How to Prepare for a Placement Interview

Thinking about your first job interview stirs mixed feelings in your mind-the thrill and excitement of hearing from the interviewers that you’ve landed the entry-level position coupled with the lurking apprehension that you could come a cropper. Hence, the significance of thoroughly preparing for your initial placement session which holds the key for a successful and fulfilling career in the long run does not bear emphasis.

Bear in mind that you’ll be vying with countless other candidates for the job position(s) you’ve applied for. So, it is a foregone conclusion that competition for a typical job position or opening will be stiff. Hence, you’d need to prepare for the placement interview in a manner that maximizes your chances of landing the job offer. In the following paragraphs, we have provided some practical tips that we sincerely hope will enable you to not only feel and appear confident during the interview but also crack it!

Review the position thoroughly

Understandably enough, you’ll be applying to different job positions so that the odds of getting recruited for at least one are always in your favor. Carefully review all the positions before applying-go through the job description and profile in detail including but not limited to job responsibilities, requisite qualifications, promotion and career advancement opportunities, and CTC. Check out if the positions are exactly what you’re looking for and also whether you’ll be able to bolster your career in the long run by assuming these positions.

Once you decide on the positions you want to be employed in, see if you’re the right fit for the jobs. That in essence implies you’ll have to assess your strengths and weaknesses. Put yourself in the shoes of the organization and evaluate what you can bring to the table.

Appraise if the positions will be mutually beneficial that is both you and the organizations you’ll be working for will grow and develop professionally.

Gather information about the organization

This tip follows from the first-if you’re eager to work in the job openings you’ve applied for then you should also be enthusiastic about the companies offering the positions. Go through all the details pertaining to the organization-its background, mission and vision, products and/or services it offers, and so on. Research on how the firm has performed in the past few years, how you can contribute towards organizational growth, and the like.

If you’ve complete info about the entity on your fingertips, you’d be making a good impression on the interviewer. And in this digital age, finding out company information is simply not an issue. While browsing on the net, you’ll come across many websites dedicated to reviewing firms and establishments.

Nowadays, majority of companies, big or small, have their own websites where complete details are mentioned. You can check out the social media profiles of different firms.

Make sure that your resume speaks for you

Your CV or resume acts as your spokesperson that enables you to promote yourself. So, the importance of keeping your bio-data dossier up-to-date does not need to be exaggerated. When it comes to preparing the resume, make sure you keep it crisp, brief, and relevant.

Since you’ll be appearing for an interview arranged by the placement cell of your college or university, it is understandable that you are yet to gain any professional work experience. So, your CV will basically reflect your academic qualifications and achievements and extra-curricular activities. Therefore, the bio-data document should not run into more than a couple of pages at the most.

Highlight the key educational and extra-curricular achievements in bold letterings. Make multiple copies of your resume, academic qualification certificates, and all other relevant documents and keep them in a high quality cover file or ring binder. File the documents and transcripts in an orderly manner so that you take out a particular copy immediately when required.

List questions you are most likely to be asked along with the answers

Your placement interview will be a question-and-answer session for the most part. And majority of the questions will be about your education background, hobbies, academic achievements, skill-set, and so on. A few questions will pivot around your personality, likes and dislikes, and family background, and the like.

Since it is virtually impossible to guess beforehand all probable questions that you might be asked, you’ll be better off preparing answers for some common questions. Do not panic or become anxious if you face a poser you’re not familiar with as your comprehensive preparation will help you to frame a response on the spot. You can do your homework for the following posers:-

• Describe yourself in brief.
• What are your weaknesses and strengths?
• Your likes and dislikes
• What are your career goals?
• Why have you applied for this position?
• What do you know about our organization?
• Are you comfortable working in a team?
• What do you think should be the qualities of a manager or leader?
• Do you wish to carry on with your studies?
• What is success in your perspective?
• How can you contribute to the organization?
• What are your salary expectations?
• If the job requires you to relocate, will you do so?
• If the job involves frequent travel, will you accept the offer?
• Have you worked before? Why did you leave that job (in case you were employed earlier)
• What do you think has been your best achievement so far?
• How well can you handle pressure situations?
• How’d you like your superiors/boss to be?
• Are you open to working beyond the regular hours?

The above list of questions is of course not exhaustive. You can always add more questions to the list.

Dress appropriately

Long gone are the days when wearing a tie and donning a suit was considered par for the course. But in the present times, the rules and regulations relating to what you should wear to an interview have become more relaxed. However, that surely does not imply you can show up at the venue dressed in Hawaiian graphic tees, shorts, and sneakers.

Though wearing a suit and black tie is not essential but ensure that you turn up in formals that are spotless and have been nicely ironed. At the same time, ensure that your interviewer will be looking at shoes that are spic and span and polished. Keep makeup to a minimum and spray on a mild eau-de-cologne in case the weather is balmy.

The idea is to dress up in a manner that does not make the interviewer sit up and notice.

Body language matters

Your interviewer or the interview panel will observe your body language while they ask questions and how you react to the posers. By studying your body language they’ll have a fair idea about your confidence level. You’ll be scrutinized from every angle and in various ways-so how you sit or make gestures will make a huge difference to how you perform.

Always maintain eye-contact while you are talking; sit straight; cross your feet, and never slouch. Do not be unnecessarily tensed when there is no reason to feel as such and try to make the environment relaxed by making the conversation two-way.

Be punctual

There’s no gainsaying the fact that you should arrive in time for the interview. Try to make it to the address at least 10-15 minutes before the scheduled time. You surely would not want to let go off an important opportunity because of your tardiness.

Be honest

Honesty is still the best policy. You won’t get any brownie points for bragging about your qualities or lying blatantly cocksure that the interviewer will never be able to find out the truth. The interviewer does not expect you to know everything that there is to know-so there is nothing wrong in confessing the same.   

Be polite and courteous with the interviewer

Arguing needlessly with the interviewer could be the worst thing you might do-it could mar your job prospects. You’d do well to know that the interviewer is an experienced professional. There could be moments when you and your interviewer are not on the same page on some aspects. In such instances, simply listen to what he or she has to say.

That of course does not mean you should not voice your opinion but do so constructively. Remember your job is to land the job not to win the argument.

Show that you are interested but without overdoing it

During the closing moments, ask how you fared in the interviewer and that you’d be looking forward to an offer of/for employment. But do not go overboard in showing your enthusiasm.