So how does one approach an interview and get offered. Taking the role , is another matter. And the reason i say so is that often when one fails to clear an interview , most common refrain is that i was never really interested in the Job.The point however is who says NO, You or the Interviewer. 

There are some interesting point of views that we have got from hiring managers over the years. Accordingly there are some sure shot ways to either flunk or ace that interview.

Preparation: Most people just walk into the interview room confident in their industry knowledge and their knowledge of the company that they are interviewing at. Nothing can be far from truth. An European MNC CFO rejected candidates if they had not visited their web site and read the annual report. Following points are essential in your ground work:

a) Your preparation should start from the consultant who has called your for the role. Most times they themselves will not have detailed data on their client. However you will still get some insights into the organization culture, hiring manager name, peer group etc. Somtimes you may infact get a very detailed background on company, hiring manager and role requirements.

b) Before you do anything , have an absolute clarity on organization structure of the company you are interviewing with. CXO to your level. Get names of all and check their Linkedin Profile, especially the hiring manager.This will give you an idea of what kind of people get hired in the firm. It also gives you good reason to back out or go ahead.

c) If the role is replacement, that is , someone had resigned and thereby creating a requirement to hire, check the professional details of the earlier incumbent. Important is to check the duration he / she was in the role.

d) From your friends in Industry try to understand what is the type of Culture in the company. Is it aggressive , systems driven, people oriented/ team play etc...Lot of your answers during interview should be along the lines of company culture. Also check if the company is facing any challenges in the domain that you are being interviewed.

e) Now sit back and think , if you were the hiring manager for the company with such a culture & business requirement/ challenge, what will you look for in a candidate to hire.

f) Be clear on answers to the questions that you think you would ask.

Interview: Interview is essentially a game of wits. Is the dice loaded in favour of interviewer. I will say no. Because most times Interviewers are themselves badly prepared for the Interview unless it is a purely skill based interview.

There are broadly 2 types of inetrviews: HR Interview and Interview with Line Manager.Most critical and increasingly these days also the first Interview is with HR.

a)HR Interview: This Interview needs to be handled with care.Consider it to be as important as an interview with Chairman of the firm. You will speak when spoken to and be to the point. Never start explaing in details unless asked specifically to do so. Macro is good. Link it to organization results achieved through team work in your function and across functions/ geography. Throw in hint of team development and elaborate if asked for. Towards the end if HR asks you if you have any question, than you can ask about the business direction of the firm in next 12 months and what are the challenges that they forsee. Do not get into dialougue or active discussion at this point. Hear and absorb. One or two points is all that you should make here before taking your leave. Ending should be with professional statement like ..Thank you for your time.

b) Line Manager Interview: From HR interview you should have got some feel of the organization. Line manager interviews are quite straight forward if the interviewer is from the same industry or has even worked in that industry for atleast 2 years. For Interviewing Line Manager who is not from the industry it is important to understand his point of view. It might be a good idea to ask him what are his three main expectations from the role and also what is his strategy for the business domain for which you are being interviewed. You need to get these questions in within first 5 mts so as to chalk your strategy. For line managers from outside the industry ,approach should be macro and not getting into micro detailing too much. Encourage interviewer to talk as much and share his view points / approach. Your answers should convey that you are aligned and excited with the macro strategy of the manager and micro detailing can be worked out after doing some data crunching and brainstorming once onboard. There should be enough hint that Industry needs a fresh thinking.

Post Interview: Be prompt in closing post interview and pre offer formalities. Be carefull not to let your gaurd down yet.The most important aspect now is Salary discussion. Ideally let the HR make you an offer. However if they are too keen to get a ball park, give them a zone of possible agreement. Be clear internally what is it that you want and if there are no compulsions from existing job, stick to your figure. You may even up sell it once you understand the organization better during the course.

Remember changing jobs too often is quite detrimental. Ideally change after 6-8 years. Continue more if job is still exciting, only money should be the motive for changing jobs. So that when you actually change you can demand a premium.