Communicate Positive Attitudes During the Job Interview

How you stand and sit - what do you with your arms and legs, how you hold your head, your body orientation toward or away from the listener - communicate messages that are interpreted by other individuals as having positive or negative meanings. The listener (interviewer) may not even be consciously aware of what he is reacting to. But he knows that he feels comfortable or uncomfortable, likes or dislikes, trusts or does not trust, the other individual. If the interviewer responds negatively to the applicant's nonverbal communication, it will be difficult for the candidate to overcome those negatives no matter what the verbal interaction. What then are the behaviors the savvy applicant should display? Behaviors that convey positive messages of both liking the other person and interest in the discussion are:

1. body orientation toward the other person
2. a slight forward body lean toward the other person
3. openness of arms and body
4. postural relaxation (but not too relaxed - not tense, but not slouched)
5. direct eye gaze
6. positive facial expression

Disinterest and/or dislike for the other person is conveyed when the interviewee leans back too comfortably in his chair, is slumped in the chair, constantly looks around the room, avoids eye contact with the interviewer, drums his fingers, wrings his hands, plays with his rings - perhaps turning them on his finger, fidgets, is stone faced or expressionless. The applicant who slumps or leans completely back in his chair simply can't convey the same level of interest and enthusiasm from that physical position, no matter how wonderful the rest of his other nonverbal messages may be, as the person who sits straight up in the chair and with a slight forward lean. A slouching figure may be interpreted by the interviewer as a sign of disrespect as well as lack of interest. Direct body orientation means that the applicant's body is facing the interviewer, rather than sideways to the interviewer. If you are seated directly across a desk from the interviewer this position will probably be automatic and natural. However if you are seated at the side of the desk with the interviewer directly behind it or in the corner to corner, 90 degree angle arrangement around a coffee table, you should position your upper torso to be facing the interviewer more directly. You can do this by sitting a bit sideways in the chair and further bending your upper torso, a bit if necessary, to face the interviewer. Openness of arms and body means that your arms are at your side rather than folded across your body. By folding your arms across your body it is thought that you convey, perhaps on a subliminal level, that you are closed to the other person and to his ideas. The arms open position conveys that you are open and responsive to the other individual and to his message. Granted, there are other reasons you might fold your arms - simply being cold is one of them. But since closed body language might send a negative message, it is better to avoid the closed posture. If you are too tense, you make the other person feel uncomfortable. There may also be a sense of wondering what it is you are trying to hide. So try to appear relaxed and comfortable - it will help the interviewer feel more comfortable - while at the same time not engaging in so much postural relaxation that you are slouching! By far the most important positive attitude you can convey is your enthusiasm - often referred to as dynamism. By your dynamic attitude you convey your interest in the other person, in the company, and in the job as well as toward life in general. You convey your dynamism through your tone of voice and facial expression as well as through your use of gestures and body language. Of course gestures can be overdone, but that is far less frequently a problem than the individual who uses few, if any, gestures. Gesture occasionally, naturally, and appropriately to reinforce your message. Do avoid wild gestures that are all over the place and don't reinforce your message. It is also a good idea to keep your hands away from your face. Both men and women can exhibit preening behaviors as they push hair back out of their face or perhaps unconsciously try to fix or rearrange their hair. Women may unconsciously play with an earring. Or an interviewee may nervously scratch his face or head or push back the cuticles on his fingers. These are distracting behaviors that will focus the interviewer's attention on the unwanted behavior rather than the applicant's positive verbal messages. Try to avoid having a pen or notepad in your hands except when you are using it. Anything in your hands such as a pen or notepad becomes a likely thing for you to nervously play with. Either of these items in your hands will also impede your use of gestures. If you are holding pen and notepad in your hands, you are far less likely to gesture than if you are not holding onto them.

10 mistakes to avoid during interview

Most of the time, potential job candidates are not aware of the mistakes they make before and during the interview. These small mistakes that might cost them a job.

Number 10
Running Late Without Notice.
Turning up late for the interview and never calling to say you are running late will not give a good impression to your potential employer. If you are running late, do inform your interviewer and apologize that you are running late and ask if it is possible for you to attend the interview a little bit late or just request for the interview to be rescheduled if that is not possible.
Of course, the worst that could happen which could quash your employment chances is your attitude when you do not even bother to turn up at an interview without calling.

