am preparing 4 an interview but am scared. How best can i be confident. I know its key, but am failing. HELP?

Answer 1

Just beleive that you have nothing to lose if you don't make it through. And, you actually have nothing to lose, there is always an another opportunity !

Answer 2

Interviews are not tests to prove the abilities of the person who questions. In asking certain inconvenient question, he expects your response whether technical or personal. In technical he expects you that you would compensate for what is not known now and in personal he expects you to understand the requiements of a particular nature having a bearing on the job. So, why should you fear.
After all, you are appearing for the interview, to bring the best in your personality and the knowledge you possess. No one is going to say that you are not fit because you don't know certain things.
Bring the right attitude in answering questions which are inconvenient. Maintaining composure at these times is very essential. Don't ever become nervous during an interview. Answer calmly. Success will be yours.
VR

Answer 3

first of all good luck. now to feel confident you should oroare yourself for the job uare aplying for. just stand in front of the mirror and carry out rehersals. have good dress sleep early a night before interview. when u go for interview feel confident and have smile dont panic and it will be ok. all the best. do tell out come of inteview.

Answer 4

Take aValuim and ashot of vodka about a hour before the big interview that will help

Answer 5

Relax. First of all - remember that they have a vacancy and they want to see if you can do the job, they WANT to employ you and they WANT to hear from you that you can do the job and that you will fit in to their workplace. They want to hear that you are keen and enthusiastic and that travelling is not a problem, find out what they do and be interested in them.

Much better to talk too much than not enough

Answer 6

have trust in you and go ahead in a confidenent manner...

Answer 7

The interview is usually the last step of the hiring process and probably the most important. It offers both you and the employer the opportunity to meet one another, exchange information and come to tentative conclusions about working together. Depending on the organization, you may have to face one or several interviews.

Here I am giving you some tips for you, which i effectively used during interviews.

Before going deeply, I am going to give you one Manthra

"Be Positive and believe in Yourself"

Now lts start

Before the interview:

Before appearing for the interview you should extensively research the company you have applied to. This creates a good impression and shows your eagerness to work with the organization. It is also important to research issues, trends, problems and buzz words of the industry. Such information can be obtained from people in the field, company literature, trade journals, newsletters, business magazines and directories.

Day of the interview:

The day of your interview, wake up and know you are getting a job today. While you're sitting in the waiting area, take in the office environment. Always greet the interviewer with a firm handshake or atleast a bright morning. It conveys confidence and respect. While responding, be upfront and honest. Don't rush your responses. Take a moment to think about them first. Ensure that you know the name and designation of each individual you are to meet. Know exactly how to get to the organization and arrive at least ten minutes before the interview. Dress to project an image of confidence and success; your total appearance should be appropriate for the job. Carry additional materials to the interview such as copies of your resume, a list of references, samples of your work, or your degree and certificates.

During the Interview:

Before you are actually asked to enter the room where the interview is being conducted, do not get impatient or restless; wait for your turn. When you are asked to proceed, knock on the door and wait to be called into the room. Greet all the people inside the room.( First greet the lady/ies) Do not sit down unless you are asked to. Thank the interviewer/s after sitting down.

Have an open attitude that is sensitive to the interviewer's style. You should think positively. (If you don't think you are the best candidate for the job, how can you hope to convince the employer you are?) If you are not able to answer some question, admit it; do not try to fudge an answer. Listen to the question carefully; let the interviewer complete his question before you reply. If you have not heard the question clearly ask the interviewer to repeat the question. If you have any questions or clarifications, you can ask the interviewer after the interview is complete.

The Importance of Body Language:

Pay attention to your body language and non-verbal communication. Your body language should exude confidence, sincerity and high energy levels. Your words and gestures must be in agreement. Maintain eye contact with the interviewer while answering or listening to the interviewer. Do not look at your shoes or the floor. Do not fidget in your seat or fiddle with your tie etc. Keep your hands relaxed and use them to animate or express interest. Maintain an erect posture; do not slouch in the chair. Keep your facial expression pleasant, it can add to or deduct sincerity from your words. Keep your voice tone firm, well modulated and relaxed. Be aware of the things you do when nervous and try to keep them under check.

Strengths & Weakness:

Each individual has within him certain enviable characteristics, which if polished to the hilt can lead him to unknown heights. It is just that we are not aware of our own potential. These achievements have to be in according with the expectation of the organization. The strengths about which you are going to talk should be portrayed in a realistic kind of way. They should not sound far-fetched, as if they have been picked up from some book merely to sound impressive. Normally, the questions, which are floated, to inquire about the strengths of an individual are followed up with the weaknesses question. When a question on the candidate's weakness is asked one must remember that the interviewer is trying to find out whether you can really maintain your cool when asked to unearth skeletons from the cupboard.

