JOB INTERVIEWS

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Meaning of Interview:

• Interview is an important selection technique where there is two-way exchange of information either on one-to-one basis or by an
interview panel. The interview gets important information from the candidates and can also judge whether or not they can fit into the
organisation culture.
• Interview is a two-way conversation. It is a personal form of communication between two people. It is a beneficial process for both the
interviewer and the interviewee. The interviewer tells the applicant about the job preview and helps the interviewee make his mind about
whether or not he wants to take that job. Though conducting interviews is not based on fixed rules, certain guidelines for the interviewer
and interviewee can make interview an effective process.
Importance of Interview:

1. Interview helps in selecting the candidate most suitable for the job.
2. It provides the candidate information about the organization and the job for which he applied.
3. Interview helps in knowing details about candidate’s personality.
4. It is a method of direct contact between the employer and the candidate. Employer can observe physical characteristics of the candidates. It
helps managers to check authenticity of details in the application form.
5. It helps interviewer and the interviewee know each other in detail. Complete information about the company can be given to the candidate and
negotiations on salary and other terms can be made.
Interviews can be of the following types:
1. Exit Interview
2. Stress Interview
3. Appraisal Interview 
4. Promotion Interview
1. Exit Interview:
Exit interview is one of the most widely used methods of getting employee feedback. An exit interview is a meeting between at least one
representative from the company’s human resources (HR) department and the departing employee. (The departing employee may have
voluntarily resigned or is laid off or fired). The HR representative asks the employee questions or asks him to complete a questionnaire, or both.

Exit interview is a survey conducted with an employee when he leaves the company. The information from each survey is used to provide
feedback on why employees are leaving, what they liked about their employment and what areas of the company need improvement. Exit
interviews are effective when the data is compiled and tracked over time.
2. Stress Interview:
The stress interview creates and promotes discomfort intentionally. The interviewer may adopt harsh attitude. He may stare, be silent, and spend
time taking notes. He puts the interviewee in a position where he can observe how he acts and speaks under pressure. He looks specially at his
reaction to stressful situations.
Employers use stress interview to:
a) Create a stressful job environment and evaluate the candidate in terms of his ability to handle stressful situations.
b) Evaluate the true nature of candidates to see if the candidate is likely to lose his cool and react intuitively and emotionally, under stressful
conditions.
3. Appraisal Interview:
• Once a year, all employees of the company have to undergo appraisal interview with their line manager. This interview evaluates the
interviewee’s performance over the past year, reviews the tasks and objectives for the next year. The appraisal interview is used as a tool
by the managers of personnel department for planning training programmes.
• On day-to-day basis, managers do not have time to discuss long-term and basic conditions with regard to employee’s employment and
commitments. Therefore, the companies want that all employees should have an opportunity to participate in annual appraisal interview
to secure that competence of the individual employees is used in the best possible way in connection with company’s goals.
• This interview improves:
• a. Performance of employees on the job,
• b. Employer-employee relations, and
• c. Communication between managers and employees.
4. Promotion Interview:
• This interview is faced by a person when he is due for promotion. This interview is conducted to test his aptitude for assuming job of higher
importance, even if a person is the only candidate to appear for the interview. If there are more than one candidate for the promotion interview,
management can select the best candidate on the basis of selected criteria. A promotion interview is linked to growth of the person and the
organization he is working for.
• It is not possible for management to keep record of the successes and failures of all the employees on their jobs and have access to them in
order to decide the candidate most suitable for the job. Managers have to find the kind of people suitable for higher positions and conduct the
interview to that mind set.
• Though interviewer and interviewee already know each other, this interview may start in an informal way, yet the interviewee cannot treat the
interviewer as his friend. He should act professionally and consider the interview as a formal one.
• Forms of interviews based on the types of questions;
• Structured
• Semi-structured
• unstructured
Structured interview:
The interviewer prepares a set of purely job related questions asked in the same sequence.
Some of these questions are:
(1) Where were you working last?
(2) Why do you want to change your job?
(3) What are your expectations from this job?
Structured interview does not give flexibility to the interviewer to ask questions about the candidate’s personality.
2. Semi-Structured interview
• In a semi-structured interview, the interviewer asks the structured, pre-determined questions along with questions about the candidate’s
personality, strengths and weaknesses, his experience at other jobs, etc. This interview is more conversational and interesting and gets better
response about the candidate’s personality than a structured interview.
3. Un-structured interview:
• An unstructured interview is not planned or based on systematic, predetermined list of questions. It is a spontaneous interaction between the
interviewer and interviewee. The information that interviewer collects about the candidate may not be relevant or truly job related which can
assess the candidate’s suitability for the particular job. It may contain an element of bias or subjectivity on the part of the interviewer to select
a candidate.
Types of Interview Questions

