Sunday 30 June 2013

Debate

Debate 

Debate or debating is a method of interactive argument. Though a debate is basically an argument, it is not an undisciplined shouting match between parties (individuals/teams) who hold a particular point of view. 

Debate is different from Group Discussion: 
 Debate differs from group discussion in several ways. Debate is basically an argument where participants take a particular stand on a given topic and stick to it as they speak on it. Group discussion is a cooperative process in which members discuss a topic with a view to reach group consensus. You need to be very flexible in a group discussion. That is you consider others' points of view also. However, you need to have just one particular view point in a debate. In a debate the number of participants could be from 2 to 20 or more whereas in a GD usually between 5 and 15. 

Conduct of Debate: 
 A topic is given for debating for individuals or teams. The team could consist of minimum two debaters and a maximum of 20 or more. A debate can be conducted depending on the number of participants in a debate. If there are more than 20 students in a class, the class can be divided into two teams. 
 It is possible to have a monitor who gives the topic and asks the teams to take a stand and argue for it. For instance, if a debate topic is "That the soft drinks be banned", one team would say YES and the other team would say NO. After the teams have taken a stand on the topic, the team that agrees with the topic may be called the affirmative and the team that disagrees with the topic may be called the negative. 
 The teams should arrive at a possible definition of the topic. The job of defining begins with the affirmative. The first speaker of the affirmative must explain in clear terms what they believe the topic means, explaining the meaning of the whole topic rather than each separate word. The negative team may agree with or choose to challenge the definition presented. If the negative team chooses to challenge the definition it should be done by the first speaker who should clearly outline why the negative is challenging and then propose a better definition. 
 If the number of debaters is large in a debate the monitor controls the debate by laying down certain guidelines like how much person should one person speak, what forms of behaviour is appropriate or in appropriate etc and intervenes when there is a chaos. If the number debaters is small in a debate the monitor's role is minimal. The monitor can give or ask the debaters to pick a topic they wish to debate on and then give the teams time to prepare for debating. Then the members of each team can specify for themselves the roles that they may wish to carry. Given below is a possible procedure in terms of roles if there are three members in each team. 

1st affirmative should: 
  • define the topic 
  • present the affirmative's team line (the point of view/stand) 
  • outline briefly what the other two in their team will talk about 
  • present the first half of the affirmative argument 


1st negative should: 
  1. accept or reject the definition 
  2. present the negative team line (the point of view/stand) 
  3. outline briefly what other two will say 
  4. rebut a few of the main points of the first affirmative speaker 
  5. present the first half of the negative team's argument 


2nd affirmative should: 
  • reaffirm the affirmative's team line 
  • rebut the main points presented by the 1st negative 
  • present the second half of the affirmative's argument 


2nd negative should: 
  • reaffirm the negative's team line 
  • rebut some of the main points of the affirmative's argument 
  • present the second half of the negative's argument 


3rd affirmative should: 
  • reaffirm the affirmative's team line 
  • rebut all the remaining points of the negative's argument 
  • present a summary of the affirmative's argument 
  • round off the debate for the affirmative 


3rd negative should: 
  1. reaffirm the negative's team line 
  2. rebut all the remaining points of the affirmative's argument 
  3. present a summary of the negative's argument 
  4. round off the debate for the negative 

Rebuttal: When you are rebutting you voice your views countering the arguments put forth by your opponents. Criticizing your opponents' arguments is called rebuttal. Here are a few things to remember about rebuttal. 

Have logic: To say that the other side is wrong is not enough. You have to prove why the other side is wrong by countering each of the arguments of your opponents. If you don't have logic in what you say you will not be able to prove that the points presented by your opponents do not really make sense. 

Concentrate on major arguments: 
Rebut only the major arguments of the opponents. Listen carefully to detect loopholes/inconsistencies in their arguments. By picking on major points you could render your opponents' stand weak easily and also this helps you to save time and stay focused. 

Essentials of a debate 
Spare the debater: 
 Do not criticize the individual speakers, criticize what they say. Do not call people names. It is an art to prove people wrong without offending them. Remember that a debate is a battle of ideas, but not a clash of personalities. 

Essentials of a debate: Presented below are a few essentials you should concentrate on as you take part in a debate. They are content, structure and delivery. 

Content: Content is what you say. In other words it is the subject matter of your speech. To present your content effectively keep the following in mind: 

Use examples: You should divide your matter into arguments and examples. An argument is a statement. An example is a fact or piece of evidence which supports an argument. For the topic "That the soft drinks should be banned", if your argument is: "that the soft drinks should be banned because they contain harmful substances" then an example might be: "if you take one glass of a soft drink (specify the brand name) the pesticide content is this much (specify quantity)". 

