed about a week of school to deal with the insurance matters and find a new place to live. In order to salvage my grades and sanity, I dropped a course and

honored my existing student group and research commitments. Staying active socially and keeping myself well-rounded were the best healing tools for me. Within a few weeks, I was caught up and had recovered reasonably from the loss of sentimental items. 22. Do you or have you in the past experimented with illegal drugs? No. My only addictions are caffeine and sugar. 23. Would you be willing to take a drug test? Of course. 24. Do you drink alcohol socially? No, but I enjoy Shirley Temples quite a bit. 25. If you had your whole life to live over, what would you do differently and why? I was always good in math, but I wish that I would have focused on math more. I feel that mathematics can lead one anywhere, and is the basis of most disciplines. On a personal level, I would have ensured that, despite pre-teen angst and insecurity, I would have been nice to everyone, even on especially bad days. 26. Which is more important to you, your salary or your job? Salary is important, but I couldn't stay with a job that brought me misery when I could support myself doing something else; hence, my job is more important. 27. What have you found to be the biggest source of motivation in your life? Taking advantage of my strengths so that they are not wasted. Since nobody is lucky enough to be strong in every area, I think it is important to make good use of one's strengths. 28. What sorts of things cause you stress, and how do you deal with them? Lack of organization throws me off. To deal with this, I come up with some kind of system to organize things, even if it is only in my head, in the case when chaos is desirable. 29. What is your definition of success? Being a good person by improving the quality of the lives of others, whether it be through work, doing sweet things, improving the environment/community, taking care of one's family, etc. Superficially, I tend to measure success by level of education and abilities within one's career; however, I try to remind myself of the things that are more important. 30. What qualities should a successful supervisor possess in regard to job requirements and those who report to him/her? A successful supervisor should be able to tactfully give criticism, guide, motivate, encourage and foster a positive work environment. 31. How would you develop team spirit among the people that you supervise? My experience in student groups has taught me that people work best when their friends (teammates) are counting on them to do well; therefore, I believe that bonding motivates people. I would also foster team pride by promoting our team's assets. 32. Do you like to work independently or as a team? I like to work independently towards a team goal. 33. What kind of work environment do you like the best? I enjoy working with friendly co-workers who can share a laugh while working hard and overachieving. 34. How would you resolve conflicts with employees, coworkers, and supervisors? If possible, I would refresh my memory on what I've learned about conflict communication, and then I would discuss things, honestly and tactfully. I am a big fan of kind sincerity and honesty, as well as humility (when appropriate). 35. In what ways have you learned from your mistakes? Upon getting myself overwhelmed with involvement in too many projects, I changed my approach. When possible, I now start with less than I can handle and add more only as time allows, and in small increments.

36. In what areas do you need to improve your skills? I would like to improve my public speaking skills. COMMON INTERVIEW QUESTIONS Why do you want this job? Think about this question carefully and stress upon the positive aspects that attracted you to apply for this post. Be careful in not mentioning the negative points of your present job as a reason for why u want this job. What according to you are the pre-requisites for this job? The advertisement placed by them for the job can help you to some extent of answer this question. These may include leadership ability, supervisory skills, communication skills, interpersonal skills, problem solving, analytical skills, etc. What do you think you can contribute to the success of the company? This is a chance for you to form an impression. Explain about your past achievements in your previous job(s) relevant to the new position you are applying for. Why do you want to work with this company? Your answer should be emphasizing all the positive aspects about why you want to join the company but Carefully avoiding answers like for more money or for shorter working hours. They will leave bad Impression to your prospective employer. What do you know about this company? This is a great chance for you to impress the interviewer with the knowledge you have gained about the company. Give them a run down of their products/services, sales figures, news, company figures, customers, etc. What is the feature that interests you about our product/service? The research you have done about the company should help you a lot here. What do you think we can offer you that your previous company has offered you? Stride with utmost care here. Don't mention money aspects. You could Stress on opportunities for personal growth, new challenges, etc. Why do you think we should employ you? You can answer this question based on your previous experience and achievements relating to the position and company. As a conclusion you could mention that you can fit into the position comfortably with the supporting reason. You can also ask the employers opinion about this. How long would it take for you to make a significant contribution to the success of the company/project? You can mention that you can make the contribution from day one. You can also ask the employer how much time you are expecting for me to make a significant contribution.

How competitive are you for this job? Depending on the position you are applying for you may want to sound fairly ambitious, but do not look as if you are after the interviewer's position. What do you like and dislike the most about your job? Likes: here you can stress things like new challenges, opportunity to bring a new experience to the company Dislikes: mention that you do not dislike anything in particular which is the reason why you liked the job. Why did you choose a career in this field? Your answer should be very positive with appropriate reasoning and advantages of this field. If you have been changing careers give logical reasoning why you have done so. What according to you are the similarities and differences between your previous job and your present job? The interviewer is trying to visualize how well you could fit into the position so try to focus more on the similarities rather than the differences. Coming to the point of differences it will help you if you can demonstrate that you have done similar task before or you could pick up the new skill quickly. What is your opinion about the previous company you have worked for? Stress upon the positive points about your company with a few words of praise for the company. You can mention about the training you have received or the work experience you have gained. Did your previous company live up to your expectations? Why do you want to leave that company? Your answer should be always about joining or leaving a company. Do not mention anything negative about your present employer. Instead you could say that you are looking for new challenges and mention that the company who is interviewing you fits into that very well. What is the organisation structure in your previous company and how well did you fit in it? These kinds of questions are usually used to know wether your old job is at comparable level to your new job. If the new job is at a level more than your previous one, you should be able to demonstrate that you will be able take up a more demanding position. You should try to tell that you have already been handling most of the responsibilities and posses the needed skills for this job. What is the size of the company you would prefer to work with? Small, medium or large? Before answering this question bear in mind the company size where you are attending the interview. If it is a medium or small sized company you could say that you like to work in a close atmosphere with a good team spirit. If it is a large company you can say that you enjoy the stability of working in a large company and established company.

