How to crack an interview successfully?

 Preparing for an interview is always a matter of anxiety and brings a lot of doubts to our minds.  Aspirants have to put in time and effort to prepare for an interview, as employers are often interested in seeing how you can come up with on-the-spot compelling answers, which are unique and original. Confident candidates often get good reviews from interviewing panels.

Tips and techniques for a successful job interview

Here are a few main interview formats or types, and tips to help reduce your anxiety while preparing for an interview and sail through them smartly and smoothly.

Job interview questions are asked in a way that allows employers to understand your problem-solving capacity – in a glimpse. It’s basically a conversation where your recruiter tries to authenticate your claims and learn about your goals from your resume.

1. Structured Interviews

In this type of interview, the employer asks a fixed set of questions to all his/her candidates. Structured interviews consist of a predefined scoring system on the basis of which candidates are selected. Structured interviews are beneficial because they help avoid any biases during the recruitment process.

 Advantages of structured interviews:

Structured interviews are beneficial because they give you the opportunity to emphasize your skill set. So, be sure to be specific about the way you describe your past work experience.

A Guaranteed Way to crack structured interviews:

Be ready for hypothetical questions. You may be asked about how you would deal with situations like unsatisfied clients or difficult colleagues. As clarity matters, it is crucial to talk calmly and slowly, maintain a moderate speed while talking, and make sure your words are understandable. Additionally, nonverbal communication should also be kept in mind while facing this type of interview.

     2.Unstructured Interviews

This type of interview calls for spontaneity and is held in a conversational manner. Basically, unstructured interviews are free-flowing conversations that allow the recruiter to ask about anything from your experience, skills, and qualifications. As there is no set format, the interview can flow in any direction. The interviewers hire suitable candidates by comparing their performance and estimating their interview skills through the answers they provide.

Tips for a successful unstructured job interview:

• Open-mindedness – Read the interviewer’s personality and try to be in tune with it while constructing your answers. Active listening can help you ace this.
• Ask well-planned questions to your interviewer. This is one of the unstructured interview benefits which will give you the opening you need and also bring focus into the interview.
• Flexibility – Another advantage of unstructured interviews is that they allow you to outline the differences you feel you can make in the business; this will help your employer visualize you in your aspired role.

1. Situational Interviews

Situational interviews are application-based and demand practical thinking from the candidates. The interviewers present the interviewees with a problem, with the aim to determine their approach to solving a problem. Past experience of an employee comes into play over here as candidates are expected to answer on the basis of similar situations they have dealt with before.

Tips and tricks for a successful situational interview:

• How to crack any interview easily – The best way to prepare for a situational interview is often learning from the mistakes and abilities of others.
• Go through a list of frequently asked questions or FAQs and practice answering the same on the basis of similar situations you may have faced.
• Use the STAR method – Outline and talk about the situation, task, action, and results of all the work challenges you dealt with.
• Talk about your accomplishments but in moderation and without exaggeration.

        2.Phone call or Video Call Interviews

When an interviewer cannot meet a candidate in person, they conduct interviews over the phone or via video call. The benefit of a phone interview is that candidates can answer in a spontaneous manner without the intimidation of being face-to-face with their interviewer. This also helps the interviewers to get a clear idea of the candidate’s interpersonal skills and intellect.

Tips for cracking a phone call or video call interview:

• Display your competence, drive, motivation, and ability without meeting your interviewer face to face.
• Seize the Opportunity – How to crack a job interview via phone is a common question. One must practice well. Your answers should be crisp and clear; practice will help ensure that you do not stammer or freeze.
• If it’s a Phone call, your voice is all you have. So, you must do your best to sound engaging and alert; this is an essential skill to be able to use your voice to your advantage.
• If it’s a video call, check internet connectivity beforehand to avoid interruption.
• Work well on your appearance and use a neat and tidy background.
• And lastly, remember, good responses for a job interview are always the ones that articulately address your skills and proficiency which will ultimately build respect and reputation for you.