Number 9
Lack of Preparation
Preparation for an interview includes:
1. Research on the background of the company
2. Bring along an extra copy of your resumé and relevant supporting documents, just in case
3. Be prepared with the answers for possible common interview questions
4. Rehearse on your speech, clarity, confidence, etc. prior to the interview
In the event that you are required to attend an interview at short notice and you applied for a job with no company description stated in the ad, keep your cool and ask questions during the interview to know more about the company.
It is recommended that you carry an extra copy of your resumé in your working bag just in case you are called for a job interview during your lunch/tea break at short notice.

Number 8
Lack of Confidence/Over Confidence
Lack of confidence could be perceived by potential employers as your lack of preparation; being nervous could also be giving the impression that you are trying to cover something or is lying. Being over confident may turn interviewers off as you may be viewed as being too big-headed or you may be viewed as a braggart who talks more than you deliver.

Number 7
Talking Too Much
It is not wise to talk too much and fail to listen and understand the questions asked. Listen carefully to answer the questions asked, be clear and concise in your answers to show that you understood the question and are not just rambling for the sake of talking. Be specific and respond directly to the questions asked. Be careful with your selection of words and think before you say anything to decide if what you are going to say is necessary or appropriate.

Number 6
Inappropriate Dressing
Avoid revealing clothes or being underdressed - stick to conventional dressing, i.e. mono colours and minimal accessories.

Number 5
Body Language
Avoid weak or too strong handshakes, minimal or almost no eye contact with the interviewer and slouching when seated. Keep a straight back when seated and refrain from fidgeting or shaking your legs, twitching your nose, biting your nails or other signs that showed your nervousness. Take a deep breath to remain calm and be aware of your body language. Your body language tells your interviewers more about you than your speech.

Number 4
Criticising or Slating Your Previous Employers/Company/Colleagues or Complaining About Your Day
No one likes a person who complains, keep in mind that it is not a recommended icebreaker. You are being interviewed to promote yourself as the best possible candidate for the post, not to criticise others or complain about the train/car that broke down on your way to the interview.

Number 3
Lying or Concealing Information
Never attempt to lie or cover up any vital information, no matter how important you thought it was for you to conceal the information. You may land the job but how long it will be before you are found out?

Number 2
Failing to Ask Questions
Ask questions to show that you are interested in the job, lack of enthusiasm is a killer of your chances of employment.

Number 1
Money Talk
Never bring up talk on salary at the beginning of the interview. Only talk about salary or your employment package, i.e. remuneration, benefits, etc. when the interviewer asks you or the matter has not been brought up and the interview is near its end.

10 mistakes to avoid during interview

Most of the time, potential job candidates are not aware of the mistakes they make before and during the interview. These small mistakes that might cost them a job.

Number 10
Running Late Without Notice.
Turning up late for the interview and never calling to say you are running late will not give a good impression to your potential employer. If you are running late, do inform your interviewer and apologize that you are running late and ask if it is possible for you to attend the interview a little bit late or just request for the interview to be rescheduled if that is not possible.
Of course, the worst that could happen which could quash your employment chances is your attitude when you do not even bother to turn up at an interview without calling.

Number 9
Lack of Preparation
Preparation for an interview includes:
1. Research on the background of the company
2. Bring along an extra copy of your resumé and relevant supporting documents, just in case
3. Be prepared with the answers for possible common interview questions
4. Rehearse on your speech, clarity, confidence, etc. prior to the interview
In the event that you are required to attend an interview at short notice and you applied for a job with no company description stated in the ad, keep your cool and ask questions during the interview to know more about the company.
It is recommended that you carry an extra copy of your resumé in your working bag just in case you are called for a job interview during your lunch/tea break at short notice.

Number 8
Lack of Confidence/Over Confidence
Lack of confidence could be perceived by potential employers as your lack of preparation; being nervous could also be giving the impression that you are trying to cover something or is lying. Being over confident may turn interviewers off as you may be viewed as being too big-headed or you may be viewed as a braggart who talks more than you deliver.

