First Interview

First interviews can be nerve-wrecking along with trying to make a good impression. It is crucial as it is the starting step of setting up your career as it increases the chances of being hired. According to a survey by Bayt.com, the first interview is when 45% of employers make a hiring choice while 15.6% take the second interview, 17.2% take three, while a small percentage of 13 take four or more interviews in order to choose one who is fit for the job.

The best way to be prepared is know the basics about the company, care to revise about what you have studied, and know every detail in your CV because you do not want to forget a line there. MENA respondents stated that most face-to-face interviews lasted less than an hour while 6.1% lasted between an hour and two. Phone screening interviews were told to last less than 15 minutes, which accounted to a higher percentage of 75!

Most of the questions have been regarding behavior, competency, opinion, personality, and problem solving, after the verification questions. It is best to follow up with the employer after a job interview as it shows the tremendous interest in the job and field, along with the importance of working professionally. Graduate job seekers find it tough to find a stable and secure job within UAE due to the recent downfall of the market however, 3/4th of the respondents claimed to have had a positive job interview experience.

First job interviews are not always the best. They tend to ask questions you aren’t prepared for while catching your nervous and insecure habit of fidgeting that would make you more conscious. It is okay to make mistakes during the interview as it is a part and parcel of growing up and being independent. What matters is how much learning we take from it. We should learn from our mistakes and avoid them as much as possible in the next interview session so as to not fall again. Good luck for the summer job!