Let us first understand what is interview?
Interview:
An interview is a conversation between the interviewer and the interviewee where questions are asked by the interviewer to obtain information from the interviewee.
Let's face it; we all have to play the game of interviewing at least once in our lifetime. This website is intended to be a useful resource for anyone who is new to the interviewing process, as well as those who just need a refresher before entering the arena once again.
An interview is a way for an interviewer to see what he/she will get if they hire you. It is crucial that you are well prepared. There are many things that you can do ahead of time to prepare for the interviewing process, and move yourself a step above of the competition. Updating your resume and reviewing frequently asked interview questions can be very effective, and goes a long way in getting the most out of your interview.
Let's face it; we all have to play the game of interviewing at least once in our lifetime. This website is intended to be a useful resource for anyone who is new to the interviewing process, as well as those who just need a refresher before entering the arena once again.
An interview is a way for an interviewer to see what he/she will get if they hire you. It is crucial that you are well prepared. There are many things that you can do ahead of time to prepare for the interviewing process, and move yourself a step above of the competition. Updating your resume and reviewing frequently asked interview questions can be very effective, and goes a long way in getting the most out of your interview.
Interview process:
Different companies deals with different interview process. The most common of them are telephonic interview, aptitude test, GD (group discussion), technical interview round, HR or personal interview round.
Telephonic interview:
Phone interviews give the company a chance to get a feel for your skill-set, interests, desired compensation etc., and see if there is a match between their needs and your strengths. If there is enough common ground, then the phone interviews are almost always followed-up by an in-person interview. Phone interviews are generally conducted in two steps. The first step is with a recruiter in Human Resources. The second step is a technical interview, usually with one of the people you would be working with. Technical phone interviews are usually only conducted for people living outside the geographical region. This is done because the company wants to have some level of confidence in your technical abilities before they decided to spend the money to fly you in for an in-person interview.
Some companies have the telephonic screening just to make sure they are going to invest time (which is Money) with the right candidate. If you are chosen for a telephonic interview then one thing is for sure, you have something in your resume that matches the need of the organization and you are one of their potential candidates.
So start preparing, before the interview make sure that you know the requirement well, go over it again and again and try to match with what you have done in your past. Make a short note of the primary points and stress on the difficult part of it. Always present facts about some difficult task from your past projects and how did you solve it. Do not get surprised to hear what was the most difficult/challenging task in your last/current project and how did you resolve it. This helps the interviewer know that you are serious when your encounter challenges.
Some companies have the telephonic screening just to make sure they are going to invest time (which is Money) with the right candidate. If you are chosen for a telephonic interview then one thing is for sure, you have something in your resume that matches the need of the organization and you are one of their potential candidates.
So start preparing, before the interview make sure that you know the requirement well, go over it again and again and try to match with what you have done in your past. Make a short note of the primary points and stress on the difficult part of it. Always present facts about some difficult task from your past projects and how did you solve it. Do not get surprised to hear what was the most difficult/challenging task in your last/current project and how did you resolve it. This helps the interviewer know that you are serious when your encounter challenges.
How to crack telephonic interviews:
Start with a very short introduction; this should not be more than 4-5 points as follows
1. Your name and work experience in the industry
2. Your current company (client), project and role/responsibility attached to it.
3. Technology used.
4. What you like the most in your current job.
5. What you would like to become doing this for years.
During this short introduction the interviewer will get a fair idea about you and may want to ask a few more questions like elaborate more on your role or how you handle your day to day task.
The interviewer starts the interview by asking you about your skills and then continues with the pure technical questions related to the positions vacant in the company. Do not get offended if you were asked a few basic bookish questions, this is the way things happen. If you do not know simply say I am sorry as it has been a long time or I know it but I am not able to recollect it at this moment of time. If the interviewer likes you then he/she might tell you the answers of questions you were not able to answer. But again do not expect them to answer even if you specifically ask.