Number 7
Talking Too Much
It is not wise to talk too much and fail to listen and understand the questions asked. Listen carefully to answer the questions asked, be clear and concise in your answers to show that you understood the question and are not just rambling for the sake of talking. Be specific and respond directly to the questions asked. Be careful with your selection of words and think before you say anything to decide if what you are going to say is necessary or appropriate.

Number 6
Inappropriate Dressing
Avoid revealing clothes or being underdressed - stick to conventional dressing, i.e. mono colours and minimal accessories.

Number 5
Body Language
Avoid weak or too strong handshakes, minimal or almost no eye contact with the interviewer and slouching when seated. Keep a straight back when seated and refrain from fidgeting or shaking your legs, twitching your nose, biting your nails or other signs that showed your nervousness. Take a deep breath to remain calm and be aware of your body language. Your body language tells your interviewers more about you than your speech.

Number 4
Criticising or Slating Your Previous Employers/Company/Colleagues or Complaining About Your Day
No one likes a person who complains, keep in mind that it is not a recommended icebreaker. You are being interviewed to promote yourself as the best possible candidate for the post, not to criticise others or complain about the train/car that broke down on your way to the interview.

Number 3
Lying or Concealing Information
Never attempt to lie or cover up any vital information, no matter how important you thought it was for you to conceal the information. You may land the job but how long it will be before you are found out?

Number 2
Failing to Ask Questions
Ask questions to show that you are interested in the job, lack of enthusiasm is a killer of your chances of employment.

Number 1
Money Talk
Never bring up talk on salary at the beginning of the interview. Only talk about salary or your employment package, i.e. remuneration, benefits, etc. when the interviewer asks you or the matter has not been brought up and the interview is near its end.

How to Control Overconfidence

Step 1
Remind yourself there are elements to every situation you cannot control. Individuals who feel in control of their environment often become overconfident in their ability to control or predict outcomes.
Step 2
Take a nature trip or remove yourself from familiar surroundings. Experience situations you cannot impact. Shake your own self-confidence to control your overconfidence.
Step 3
Control the urge to only give credence to facts that fit your views. Overconfident individuals often disregard facts that do not fit their view of a situation. List the pros and cons of a situation on paper or have someone else make the list. If you see too many cons listed and are still bullish on the idea, consider that you may be exhibiting signs of overconfidence.
Step 4
Take responsibility for failure as easily as you take credit for success. Learn to control your ego and harness your confidence into a productive force. Take criticism and learn from mistakes. Turn overconfidence into reasoned confidence.
Step 5
Seek counselling if your overconfidence is damaging your career or personal relationships. If you believe you are always right, refuse to admit mistakes and don't listen to those who hold different views ask for help to control your overconfidence.

How to Build Confidence in 7 Days

Confidence is a state of being, the ability to explore aspects of life with certainty - to visualize positive outcomes and to act with authority and conviction. It requires the ability to learn from and to welcome the unknown, because doing so builds confidence.
Self-confidence is having confidence in you. It is a belief in your ability to succeed, an awareness of your strengths and weaknesses. It is to accept responsibility for your actions - bad or good. It is the ability to tolerate any outcome.
Life experiences build self-confidence. Conversely, if you avoid new challenges or tackling obstacles for fear of failure, you will slowly begin to lose your confidence, and the less likely you will be to attempt anything new. Eventually, life will become stagnant.
To enjoy life and to become successful, you must raise your self-confidence to a new level. Below are some short exercises that will boost your self-confidence in 7 days. Complete one exercise each day, and by the 7th day, you will feel more confident than you do today.
How To Build Confidence In 7 Days
Day 1 your task is to speak to 7 complete strangers, people you never met before. A bookstore or cafe is an ideal place to meet strangers, and also the perfect environment to ask:
What is confidence?
Day 2 your task is to speak with 3 complete strangers, but this time you will ask them the following 4 questions:
What is confidence?
Where do you think confidence comes from?
Can you tell when someone is not confident?
Do you personally know anybody that is 100% confident?
Day 3 your task is to ask your Teacher for personal feedback (constructive criticism):
• Can you point out 1 area where I can use improvement?
Day 4 your task is to make a list of situations where you were left feeling defeated. Next to each situation write down something positive you can take away from each situation.
Day 5 your task is to make a list of your achievements and successes. Next to each one, write down a list of tasks you had to accomplish in order to attain that success. Be sure to include the small steps as well as the larger tasks you had to complete .
Day 6 your task is to celebrate your past achievements and successes. Be proud of what you have accomplished. Recognize and reward yourself - CELEBRATE!
Day 7 your task is to write down on a piece of paper the following positive affirmation:
• I am human. As human beings we learn from our mistakes and grow from them. From this day forth I give myself permission to live my life with trial and error.
Now look in the mirror and, looking yourself in the eyes, repeat your positive affirmation 7 times.
You were not born with self-confidence; self-confidence is developed throughout life through experiences. When you challenge your skills and are open to learn what you do not know, you will overcome perceived obstacles and build confidence.