What are your expectations in the new job? The most appropriate reply would be that you are looking for a job where you can apply your present skills and learn new ones. What would be your ideal job? For this question you can describe your ideal job in a similar way as their job description given in the advertisement. An ideal job can include challenging work environment, good team spirit, opportunity to learn new skills, apply your existing skills, etc. Are you thinking of considering any other jobs at the moment? If you are considering, but be careful not to give too many details as it may weaken you negotiating position later. If you are not considering any just say that you have a few irons in the fire. How would you describe yourself? Take this chance to describe about your personal and professional attributes and achievements. Do you think that you are successful? Your answer should be positive. You can explain about some of your past work related achievements that will suit the position you desire for. What has been your greatest success? How did you achieve it? Describe about an achievement, which best suits, their needs. What has been your greatest failure? Tell about a failure, which you have rectified in later stages, or something, which is not very important. What do you think about improving yourself? Be careful in not mentioning any of your negative points as the interviewer is waiting to find a flaw in you. Instead stress on things like learning new things. Did you have any chance for growth in your previous jobs? If you had successful chances for growth then mention that, if you did not have any satisfactory Opportunities for growth be careful about the words you use. Are you a leader? Explain about your previous experiences where you have successfully demonstrated your leadership qualities. Are you a loner or do you get along well with others? Some jobs mean that you have to work in a team and for some jobs you need to be on your own. You can say that you are comfortable in both the situations.

Are you self motivated or you need someone to motivate you? You should answer that you are self-motivated. Will you be able to work on your own initiative? You should answer positively asking how much responsibility I will be required to handle. What are the motivational factors for you? You can say good career growth, opportunities to learn new skills, a congenial work environment etc. Are you competitive? Your answer should depend on the type of job offered. If you are working in a team then you should say that you would work in the best interest of team and not just for your own benefit. Will you be able to work under pressure? Your answer should be affirmative but ensure that you ask under how much pressure? What are your career goals? Mention the goals, which are in common interest of the company requirements. Are you prepared to relocate? If you are, say so. If you do not want to move then you do not have to accept the job - try and come across as someone who is positive. Are you willing to travel? Again if you are, say so. You want to sound positive, so find out how much travelling is involved before you turn down the job. How often are you off sick? This can be a difficult question to answer if you are frequently off sick or you have just recovered from a prolonged period of illness. If you have generally enjoyed good health and this period of illness is not typical then you should say so. What did you earn in your last job? You have to be very careful when answering this question because once an interviewer knows your current salary they will try and fix your next remuneration based on this figure. This may be satisfactory if you only wanted a modest rise in salary and your current salary is in line with their salary range, but, what if your current salary is substantially lower than the rate for the job, or if you want a substantial salary rise? In these cases you would be best advised to say that you do not really want to prejudice yourself by being too high or too low. Ask if you can discuss this later after the responsibilities for the job have been discussed; you may also want to ask them what the range for the job is (if you do not already know).

What level of salary are you looking for now? Be very careful when you answer this question - you do not want to appear to be greedy. If you are applying for a specific vacancy you could ask them what the salary range is. Once they have answered you could say "I think my experience would place me at the top end of your range, don't you?" If they ask you this question fairly early on in the interview you could delay answering by saying "It is hard to discuss salary without first knowing a little bit more about the job and the responsibilities." What will your referees say about you? Say that you expect excellent references. *********************************************************************** *********************************************************************** ** Difficult questions If you cannot answer a question you might reply with "That's an interesting question how would you tackle it?" Fantasy questions These sorts of questions can be very difficult to answer. Such questions might include: "What would you do if you won the National Lottery?" You should give the answer, which in your opinion will give you the best chance of getting the job. Questions you may want to ask an interviewer The interview is a two-way process. The company interviewing you will want to find out whether you are suitable for the position and you will want to find out if the company and position are right for you. You should therefore ensure that you have enough information to make up your mind whether you want the job. For example: What will be my responsibilities? Where will I fit into the overall organizational structure? Who will I report to? Where does he/she fit in the structure? Who will report to me? How experienced are they? What do you expect me to do in the first 6 months? What level of performance do you expect from me? Who are your customers? Where is the company going? Upwards? Expansion plans? What are the chances of advancement/promotion in this position? When? What will be my salary, benefits and bonuses? [Do not bring this up too early in the interview - wait until they are sold on you.] Will traveling be required in this position? Will relocation be required now or in the future? What training do you provide?

When will you decide on the appointment?