Have unity: A good debating team ensures unity in their debate. Unity is created by all members being aware of the definition, what the other speakers have said and what the team line is. Each member of the team needs to reinforce the team line and be consistent with what has already been said and what will be said by the other members of their team. 

Structure: Structure refers to how you organize your content. Structuring your arguments properly will make your ideas clear. Have a clear idea of your own arguments and which examples you will be using to support those arguments. As you speak, make a clear division between arguments and let the opponents know when you are moving from one argument to the next. This is called sign posting and is a very important debating tool. 

Delivery: 
 Delivery is how you present what you say. There are various aspects of delivery that you need to be aware of like eye contact, voice, body and enunciation. 

Eye contact: Look in the eyes of your opponents as you present your view point. This helps you to hold their attention. 

Voice: There are many things you can do with your voice to make it effective. Use volume, pitch and speed to emphasize important points in your speech. A sudden loud burst will grab your audience's attention while a period of quiet speaking can draw your audience in and make them listen carefully. 

Body: 
 Your body is a tool for you to use. Make hand gestures deliberately and with confidence. If you are going to stand still, stand with confidence. Don't let your body apologize for your presence by appearing nervous. Use your whole person to effect and to persuade the audience. 

Enunciation: Speak clearly, carefully and slowly so that the impact is good. Learn to differentiate the pronunciation of some words like 'personal' and 'personnel'. 


The outcome of a debate: The outcome of a debate may be decided by voting, by judges, by monitor or by a combination of any of these. Sometimes debates are conducted just to have fun. Individuals can obtain feedback informally from monitor or judges or a teacher or any evaluator.

Challenges and Opportunities for Engg. Students

Challenges and Opportunities for Engg. Students

With globalization and economic development during the past two decades India has opened up very promising openings and opportunities to the students in general and engineering students in particular. India and China are emerging as leaders and are considered to be potential major economic players of the world in the coming decades.

Young India:
Added to this, around 50% of the Indian population ranges between the age group of 18 to 35 and this trend is expected to continue till 2050 in contrast to western countries which have predominantly older population. This means that India is young and will be one of the major producers of human resource along with China. In this context we should remember that unless this vast human resource is harnessed as skilled manpower, it is going to be counterproductive. Thus we have two challenges ahead, namely, producing sufficient skilled manpower by establishing good institutions and providing opportunities to them by developing the right kind of infrastructure. If the former is not attended to, our country will miss a golden opportunity and countries like China will take over. Already China has realized this and is pursuing this activity aggressively. If the potential of youth is not tapped in a proper direction, it may lead to unhealthy activities like terrorism.

Shortage of Skills:
As per the report of the National Knowledge Commission headed by Sri Syam Pitroda, there are about 350 universities and 18,000 colleges offering higher education in the country to about 10% of the relevant age group. This is extremely inadequate for a country where the demographic dividend by way of a population is about 550 million youth. If we are to achieve a Gross Enrolment Ratio (GER) of 15% and above by 2015, we need to substantially increase the number of higher education institutes in the country. It further points that there must be 1500 institutions in the country providing higher education to cater to the needs of the fast growing industrial and economic needs of the country. Here the challenge is not just the quantity but the quality as well. Every industry is facing an acute shortage of highly skilled and technical manpower. Presently, there are around 1500 colleges offering engineering education producing 6 lakh engineers every year. However, unfortunately only 15% of them are employable, according to a report. This means that we are not concerned about the quality of the engineers and thus creating a gap between the academics and the industry needs.

Plenty of Jobs:
In this context it is apt to say that there are plenty of jobs and opportunities for the engineering graduates. This year TCS announced that it requires 50,000 engineers, Infosys, Wipro, Accenture and Cognizent announced 30,000 each. Many other companies have also quoted similar figures. This implies that there are people and there are jobs, but the candidates do not have the requisite skills. It is the responsibility of academicians to make our students employable. The objective of this article is to provide some tips to the students and the academia in general to address this problem.