1. Credential verification questions

• This type of question includes "What is your GPA?" and "How long were you at _____?" Also known as resume verification questions. The purpose is to
objectively verify the credentials presented in your background.
2. Experience verification questions
• This type of question includes "What did you learn in that class?" and "What were your responsibilities in that position?" The purpose is to subjectively
evaluate the experiences in your background.
3. Opinion questions
• This type of question includes "What would you do in this situation?" and "What is your greatest weakness?" The purpose is to subjectively analyze how
you would respond in a series of scenarios. The reality is that Response #43 in your brain typically kicks in ("I know the answer to that one!") and plays
back the pre-programmed answer.
4. Behavioral questions
• This type of question includes "Can you give me a specific example of how you did that?" and "What were the steps you followed to deliver that result?"
The purpose is to objectively measure past behaviors as a potential predictor of future results.
5. Competency questions
• This type of question includes "Can you give me a specific example of your leadership skills?" or "Explain a way in which you sought a creative solution to
a recent problem you needed to solve." The purpose is to align your past behaviors with specific competencies which are required for the position.
6. Brainteaser questions
• This type of question includes "What is 1000 divided by 73?" to "How many ping pong balls could fit in a Volkswagen?" to complex algorithms. The
purpose is to evaluate not only your mental math calculation skills, but also your creative ability in formulating the mathematical formula for providing an
answer (or estimate, as can often be the case).
7. Case questions
• This type of question includes problem-solving questions ranging from: "How many gas stations are there in Europe?" to "What is your estimate for the
global online retail market for books?" The purpose is to evaluate your problem-solving abilities and how you would analyze and work through potential
case situations.
8. Nonsense questions
• This type of question includes "What kind of animal would you like to be?" and "What color best describes you?" The purpose is to get past your pre-
programmed answers to find out if you are capable of an original thought. There is not necessarily a right or wrong answer, since it is used primarily to test
your ability to think on your feet.
Interview dos and don'ts

Here are the top five things you should always do before or during an interview: 
1. Do your homework
• Preparation is the first essential step in the interview process, so don’t let yourself down before it’s even taken place. Researching the company you are meeting with will
show your interest in the business and give you an upper hand. Look at their website and what’s happening in the news to widen your research and see what the media is
saying about the company. Don’t limit your research to this alone - make sure you research the background of your interviewers, including their career history and specific
achievements.
2. Make a good first impression
• If you're going to a face-to-face interview, plan your trip there, do a trial run if it is at an unfamiliar location and arrive a few minutes early for the interview. Late arrival
for a job interview is inexcusable. Bring your CV and ensure you know the dates and its specifics so you can confidently talk through your CV and give examples.
• For a video interview, minimise technical issues by testing your video tool the day before your interview, on the day of your interview, ensure you are set up and ready to
go at least 15 minutes before your scheduled time, in a quiet and comfortable place. You won't have the luxury of being able to offer a firm handshake or make eye contact
with your interviewer, so the best alternative is for you to smile confidently and appear interested and engaged.
• Looking the part is also important and you can rarely go wrong wearing a well-fitting suit. The amount of care you take in your presentation is a sign of your interest in the
role and your seriousness in making a good impression.
3. Listen and respond accordingly
• Too often the feedback from clients is that the candidate does not answer the question in a clear and direct manner. Don’t run circles around the questions, listen and
answer accordingly while using examples from your experience to back it up.
4. Prepare smart, open ended questions to ask the interviewer
• Remember that an interview is a two-way street, asking questions will help illustrate your interest and motivation to succeed in the role and company, as well as get you
noticed and separate you from other candidates. It will also determine if this really is the opportunity or business you want to join.
5. Sell your strengths and expertise
• Make sure that you communicate your strengths to the interviewer in a concise, factual and sincere manner. 
Here are the top five things you should never do:
1. Don’t speak poorly about your present or former employers
• The interviewer will assume you will do this to them if you leave and question your professionalism. This is a big red flag to anyone interviewing a
candidate.
2. Don’t falsify information
• Answer questions truthfully and as close to the point as possible. Explain and describe things about yourself that relate to the position on offer, and
truly reflect your past experience. If you are being probed in an area that is not a strength, be honest and let your interviewer know you are willing to
learn or work on and how you can up skill in this area. Follow that with strengths you have in another area that you could bring to the table.
3. Don’t speak over the interviewer
• It is important to be a good listener as well as a good talker. It shows that you are respectful and have strong interpersonal skills. If you are
interviewing via a video platform remember that there will be a slight time delay, avoid rushing to answer a question in case your interviewer hasn't
finished speaking.  
4. Don’t assume it isn’t an interview
• Regardless of what interview stage you are at or who you are meeting - it may be over a coffee, a few drinks or just labelled a final chat - it is still
used as an opportunity to assess your suitability for the potential role.
5. Don’t let any past rejections infringe on future ones
• Finding a new job can be taxing, make sure you approach every interview as a new opportunity and learn from past interview mistakes. If you have
several interviews lined up, try to leave some space between them to ensure you are at your best.
Role of body language during a job interview

