Job Interview Tips for Freshers - A First Hand Experience

A fresh off the boat engineering graduate with 4 job interview experiences under my kitty - I feel the dire urge of blurting out my interview triumphs and gaffes. Though the interview count may seem a bit discouraging for you all readers to go on further down this post; but believe me, the company names might bring in that vigor back in your souls.

The last year of my college life had been one of the most tormenting and enjoyable ones. The beginning itself marked the head start of the placement season. With despair and triumphs following sporadically.

Let me give you the names of the 4 companies that gave me the opportunity of interacting one on one with their HRs. Here they are - INFOSYS, ACCENTURE, GRAIL RESEARCH & CAPITAL IQ.

Which interviews I cracked & which ones cracked me would be revealed later. But these 4 were enough for me to understand the mistakes we freshers make while sitting in front of the HR. I shall divide the interviewing tips in two sections : On-campus  & Off-campus. So let's begin:

ON-CAMPUS : 

Well if your college boasts of a good Training & Placement cell, on campus companies will come knocking at your doors, in your familiar territory giving you a psychological head start. But never let this head start get into your head. The company guys know how to rip your clothes apart even in an unfamiliar territory. Usually on campus companies comprise of 3-4 rounds. Clearing the aptitude rounds depends on your caliber and practice level and can be worked upon.
But when it comes to interviews - questions can be fired from any domain. Keep the listed things in mind while sitting in an interview :

• Avoid falseness : Be it the matter in your CV or your conversation - be yourself as the HRs have an eye for detail and can easily decipher at what point you digress. Even if you have nothing special to boast about yourself - don't hesitate in revealing your true identity. Be true to yourself & to the HR.
• Learn to say "Sorry - I don't know" : Instead of roaming about in the labyrinth of your own talks, you are actually annoying the HR and delaying the process. Say NO if you don't know something - the easiest & the most confident of ways out.
• Avoid boasting about yourself : For all the high achievers and extra curricular mavens; stay grounded when telling about yourself to the interviewer. Your achievements will surely highlight themselves in the CV but do not brag about them unnecessarily unless asked to elaborate.
• Know the company for which you are giving the interview : Many a times candidates find themselves in a limbo when asked about the company (what it does, how, the facts et al). Do your fair bit of research before entering the interviewer's room.
• Know yourself : This is the best time for you to think what kind of personality you finally have that can make the other person happy. Again do not brag - stay grounded.
• Never reveal your future plans if they foretell your desire of leaving the company in the coming years : Ensure the interviewer about your aim to climb the career path in their company itself.
• Keep that smile but don't get any personal with the interviewer even if he tries to touch your personal nerve : This is something that tests your presence of mind the maturity level when dealing with seniors. So keep a check on your lascivious self.
• Firm handshake : Don't forget to keep your hand muscles tight while shaking the interviewer's hand - a firm handshake tells a lot about a person's personality.

OFF-CAMPUS:

Well getting a chance to appear in off-campus interviews are quite meager. If you are competing with 150 students in an on-campus recruitment drive, you are competing with 20-30 times more people in off-campus drives - people with work experience and additional qualifications. So if called up for an off-campus hullabaloo, pull up your socks for an all new level of discrimination and competition.

My personal experience has been a little dismal in this section - because of some mistakes I committed and some discrimination that freshers face. Here are a few tips :

• Know the company : It might sound strange, but I lost a chance to get a job just because I was not able to correctly tell what the company actually did. So as stated earlier, do your homework before coming for these interviews.
• Keep your cool & don't lose faith even if you see experienced candidates and post-grads too competing for the same job: I kind of faced a psychological setback when I say a complete horde of people competing for the same job in one of the above 4 mentioned companies. I thought I had lost the plot just because my qualifications were miles less than the experienced & post-grad guys.
• Search the web to see if the company expects candidates to have a CV in specific format - mind me it acts as an add on.
• Expected salary : Better to zip your mouth if the interviewer puts up this question, if you are a fresher. Try to circumambulate over this question.
• Even if the company offers a non-technical job (for engineers) - keep your technical eye open. You never know the interviewer's background. Know your projects and technical internships.
• Reach on time to the venue: It is something self explanatory - You do not want the company watchman to shoo you away. Be punctual.
• Don't get overconfident if you clear "n-1" rounds. There's always an 'n' that can burn all your hopes.
• Last but not the least - if not selected - avoid cussing. There might be a better opportunity waiting for you. And if selected - don't forget to party hard !

Interview experiences in these 4 companies made me realize my weak & strong points. I got selected in 2 of the above 4 companies. And I sometimes regret my failure to crack the other 2 interviews - but we are freshers and millions of avenues are waiting for us to leave our mark.

I hope these tips would help - if not all but at least some in the long run.