For many, an interview is a tense moment, you wonder if you have the right skill and the right answers.
Many a time, half your interview is set on other factors that people usually overlook.

Some good practices to follow to make it bit easier:

Call to confirm the previous day or 4 hours early, also enquire if there is something that you might need to bring with you.

Dress well, be more formal than casual. You’re trying to make an impression. Dressing like you’re going to beach party with flip flops or sandals may look like the in-thing with top notch Millionaires won’t land you in the right spot.

Smile! It shows your interest to take up the position. If you look anxious, try to acknowledge that you may or may not get the position.

While being asked a question by the hiring manager, NEVER repeat the question. It will indicate that you are buying time to think or even worse, that you are maybe making up a story. Your answer should be to the point and delivered calmly.

It’s often that you are asked about your strength and weakness, and most often these answers are endless statements: “I’m a hard worker”; “I can learn fast”; “I’m friendly”. The instant noodle answers are not going to make you sound any more capable than the last or the next person that applies.

It is preferable to give more exact and measurable answers. “I can work 9 hours without distraction”; “It usually takes me 5 days to learn a new programming language”; “People are comfortable with me within a few hours of meeting them”

Well of course, you still need to know your subject well. Read the company’s website, know about their business or awards they received, see what skills are relevant for the position. The first four to five points in the job description will be key.

Your resume should also stand out. The interviewer wants to know what you did or achieved more than what your team achieved. So mention responsibilities and outcomes rather than team sizes and about the customer you did work for. It very often that when the individual is asked to explain some skill or technology they used, a common answer is “I didn’t work on that part, though it was in the project”. This is nearly as good as saying I can rule the country because the President waved out to me.

You may also want to practice before a mirror or with a friend in a mock interview and take some advice on how you appear and what you can work on.