Logical thinking:

A very positive thing about interviews is that the interviewer does not know anything about the candidate except for the information from the records that are available with him. So his queries are going to focus around whatever information is provided by the candidate himself. However, the nature of the information should be logical. Think before you even try to make an attempt to answer any query. There are bound to be interviewers on the panel, sharp and quick enough to catch you if you make an illogical move in answering a question. Do not take any question too casually. At the same time, don't spend too much time on thinking about your reply, as you would be wasting your interviewer's time, which is not appreciable.

The Stress Interview:

An interview may be of an amicable nature or it may so happen that you are going to be put under constant pressure so that your reactions in such situations can be judged. One after another, questions are hurled at you, cutting short your responses or pulling them down to the basic or the most elementary level till you reach a point where due to exhaustion, lack of appropriate words or limitations of knowledge, you finally succumb to pressure. Try as hard as the interviewer might, you should not buckle under pressure.

After the Interview:

Thank the interviewer(s) for his/her/their time and for seeing you. While leaving the room, express your enthusiasm for the job.

Use the interview as a learning experience. Take notes on what you would like to improve on after you leave the room. Send a follow-up letter to thank the interviewer, and stress points in your background that qualify you for the position. If you are not contacted within the specified time, call to restate your interest. If you do not get the job, you may want to ask the interviewer for some constructive criticism or recommendations for future interviews. If you are consistently passed over for positions, try to identify potential problems; then seek guidance for improvement.

I am giving you some generally asked Questions also

1. Tell me about yourself.

Keep your answer short and focused on your professional life. This is not the time to bring up relationships, childhood experiences, family etc. A brief history of education, career and special interests is what is called for here. End it with why you are interested in this particular job.

2. Why are you applying for this particular job?

Show interest and demonstrate that you have researched the job and know what you are getting into. Bring up evidence from past work/ studies that supports your interest in this role and any skills you have acquired in preparation for the role. You can say something like 'I would like to work for a leader in innovative network and telecommunications solutions and my college degree in computational mathematics has given me a solid background for this role. Mention the value-added you can bring to the job.

3. What do you know about our company?

Indicate what you have learnt from your research activities - from their annual reports,
newspapers, word of mouth, other employees etc. Use this to flatter them and show that you have done your homework.

4. What makes you qualified for this particular job?

Again, explain that you are very interested in the job and demonstrate what it is about your past experiences, education and qualifications that makes you ideal for the job. Show enthusiasm and support your answers with evidence wherever you can (eg. my summer internship at Citibank gave me broad exposure to the area of equity analysis and I think I can apply many of the tools I learnt there in this job). Elaborate on all the past experiences and skill sets that make you suitable for the job.In cases where your past experience is not directly relevant, you can still find elements of it that can be useful. Play up teamskills, computer skills, leadership roles, specific courses and independent research activities that can be useful to the job at hand to show your initiative even where you don't have directly relevant job experience.

5. What can you do for us that someone else can't?

Demonstrate key strengths, skills and personal characteristics.

6. Why should we hire you?

See 3. Because you have all the experience/ traits/ credentials demonstrated in 3 and in addition to being qualified, you are enthusiastic, intelligent, hardworking, flexible and willing to learn. Also mention any key relationships you may have that may assist you in the job.

7. What do you look for in a job?

Be honest. Also mention keywords such as challenging, steep learning curve, good work culture, demanding, rewarding, opportunities for advancement and growth, team environment, opportunity to build and maintain client relationships etc.

8. Why are you looking to make a career change?

Mention your interests and make sure you bring up all skills/ experience however insignificant that can support your move in this new direction. It is quite common in this day and age to make a career switch. You need however to show that you have very carefully thought about the change, have a strong interest in the new career and can use some of your previous skills/ education/ relationships to make that move.

9. Why did you leave your last job?

Do NOT use this as an opportunity to badmouth past employers or peers or talk about a failure of any sort. Any of these answers are acceptable: you were looking for a new challenge, your learning curve had flattened out in the previous job and you were looking for a new learning opportunity, the company or department were restructuring, you were ready to start something new after achieving your career goals at the previous company etc.

