Being good at studies does not necessarily mean being good at interviews. Interviews become a part of our life after a certain period of time, especially during the placement season in the corporate world. Pressure does affect performance and so many other factors. So, what are the factors to be considered during the placements? How can you ace your interviews? What to do and what not to do? If you have this question and your placement season is over the head, then this article is for you only. Here we will talk about some of the important campus placement interview tips.
People generally think that campus placements are easier when compared to off-campus. But this is not true at all. Campus placement can be scary and complex, depending on how you give in. Let’s see how you can ace your interview.
1. Research and Planning
Before applying for a certain position at the company, it becomes essential to learn about the company. Make yourself familiar with work and life balance, environment, growth opportunities, and appraisals. Connecting with the employees working in the company to get a clear image, has become very easy with LinkedIn. Be thorough with the work culture and clients associated. The company’s vision, reviews, salary insights, and retention rate speaks a lot about itself.
2. Strong Resume
A resume is actually the first thing that is noticed about a candidate. People are so busy applying to many roles and companies that they forget to format thier resumes. It is recommended to look for what to display and what not to. For example, knowledge of any programming language will not help you if you are applying for a position in a medical-related field.
Some companies provide their own formats of resumes. You just have to follow the same or edit the one given to you as a reference. Follow a golden rule to present your resume, that is the KISS rule. KISS means Keep It Simple and Short. No need to create a long 2 to 3-page resume. A single page with enough information can speak up a lot.
. Points to take care of while building a resume are:
- Make a bold and attractive headline.
- Skills to be displayed as per the requirements and the ones that are valid for the position.
- Projects Undertaken
- Experience, if any
- Training or Internship in any relevant position. This will let your interviewer give an idea that you at least have an experience with the corporates.
- Don’t forget to give the summary.
- Keep the resume formatted and updated.
3. Proper and Ordered Documentation
Along with resumes and documents, companies ask about the cover letter too. This could just be for verification or formality purposes. These documents can include:
- 12th class result.
- 10th class result.
- Certifications that are relevant for the position applied.
- NOC and Migration certificate(if applicable)
- Previous year’s mark sheets
- Address and Identity proof.
4. Apparel and Body Language
As long as you walk into the room, your interviewer starts judging you. The clothes, appearance, hair, fragrance, and body language together speak up for who you are. In most cases, companies mention about formal appearance is mandatory. Due to this covid situation, companies started taking interviews online mode too. In that case, companies avoid the attire.
However, for offline mode, a formal appearance is preferred. It is asked not to wear anything that might obstruct or intervene during the interview. Make sure to hide any tattoos, and boys do not wear any piercings. Make sober apparel. Now let’s talk about body language. In an interview, it is common to feel pressurize, nervous, and a little scary.
However, certain gestures can speak about how you feel, shaky legs, sweating, leaning forward, crossing arms, avoiding eye contact, and many others. Gesture denotes your nervousness and pressure. These things will never add to your advantage. It is recommended to sit straight and confident. Make eye contact and make a firm handshake. Do not sit unless asked. Never cross your arms, this denotes that you are not open to their perception or don’t wish to accept their sayings. Also, be punctual at the interview.
5. Impressive Cover Letter
Along with resumes and documents, companies ask about the cover letter too. A cover letter is there to give you a chance to display what you could not in the resume. Why you are a good fit for the job? What can you bring to the table? And many such questions are answered in the cover letter. Not all companies ask for the same. It is just a get to ‘know more about you’ move. What do you think of yourself? is displayed here. You need to customize the cover letter depending on the company you are applying to.
6. Confidence and Optimism
You need to feel more confident and optimistic during an interview. Overconfidence will not help you at all; especially during an interview. Overconfidence feels like you are challenging the interviewer. You need to be more open to the suggestions and advice offered by your interviewer.
He might not know everything you do, but there is a reason why he is on the other side of the table. Also, have a little faith and optimism in yourself. Do not let a few unanswered questions drive you away from your target. It is ok to not know everything. Keep up with your communication skill. Do not think of it as an interview; think of it like learning something new. Do not lose your confidence and optimism at all, it could affect your interview badly.
7. Prepare for interview questions
There are certain questions that will be asked to you at almost every interview you show for. You will find answers to these questions on the internet or even on youtube. Some of these questions are:
- Why do you think you are a good fit for this position?
- Where do you see yourself 5 years down the path?
- What do you know about this company?
- What are your strengths and weaknesses?
And many more such questions. The best part about this is that these you don’t need to learn the answer to these questions. The answer can vary. These questions aim to get to know how well you know yourself.
8. Feedback
It is very essential to know how you performed in the interview. Be it positive or negative; you have to accept the feedback. It will help you for your upcoming rounds. You can always ask the interviewer for feedback. If you feel shy to ask directly, you can mail the interviewer if you are curious enough to know about it.
Conclusion
Cracking an interview cannot be easy as you think. But do keep in mind the things that can affect your interview. If you struggle in your interviews, this article can help you. An interview is 60% of how well you know and the rest 40% is on how you put up yourself. Follow this article to get some campus placement interview tips, and you will be able to crack one easily.