 It is estimated, by 2020, that 56 crores of technical manpower is required, of which India will be able to produce nearly 40-45 crores. However, all of them may not be employable unless we concentrate on the quality of the engineers who meet global standards. To solve this problem National Knowledge Commission suggested that the curricula be revised to be in tune with changing technological and industrial trends and creation of a national knowledge network. This requires three things.. 
  • Improving soft and communication skills 
  • Good knowledge of fundamentals and relating them to the environment and real life situations 
  • New Ideas 

It is expected that the competition between India and China is with respect to innovation. Till now, India is known for its software services all over the world. Unless we get into finding new ideas it may not be possible for us to survive with this growth. Hence, it is necessary to inculcate a critical thinking and problem solving process among students. Any small innovation or value addition should be recognized and encouraged. The students must be made aware of the intellectual property rights on what ever innovation they make. When an MNC invited innovative ideas from the students which can be implemented, they received nearly 1,70,000 entries. Many of them are very much useful and can be implemented with low cost. Four simple ideas are mentioned here. 
  • Detachable tooth brush 
  • A foldable bicycle 
  • A ring with a GPS support and 
  • Clay cups 


Detachable tooth brush
We all know that, when we brush our teeth only the head part of the tooth brush is being used, while the other part, namely, the handle is only to hold the tooth brush. If we have a mechanism to replace only the worn out head of the brush, a lot of material is saved and the usage of plastic comes down drastically in tooth brushes.

Foldable Bicycle:
Imagine a situation where a bicycle is folded and carried in a suitcase like our clothes. We can open the bicycle and coolly we can pedal out. This idea is already been implemented and being used. It should be made as light as possible while being sturdy, yet affordable.

A ring with a GPS support:
We are all aware of the deaths due to heart attacks. Accidents are on the rise. It is also noted that if these people get medical aid within half an hour of the episode, the chances of survival is very high. A student has come out with an idea to design a ring in which there is a small chip which can store some important mobile numbers with GPS support. With one press on the ring, they all will be activated by sending SMSs to them informing the place where he/she is with the help of GPS.

Clay cups:
Use of plastic is becoming a big problem for us. If we can reduce the usage by any amount, is good. Using clay cup is not a new phenomenon, and the practice is existing in states like UP and Bihar for taking beverages. If a layer can be coated on them with plastic like glazy paper then these can be used in place of plastic cups. A small coating will be a value addition to this clay cups giving employment to many rural folk.

 The industry is looking forward to students with such innovative ideas. It is not necessary that the student should know every thing he/she studies in his/her four years of engineering. It is expected that he/she should have the following. 
  • Good communication skills 
  • Good at fundamentals 
  • Ability to work in a group 
  • Aptitude to learn new concepts 
  • Adaptability to the changing technological trends 

Students need to be clear about their goals and pursue them with vigour. They need to be proactive and improve their soft skills by participating in group discussions/ seminars etc. and utilize their time effectively. It is advised that they should nurture his/her passion or hobby like sports/ music/dance etc.

Skills Required: 
Good communication skills 
Good at fundamentals 
Ability to work in a team 
Aptitude to learn new concepts 
Adaptability to the changing technological trends 

Innovation

How to write an effective resume?

 How to write an effective resume?

A resume is a marketing document. It is an advertisement and you are the product. Its sole purpose is "to sell" your skills, knowledge, accomplishments, and experience to a prospective employer so that you can get an interview.
 The goal of a resume is to get you to the interview.

What should a resume contain? 
 It is a brief account of your professional skills, education, experience, achievements, strengths, and activities that would be relevant to an employer. 

Characteristics of an impressive resume:
 Interview guaranteeing resumes invariably have the following characteristics.
 Visual appeal, easy to read layout, and high quality reproduction 
 Organized, 
 Present the most important information first, 
 Feature only relevant information,
 Highlight key skills and strengths - link them to employer's needs 
 Very brief; do not exceed one or two page(s)
 Totally free from any errors: spelling, typographical, punctuation, or grammatical 

As a fresh engineering college graduate, how should I structure my resume?
Organizing the information on your resume into appropriate sections is crucial for developing a strong resume. An entry level engineering job seeker's resume typically has the below eight important sections. 

Your name in large and bold font, at the top:
 It tells to whom the resume belongs. 

Contact section at the top, below your name: 
 It tells how you can be reached via email, post, landline and cell phone. 

 Objective statement: It tells your career goal.
Examples: "Entry level job in structural engineering",
 "First job in software development or testing", etc. 

Academic record: This section provides your qualifications, starting with the highest degree first. Qualification is followed by name of the college, University, location of the University, aggregate percentage, and year graduated. 

Software / Technical skill set: List here all the technical and software skills you have acquired to date. 

Academic Projects: Provide here brief descriptions of the projects you have done as part of your 4-year degree and/or your masters' degree. 

Professional activities / achievements: 
 Mention your publications and awards at professional contents.
Example: "Stood first at the national level Structural Design Contest at IIIT-H, Hyderabad held ABC 2010" If you have very significant academic or professional accomplishments that directly meet your employer's needs, you can place this section near the top of the resume, after the career goal or education. 