Preparation for GD

While selection tools and techniques like tests, interviews etc. provide good data about an individual, they fall short in providing real life data of how an individual would be performing in a real life situation especially a group situation. Team work being an integral part of the BPO work profile, it is important to ascertain group and inter-personal qualities of an individual. Group discussion is a useful tool to ascertain these qualities and many organizations use GDs as a selection tool along with Personal Interviews, aptitude tests etc. A GD is an activity where :
· Groups of 8-10 candidates are formed into a leaderless group, and are given a specific situation to analyse and discuss within a given time limit, which may vary between twenty minutes and forty-five minutes, or
· They may be given a case study and asked to come out with a solution for a problem
· They may be given a topic and are asked to discuss the same

1. Preparing for a Group Discussion: While GD reflects the inherent qualities of an individual, appearing for it unprepared may not augur well for you. These tips would help you prepare for GDs:
Reading: This is the first and the most crucial step in preparation. This is a never ending process and the more you read, the better you are in your thoughts. While you may read anything to everything, you must ensure that you are in good touch with current affairs, the debates and hot topics of discussion and also with the latest in the IT and ITES industry. Chances are the topics would be around these. Read both for the thoughts as well as for data. Also read multiple view points on the same topic and then create your point of view with rationale. Also create answers for counter arguments for your point of view. The electronic media also will be of good use here.
Mocks: Create an informal GD group and meet regularly to discuss and exchange feedback. This is the best way to prepare. This would give you a good idea about your thoughts and how well can you convince. Remember, it is important that you are able to express your thoughts well. The better you perform in these mocks the better would be you chances to perform on the final day. Also try to interact and participate in other GD groups. This will develop in you a skill to discuss with unknown people as well.
2. During the Group Discussion:
What do the panelists assess:Some of the qualities assessed in a GD are:
Leadership Skills - Ability to take leadership roles and be able to lead, inspire and carry the team along to help them achieve the group's objectives.
Communication Skills - Candidates will be assessed in terms of clarity of thought, expression and aptness of language. One key aspect is listening. It indicates a willingness to accommodate others views.
Interpersonal Skills - People skills are an important aspect of any job. They are reflected in the ability to interact with other members of the group in a brief situation. Emotional maturity and balance promotes good interpersonal relationships. The person has to be more people centric and less self-centered.
Persuasive Skills - The ability to analyze and persuade others to see the problem from multiple perspectives.
GD is a test of your ability to think, your analytical capabilities and your ability to make your point in a team-based environment.
These are some of the sub-skills that also get assessed with the skills mentioned above:
· Clarity of thought
· Group working skills (especially during a group task of case study discussion)
· Conflict handling
· Listening and probing skills
· Knowledge about the subject and individual point of view
· Ability to create a consensus
· Openess and flexibility towards new ideas
· Data based approach to decision making
While, it is not possible to reflect all these qualities in a short time, you would do well if you are able to show a couple or more qualities and avoid giving negative evidence on others.
How do I take my chance to speak: Trying to interrupt others while speaking would only harm your chances. Instead, you may try to maintain an eye-contact with the speaker. This would show your listening skills also and would help you gauge from his eye-movement and pitch of voice that he is about to close his inputs. You can quickly take it from there. Also, try and link your inputs with what he has spoken whether you are adding to or opposing his arguments. This would reflect that you are actually being participative rather than just doing a collective monologue.
· How to I communicate in a GD: Be crisp and to the point. Be fact based and avoid making individual opinions that do not have a factual base. Make eye contact with all the members in the group and avoid looking at the panelists while speaking. The average duration of the group discussion provides an average of about 2-3 minutes per participant to speak and you should try to speak about 3-4 times. Hence, you need to be really crisp to reflect the most in those 30-40 sec. slots.