10. Why do you want to work for us (as opposed to the competitor companies)?

Demonstrate that you know something about the company, that you believe they are leaders/ innovators in what they do, or you think their work culture is exactly what you are looking for, or you like their product(s) or you have friends who work there and have always been attracted to the company etc. Flatter the company and show you know something about it.

11. How long will it take you to start making a meaningful contribution?
Show that you are enthusiastic and willing to learn and will put in all the hours and effort necessary to learn the ropes and start making an immediate contribution. Indicate that your past experiences/ skills/ credentials will enable you to make an immediate contribution at some level while you quickly learn all new aspects of the job. An Interviewer wants someone who is willing and able to learn and will make a return on his investment sooner rather than later.

12. What are your strengths?

See 14 below. In addition, keywords such as good teamplayer, work very well under pressure, very creative, very strong quantitative or computer skills, and very strong client relationship skills may be appropriate depending on your chosen field.

13. What are your weaknesses?

Do NOT mention key weaknesses here. This is not the place to say you are bad at meeting deadlines or you never mastered highschool mathematics etc. Turn this question around to your benefit. For example, you are 'overambitious' or 'extremely attentive to detail' or 'like to take on too many projects'. Make it sound positive.

14. What are your career goals?

Show you have thought forward and are committed to your career.

15. How would you describe yourself?

Any of these are good examples of attributes employers are looking for: intelligent, hardworking, quick to learn, enthusiastic, honest, efficient, productive, ambitious, successful, compassionate (in the medical fields).

16. How would your colleagues describe you?

Do not bring up anything negative here.

17. How would your boss describe you?

They will check references anyways so bring up the most positive attribute you can think of about yourself eg hardworking, honest etc. and leave it to your Boss to say anything to the contrary.

18. What did you most like/ dislike about your past job?

Do not use this to badmouth past jobs/ employers. Keep it light and in your favour eg I outgrew the job, there wasn't a clear career progression, I wasn't learning anything new etc. Ideally, you will have loved your last job and would like to achieve the same kind of success and job satisfaction in a more challenging area as you have now 'outgrown' that job and are ready for 'new challenges'.

19. Describe a situation in your past where you showed initiative?

You could describe any new methods you came up with to do your job or to save money for the company or to turn around a bad situation. It can be something as simple as changing a filing system, or establishing a relationship with a vendor that saved your department a lot of money. If you are in sales, you may want to talk about how you brought in that big account. Creatives may talk about how they came up with that cutthroat image or design that brought in the business.

20. What were your main responsibilities in your last job?

Have these ready and list them all. Dwell on the ones that are most relevant to the new job. This answer should be smooth and practiced.

21. What do you consider your greatest accomplishments?

Many of us have one or two milestones in our career that we are very proud of eg. that early promotion, that 'huge' deal we brought in, the design we came up with, the costs we saved, the revenues we increased, the people we trained, a new invention or process we came up with etc.
Examples of accomplishments may be: 'Reduced costs by X%; or renamed and repositioned a product at the end of its lifecycle, or organized and led a team to do do XYZ, or achieved sales increase of
X% etc. If you are a fresh college graduate, talk about extracurricular activities, leadership roles and grades.

22. Describe your management style (if relevant)

No answer

23. Do you work better in teams or independently?
Show that you are a proactive teamplayer and like to bounce ideas off others and get input; however you are very capable of working independently (give examples).

24. How do you work under pressure?
Well. Give evidence.

25. What other jobs have you applied for?

Don't mention jobs in different career directions (eg advertising and investment banking). Do however bring up any other offers or Interviews from competing firms.

26. How did you do in college?

Keep it positive. It's okay to say you were very busy making the most of college and were very involved in sports, activities, social life etc. Employers want human beings not robots. Mention the areas you did very well in even if it was just one or two courses you excelled in. They will check for themselves.

27. What kind of hours would you like to work?

Employers want to see flexibility. Indicate you are willing to put in whatever hours are necessary to finish the job. Do however mention any constraints you have eg. you would like to be home to pick your kids up from school at 3:30. Most employers are willing to work around your constraints if you show flexibility on your side as well.

28. Do you have any questions for me?

YES you do. Questions engage the Interviewer and show your interest. Ask questions that show you know something about the company or the job, that you are planning ahead, that you are anxious and willing to learn the ropes and that you are committed to the position.

Prepare your own answers for these kind of questions.

This will defenitely improve your confidence.......

Remember.......to study your subject also......

you may also required to know about the current general Knowledge also...Please go through the last one month news papers and magazines. cull out the burning issues and make your own opinions......and make it a habit....


Once again Be positive ..believe in your strengths....

All the Best