Extra-curricular (optional): Write the important contests or tournaments where you won a prize. 
 Example: "Stood first at IIIT-H, Hyderabad held AP state level Table Tennis Tournament in 2010"

Personal information: Mention on a single line your age, gender, marital status, native place (including the name of the state if your native place is not well known).
Example: 20 years, female, single, native of Chegunta (Medak District, AP).
 This section should come at the end.

Do's:
Be concise: It is a professional summary of your skills, education, and experience. A recruiter will only spend around 15 seconds scanning your resume before deciding to review further or put it aside. Be brief. 

Design resume carefully: Appearance makes an immediately favorable impression. So ensure that the layout is inviting to read and looks professional. 

Stay relevant: What you mention on the resume should be relevant to the job and prospective employer. In other words, an effective resume demonstrates a match between what you have to offer (= skills, knowledge and experience) and the employer's requirements.

Highlight key strengths: Use bold, italic, or underline to make your accomplishments, experience and skills stand out. But use these sparingly; only to highlight important statements or words. 

Check and re-check: Resumes with misspelled words and poor grammar reflect poorly against you. Use the spell and grammar check feature on your word processor. 

Don’ts: 
  • Avoid the same words or phrases on the same page. Introduce variety in vocabulary to make your resume lively. 
  • Don't use the first person. A resume should always be written in the second person. So never use "I" or "we". 
  • Don't write philosophical statements for career objective. Keep the career goal statement short, simple, and direct. 
  • Do not include a picture of yourself. 
  • Don't use double-line spacing. The norm is single line space. That way the resume looks compact and neat. 
  • Don't use multiple fonts. Use only one font - whether Arial, Helvetica, Verdana, Times New Roman, or Tahoma - through out the resume. 
  • Don't change font size. Except for your name at the top, which can be in larger font, all text, including sub-headings, should be in one single font size. 
  • Don't use passive verbs. In stead of saying, "Analysis and design of the structure were performed", write "Performed analysis and design of the structure". 
  • Don't include information of your parents' names, religion, caste, family, or hobbies. 
  • Don't write lengthy resumes. Let resume not exceed one or two pages. 
  • Don't dump information. Use bulleted points to make your resume look neat and readable. 
  • Don't include a declaratory statement to confirm the truthfulness of what you mentioned in the resume. CV is not an application form. 
  • Don't cram the resume with text. Ensure that there is adequate white space on the resume by giving enough margins. It makes the resume readable. 
  • Don't include two sets of addresses - permanent and current. Either will do. 
  • Don't use multiple colors. Use only black for font color throughout the resume. 
  • Don't write sentences or terms using all capitals. Use of capitals should be limited to only abbreviations. 
  • Don't use informal style and terms. A resume is a formal document.

Effective Communication Skills

Effective Communication Skills

Today, India is one of the fast growing economies. As a result of this, job market is expanding. Unfortunately, not many engineering graduates are grabbing the job opportunities as their proficiency level of English is not up to the mark. Engineering students should not be satisfied with just mathematics, thermodynamics, alkali, chips and transistors. They must work on enhancing their English language skills, communication skills, and soft skills. The engineers must focus on improving their command over grammar, comprehension, report writing, seminar presentations, GD and interview techniques etc. Effective English communication skills are vital to engineering students to enhance their academic performance, employability and personal effectiveness. Today's job market wants candidates who have good communication skills and a dynamic personality. Organizations look for people who can work in teams and who can get along with their colleagues comfortably. Employers are keen on recruiting only those students who possess a right mix of technical skills and soft skills. Hence, it is high time students realized that communication skills in English and soft skills play a pivotal role in their personal as well as professional lives. 

Identify your problems: 
 Many students find it difficult to overcome their English language problems as they lack proper awareness and exposure. Some of their language and communication problems are... 

  • Incorrect pronunciation. 
  • Incorrect grammar. 
  • Inability to use the right word in the right context. 
  • Inability to adjust their pace, pitch and tone depending on different situations. 
  • Inability to speak clearly and audibly. 
  • Inability to comprehend quickly while reading. 
  • Inability to write effective reports. 
  • Inability to give seminar presentations impressively. 
  • Inability to face interviews confidently. 