· How do I convince others and make them agree to my view point: A lot of candidates make it their mission to make the group reach to a conclusion on the topic. Do not forget that some of the topics have been eternal debates and there is no way you can get an agreement in 15 mins. on them. The objective is not to make others toe your line but to provide fact based, convincing arguments which create an impact. Stick to this approach.
· Do leadership skills include moderating the group discussion: This is a myth and many people do try to impose their order on the GD, ordering people when to speak and when not to. This only reflects poor leadership. Leadership in a GD would be reflected by your clarity of thought, ability to expand the topic in its different dimensions, providing an opportunity to a silent participant to speak, listening to others and probing them to provide more information. Hence, work on these areas rather than be a self-appointed moderator of the group.
· Listening: This is a key quality assessed during the GD about which many participants forget. Active listening can fetch you credit points and would also provide you with data to discuss. Also, if you have an average of 2-3 minutes to speak, the rest of the 20-25 minutes is required to spent in active listening. For this, maintain eye contact with the speakers, attend to them (like nodding, using acknowledging words like -I see ok, fine, great etc.). This would also make you be the centre of attraction as you would appear non-threatening to the speakers.
· Behaviour during the GD: Be patient; don't get upset if anyone says anything you object to. Stay objective and don't take the discussion personally. Also, remember the six C's of communication - Clarity, Completeness, Conciseness, Confidence, Correctness and Courtesy. Be appreciative & receptive to ideas from other people and open-minded but do not let others to change your own viewpoint. Be active and interested throughout. It is better to participate less if you have no clue of the topic. You may listen to others and take clues from there and speak. You would be assessed on a range of different skills and you may think that leadership is key, you need to be careful that you don't dominate the discussion.
· Quality Vs Quantity: Often, participants think that success in group discussions depends on how much and how loudly they speak. Interestingly, it's the opposite. Also, making your point on the topic, your views are important and the group needs to know. This will tell you are knowledgeable and that you participate in groups
· Summarizing: If you have not been able to initiate the discussion, try to summaries and close it. Good summarizing would get you good reward points. A conclusion is where the whole group decides in favour or against the topic and most GDs do not have a closure. But every GD can be summarized by putting forth what the group has discussed in a nutshell. Keep the following points in mind while summarizing a discussion:
o Avoid raising new points.
o Avoid stating only your viewpoint.
o Avoid dwelling only on one aspect of the GD
o Keep it brief and concise.
o It must include all the important points that came out during the GD
o If you are asked to summarise a GD, it means the GD has come to an end.
o Do not add anything once the GD has been summarised.
Some Positive Task Roles in a Group Discussion:You may want to play one or more of them:
· Initiator
· Information seeker
· Information giver
· Procedure facilitator
· Opinion seeker
· Opinion giver
· Clarifier
· Social Supporter
· Harmonizer
· Tension Reliever
· Energizer
· Compromiser
· Gatekeeper
· Summarizer
Negative Roles to be Avoided
· Disgruntled non-participant
· Attacker
· Dominator
· Patronizer
· Clown
Feedback template: While doing mocks for GD preparation, you would get benefited by the feedback of others. For the purpose, we are providing a template for feedback - both quantitative and qualitative. The items described over there are a suggested list and not a complete one. You may make changes in it depending upon your need.

GD Mistakes

Here's a list of most common mistakes made at group discussions:

Emotional outburst
Rashmi was offended when one of the male participants in a group discussion made a statement on women generally being submissive while explaining his point of view. When Rashmi finally got an opportunity to speak, instead of focussing on the topic, she vented her anger by accusing the other candidate for being a male chauvinist and went on to defend women in general.

