The campus job interviews are one of the most stressful and exiting times of your academic period. Following are some campus interview tips that'll help you land a good job.
- Carrier Fairs
During your final years you should appear for as many interviews as possible. Interviewing is an acquired skill and the more you'll interview, the better you'll get at it. Keep your eyes and ears open and attend the carrier fairs, job expos etc outside your college or university as well.
- Research
You should do some preliminary research before going for an interview. This should focus on company, job position and interview.
You should know some basic things about the company. Don't waste too much time on it. Just going through the company website should be enough.
Most of the big companies do not select freshers for a specific job; if you are selected you'll be put in a pool and assigned to a project when an opening is available. Smaller companies, on the other hand, have specific positions in mind when selecting candidates. You should find out in advance if the interview is for a specific position or a general one and prepare accordingly. For a particular position you should focus primarily on relevant skills and for a general one focus should be wider.
The last but not the least is the interview itself. Find out who'll be conducting the interview, what types of questions are expected, how long the interview is going to take etc.
- Resume
Prepare your resume carefully. Remember that most of the questions asked during the interview would be related to the topics mentioned in your resume and the projects that you have done. Make sure that you list only those skills on which you can answer.
- Projects
You'll definitely be asked about your projects. Be prepared to describe within two minutes the project, your role in it, technologies / tools used and other such essential things about the projects. Remember that the time would be very limited and it would be your responsibility to make the interviewer understand the project. When explaining be clear, specific, precise and keep the explanations short.
- Prepare for Questions
Prepare for expected interview questions. The questions can be personal, behavioral and technical. Search the internet for relevant questions. Prepare the answers of personal and behavioral questions by yourself. You can use the readymade answers as a guideline but never use them as they are in the interview. As for technical questions; as you are a fresher you should focus more on the basic concepts as the implementations are many and may vary company to company. That said total ignorance of the specifics is not excusable either. In general you should be aware of all the subjects and topics in your syllabus with special emphasis on the conceptual parts that are relatively unchanging. This is in addition to the interview questions available on the internet.
- Prepare Questions
You should prepare questions that you would like to ask the interviewers in advance. Make sure that they focus on the job and company and write them down for a quick review before going for the interview.
- Practice
Get together with your friends and practice mock interviews. This will help you find out critical weaknesses in your preparation and boost your confidence as well.
- Dress Well
When going for the interview dress professionally. Some institutes insist that the candidates be in uniform during the campus interview. Make sure that your interview dress is clean and ironed at least a day before the interview.
- Arrive Early
Always arrive early for the interview. This will give you time for a last minute review of important points as well as lets you prepare yourself mentally.
- Be Polite
Be polite and well mannered. Show your confidence but remember that you are a fresher and pretty low on the food chain. Let the interviewer set the pace of the interview. Don't try to drag the interview in the direction you would like it to go. Listen carefully to the interviewer and observe his body language. Be honest and frank. Say what you really think and not what you think the interviewer wants to hear.
- Answering Questions
While answering questions remember that the time is very limited. Do not elaborate unnecessarily. Keep your answers short and specific and mention the high points first followed by explanation if asked. If you don't know something, admit it frankly and have faith that what you do know is enough to compensate for it. Listen to the question carefully and if you are not sure what the interviewer wants to know ask for clarification.
- Closing
In the ending part of the interview you can bring any special project or achievement that has not come up yet in the interview and that you think is relevant to the interview. If you think that there is some misunderstanding between you and the interviewer this is the time to clarify it. Once the interviewer asks that if you have any final question, don't overstay your welcome. Enquire about the next step and thank them for their time and for giving you this opportunity. Afterwards remember to send a follow-up note or a polite email reminding them of your continued interest in the job and the company.
Although campus interviews are not easy, they are not very hard either. The key is to keep trying and improving your self. Never just give up. Keep your eyes and ears open to new opportunities and attend as many interviews as you can to get better job opportunities whilst you are studying.