• The role of body language during a job interview can largely dictate whether you will be successful in your job pursuit or not.
Many HR experts agree that body language literally accounts for 93% of messages you send out during the interview. Amazingly,
verbal content is only 7% of the message conveyed during the actual interview process. Such statistics mean that you have to get
your non- verbal communication right if you want to impress your potential employer.
• Generally, before entering the interview room, it’s largely assumed that you will have adequately prepared for 
the interview in question. Some of things you are expected to be aware of prior to the interview include; information about the
company, potential questions to be asked, dress code etc. Providing the best possible impression during a grueling interviewing
process can help you clinch the job in question. Body language is fundamental to any interview process- you must at all times
project confident and respectful demeanor not though words alone but also subtly through your body language.
• If you have been invited to an interview process then, here are handy tips on body language that you should employ if you want to
bag your dream job or any job for that matter.
• Posture
Once you enter the interview room and you’ve already exchanged greetings with the interviewer; then its crucial that you maintain a good posture once you
are seated. Sitting upright is highly suggested as it indicates that you are feeling comfortable and confident. Hunching down simply indicates that you are
nervous or are suffering from low self esteem. Additionally, a sloppy posture gives the impression that you are a careless person. There plenty of other wrong
posture positions that can send negative impressions to the employer. The bottom-line you must maintain an upright posture though not too stiff.
• Movement of your arms
Your arms or hands movements and positioning can indicate whether you are nervous or confident. The general rule of the thumb is to put your hands on
your lap or loosely clasped on the table if you want to appear calm or confident. Some e of the hands or arms positioning that you ought to avoid include;
fiddling your face or hair (shows how nervous or anxious you are), putting arms above the neck (shows your uncertainty), touching your lips (shows you are
lying), touching your nose (project the image that you are insincere), folding arms across your chest (indicates that you are defensive or have something to
hide) etc.
• Eye contact
Eye contact is another part of body language that you must get right if you are to stand a change of getting hired. Generally, it is pertinent that you maintain
direct eye with the interview as it indicates that you are listening or paying attention. However, maintaining eye contact doesn’t mean that you should stare
aggressively at the interviewer. Ideally, you should maintain eye content while at the same moving your head here and there, periodically nodding your head.
Failure to establish eye contact with your interviewer will send a negative impression that you are a person who is nervous with low self esteem.
• Voice delivery
You should ideally speak in a controlled voice that is clear; this projects an impression that you are confident. Speaking in high or low pitch can indicate that
you are nervous or anxious. Additionally, your voice should be devoid of emotion. To get your voice right, it is highly recommended that you 
breathe in an out to ease any anxiety inside you.
Additional body language tips that you should consider

• Do’s
1. Show enthusiasm and make positive gestures like smiling during the interviewing process
2. Sit or stand not too close to the interviewer; invading personal space is very annoying
3. Only interact the interview if you have something important point to relay. You should refrain from interjecting the interviewer if you point
doesn’t hold any weight.
• DON’Ts
1. Do not cross your legs or shake them idly, as this will likely send the wrong message that you are uncomfortable or anxious.
2. Do not slouch or lean back on your seat as this shows or projects the impression that you generally uninterested with the job at hand. You should
at all times sit upright though not too stiff.
THANK YOU