What Rashmi essentially did was to
• Deviate from the subject
• Treat the discussion as a forum to air her own views.
• Lose objectivity and make Her behaviour would have been perceived as immature and demotivating to the rest of the team.

Quality Vs Quantity
Gautam believed that the more he talked, the more likely he was to get through the GD. So, he interrupted other people at every opportunity. He did this so often that the other candidates got together to prevent him from participating in the rest of the discussion.
• Assessment is not only on your communication skills but also on your ability to be a team player.
• Evaluation is based on quality, and not on quantity. Your contribution must be relevant.
• The mantra is "Contributing meaningfully to the team's success." Domination is frowned upon.

Egotism Showing off
Krishna was happy to have got a group discussion topic he had prepared for. So, he took pains to project his vast knowledge of the topic. Every other sentence of his contained statistical data - "20% of companies; 24.27% of parliamentarians felt that; I recently read in a Jupiter Report that..." and so on so forth. Soon, the rest of the team either laughed at him or ignored his attempts to enlighten them as they perceived that he was cooking up the data.
• Exercise restraint in anything. You will end up being frowned upon if you attempt showing-off your knowledge.
• Facts and figures need not validate all your statements.
• Its your analysis and interpretation that are equally important - not just facts and figures.
• You might be appreciated for your in-depth knowledge. But you will fail miserably in your people skills.
Such a behavior indicates how self-centered you are and highlights your inability to work in an atmosphere where different opinions are expressed.

Get noticed - But for the right reasons
Srikumar knew that everyone would compete to initiate the discussion. So as soon as the topic - "Discuss the negative effects of India joining the WTO" - was read out, he began talking. In his anxiety to be the first to start speaking, he did not hear the word "negative" in the topic. He began discussing the ways in which the country had benefited by joining WTO, only to be stopped by the evaluator, who then corrected his mistake.
• False starts are extremely expensive. They cost you your admission. It is very important to listen and understand the topic before you air your opinions.
• Spending a little time analyzing the topic may provide you with insights which others may not have thought about. Use a pen and paper to jot down your ideas.
• Listen! It gives you the time to conceptualize and present the information in a better manner.
Some mistakes are irreparable. Starting off the group discussion with a mistake is one such mistake, unless you have a great sense of humor.

Managing one's insecurities
Sumati was very nervous. She thought that some of the other candidates were exceptionally good. Thanks to her insecurity, she contributed little to the discussion. Even when she was asked to comment on a particular point, she preferred to remain silent.
• Your personality is also being evaluated. Your verbal and non verbal cues are being read.
• Remember, you are the participant in the GD; not the evaluator. So, rather than evaluating others and your performance, participate in the discussion.
• Your confidence level is being evaluated. Decent communication skills with good confidence is a must to crack the GDs.
Focus on your strengths and do not spend too much time thinking about how others are superior or inferior to you. It is easy to pick up these cues from your body language.
Knowledge is strength. A candidate with good reading habits has more chances of success. In other words, sound knowledge on different topics like politics, finance, economy, science and technology is helpful.
Power to convince effectively is another quality that makes you stand out among others.
Clarity in speech and expression is yet another essential quality.
If you are not sure about the topic of discussion, it is better not to initiate. Lack of knowledge or wrong approach creates a bad impression. Instead, you might adopt the wait and watch attitude. Listen attentively to others, may be you would be able to come up with a point or two later.
A GD is a formal occasion where slang is to avoided.
A GD is not a debating stage. Participants should confine themselves to expressing their viewpoints. In the second part of the discussion candidates can exercise their choice in agreeing, disagreeing or remaining neutral.
Language use should be simple, direct and straight forward.
Don't interrupt a speaker when the session is on. Try to score by increasing your size, not by cutting others short.
Maintain rapport with fellow participants. Eye contact plays a major role. Non-verbal gestures, such as listening intently or nodding while appreciating someone's viewpoint speak of you positively.
Communicate with each and every candidate present. While speaking don't keep looking at a single member. Address the entire group in such a way that everyone feels you are speaking to him or her.