After he/she is satisfied with all the interrogations and feels that you have done OK, he/she might speak a little about the position and about themselves. If this is the scenario feel confident that you are going to get a call for the "next" round. While speaking over a phone, make sure there is no background noise and your voice is clear to them. Speak clearly, even if it is a NO. People like to hear a clear NO than a broken YES.
Do not get too excited for the job, even if you are the perfect match, sometimes this excitement might send wrong signals about your personality. When you want to pause, ask for it and take a pause, filling it with uh/um/you know/ok/oh etc does not make things better.
It always makes sense to speak in respect to the open position than only about your past projects. Try making a bridge in between your experience and the open position. Take a guess what the interviewer expects from you within this short time. He/she might just be interested in knowing about your technical/analytical skills, in such case there is no need to provide any extra information. Just answer the questions asked. For example, if it is asked "What is a class in Java", just tell what it is. There is absolutely no need to mention you have designed/coded some classes in your XYZ projects. If asked then definitely answer.
When you are sure of the answer and the person at the other end tries to prove you wrong, do not fight back, just say in your opinion it is correct. Try not to say "I might be wrong or I am not sure" after you have answered something, if you want, say it before. Remember, most of the Telephonic interviews are just screening processes and the person at the other end might not be having time to talk elaborately on your resume. Just present a sweet and brief version of your expertise, this would impress enough.
If you can, record the entire conversation, it helps a lot in your next telephonic interview. Use any iPod/mp3 player and record the proceedings. Replay it later to figure out where did you do well and where do you need improvement. Always ‘thank’ the interviewer for their time at the end of the interview.
1. Your name and work experience in the industry
2. Your current company (client), project and role/responsibility attached to it.
3. Technology used.
4. What you like the most in your current job.
5. What you would like to become doing this for years.
During this short introduction the interviewer will get a fair idea about you and may want to ask a few more questions like elaborate more on your role or how you handle your day to day task.
The interviewer starts the interview by asking you about your skills and then continues with the pure technical questions related to the positions vacant in the company. Do not get offended if you were asked a few basic bookish questions, this is the way things happen. If you do not know simply say I am sorry as it has been a long time or I know it but I am not able to recollect it at this moment of time. If the interviewer likes you then he/she might tell you the answers of questions you were not able to answer. But again do not expect them to answer even if you specifically ask.
After he/she is satisfied with all the interrogations and feels that you have done OK, he/she might speak a little about the position and about themselves. If this is the scenario feel confident that you are going to get a call for the "next" round. While speaking over a phone, make sure there is no background noise and your voice is clear to them. Speak clearly, even if it is a NO. People like to hear a clear NO than a broken YES.
Do not get too excited for the job, even if you are the perfect match, sometimes this excitement might send wrong signals about your personality. When you want to pause, ask for it and take a pause, filling it with uh/um/you know/ok/oh etc does not make things better.
It always makes sense to speak in respect to the open position than only about your past projects. Try making a bridge in between your experience and the open position. Take a guess what the interviewer expects from you within this short time. He/she might just be interested in knowing about your technical/analytical skills, in such case there is no need to provide any extra information. Just answer the questions asked. For example, if it is asked "What is a class in Java", just tell what it is. There is absolutely no need to mention you have designed/coded some classes in your XYZ projects. If asked then definitely answer.
When you are sure of the answer and the person at the other end tries to prove you wrong, do not fight back, just say in your opinion it is correct. Try not to say "I might be wrong or I am not sure" after you have answered something, if you want, say it before. Remember, most of the Telephonic interviews are just screening processes and the person at the other end might not be having time to talk elaborately on your resume. Just present a sweet and brief version of your expertise, this would impress enough.
If you can, record the entire conversation, it helps a lot in your next telephonic interview. Use any iPod/mp3 player and record the proceedings. Replay it later to figure out where did you do well and where do you need improvement. Always ‘thank’ the interviewer for their time at the end of the interview.
INTERVIEW QUESTIONS & ANSWERS