Let me make it clear in the beginning, the following points are based on my personal experiences and a few good articles which I managed to read; use your discretion before following or believing any of these :-). I thought of writing this as I was appoached by quite a few people to learn from my experience about making a change.
So here we go:
- Be confident - As we are told to be confident at all times in our lives, this holds good for interviews also. Stay calm, and don't allow nervousness to take over you.
- Be utmost courteous and respectful to the interviewer - remember you are the seeker here.
- Mind your communication - language and grammar, and your body language in case of a face-to-face interview. Don't appear restless or too excited for any reason whatsoever.
- Start all the answers in a positive tone. If you haven't worked on something, then say the truth and if possible add a few cents you know about the topic. There's nothing wrong in not knowing a thing or two (provided they are not the basis of the job opening).
- Try finding out through some aquaintance/contact about what does the target company actually looks in the candidates. Do they measure all the dimensions of your knowledge, or do they look for exposure/hands-on experience, or particular aspect of the technology? It's a good idea to prepare resume based on the type of requirement/opening.
- Never answer a question without understanding it properly. If in doubt ask the interviewer to clarify; he'll be more than happy to explain.
- Try not discussing salaries and packages in the initial stages of recruitment process, keep it for the end. If questioned say that you'll prefer to talk on that when found suitable for the post/opening. If still insisted, give a range.
- Have one or two questions ready for the interviewer, to be asked if given a chance at the end of the interview. Never ask salary stuff here; put questions related to the responsiblities, type of work/projects, roles you would be expected to play, etc.
- If possible do a little homework, read something regarding the company on its website or some annual report. You can have questions from this data for the above point (obviously not the ones which do not make sense at that moment). This tells the interviewer that you are serious about being part of his company.
- Do not take hasty decisions (in terms of dates/salary/accepting offer/relocation) if the offer is made; ask for at least a day's time.
- A very important one, know your topics well. You should be able to point to your (relevant) technical strengths to be grilled upon :D.
- Expect to answer and justify everything your resume says. Do'nt put something on resume which you have'nt done or cannot speak on.
- The last point, and a still more important one :), ask yourself what do you want, what do you wish to work on? Don't run after money, it eventually comes when you excel in your field. See that the target company offers you something which is satisfactory in terms of technology/domain/brand/work culture/opportunities/other employee benefit policies etc. These aspects are highly subjective, and vary a lot from an individual to another. (This should be definitely considered before applying, or at least before joining any company.)
Happy job searching and interviews with all this gyan :-). If anybody has a query or needs help, in a rare event of somebody reading all this and actually seeking my help, you know where to reach out for me. If you don't, then leave a comment, I'll try answering.