Use of the Right Approach: 
 Learn some useful tips for all skills/sub skills 
 Get tips from experts and various books on improving the four language skills, viz., listening, speaking, reading and writing and the sub skills, viz., pronunciation, vocabulary, grammar and spelling. And you must realize that you need to be equally good at all the skills and sub skills. Grab opportunities for practicing all skills/sub skills. You must take responsibility for your own learning. You must get opportunities to practice various skills in various situations. You must be very active and get involved in discussions and debates on various topics. It is also a good idea to recall and talk about the language learning techniques and strategies. Also, you must check which of them are effective and which of them are not so effective. You must use the 'good' strategies more often. You must try new styles of learning and apply what you learn in various situations. 

How to improve? 
 You should improve your oral communication by grabbing opportunities to practice conversations, JAM sessions, speechmaking, group discussions, debates, seminar presentations, telephoning, interviewing and role-playing. Written communication can be improved by way of keeping diary entries, letter writing, essay writing, summarizing, report writing, chatting on the net, ‘emailing’ and 'smsing'.] 

Tips for proficiency: 

  1. Learn words in context. 
  2. Listen to Radio and watch as many English programmes on T.V. as possible and try to repeat the dialogues of the characters by imitating them. 
  3. Do not hesitate to speak to your friends or classmates in English. 
  4. Listen to music in English and repeat lyrics later even though you do not understand everything that is being sung. 
  5. Play as many grammar games/ language games as possible. 
  6. Use CDs with listening activities and practice listening exercises using headphones. 
  7. Try to speak on telephone enquiring about a product/ service. 
  8. Maintain vocabulary notes. New vocabulary can be learnt from newspapers, books, dictionaries, thesaurus etc. Try to learn at least twenty new English words every day. 
  9. Use all the new words you have learnt in real life situations. 


 Follow the above mentioned tips diligently so that you can improve your communication skills in English and become more employable. Students of engineering can also learn and practice the above at the University Training Centers. Try to follow the above mentioned tips and practice the exercises diligently so that you can become proficient in English. Try to read the books recommended below and also make an attempt to browse the websites mentioned below. They will remain as a constant resource for updating your communication skills in English.

Why Good Communication Skills?
Within a few months after Vijay passed his BTech with a distinction, his ordeals began. He knows all his subjects thoroughly well, but unfortunately his English is not good. All his attempts to get a good job have been going in vain and he now has several sleepless nights. He regrets his negligence while at the university towards improving his communicative abilities and has now realized that unless he improves his English, he has no chance of getting a job in a good company.

 This is the story of not Vijay alone, but thousands of engineering graduates. While on campus, they did not recognize and appreciate the need for improving their proficiency in English language and their communicative abilities. They did not improve their English language skills, soft skills and interview techniques.

 The need for good communication skills, a good command over English language and proficiency with soft skills cannot be ignored. Today, the ever expanding industry is craving for youth with vibrant personality and first-rate communication skills. Often we hear in the recruitment corridors, particularly in the multinational companies, that innumerable jobs remain vacant for want of suitable candidates equipped with good communication skills. Effective communicative abilities not only decide whether one gets a job or not; but when one does get a job, they decide what kind of responsibilities one can be assigned and how attractive the pay packet is. So, possessing effective communication skills is not only the golden key to getting a good job, but also the fabulous route to go up the ladder in any organization.

Syllabus and Strategy:
 Keeping the need for well groomed engineering graduates in mind and in view of the increasing demand for English as a tool for global communication, universities such as Osmania University, Hyderabad and JNT University, Hyderabad and Anantapur have redesigned their English curricula recently. These universities and several such others have been continuously revising their English syllabus with the objective of developing the communicative competence of students and also to cater to the needs of the industry.

 Osmania University offers a course in Engineering English with components in interpersonal communication; listening and speaking skills; writing paragraphs, reports, resumes and letters; vocabulary enrichment techniques; remedial language with special emphasis on common errors and reading strategies and techniques in the first semester. In the second semester, the syllabus includes soft skills such as presentation skills, PowerPoint presentations, role plays, group discussions, interview skills and public speaking skills. The entire course is taught in a student centered method with lots of opportunity for activity and interaction, using pair work, group work and language games. In both the semesters, students get ample opportunity to use the English Language Laboratory for practicing English sounds and speech and to improve their listening and speaking skills. The two prescribed textbooks ‘Communicative English’ and ‘A Handbook for English Language Laboratories’ help the students achieve the objective of improving their English proficiency and communicative competence.

 The JNTU also has similar components in its English syllabus with stress on skills development and practice of language skills. The course includes listening & speaking skills, reading & writing skills, remedial grammar, vocabulary building with plentiful opportunity for classroom discussion and interaction. The two prescribed textbooks ‘Enjoying Everyday English’ and ‘Inspiring Speeches and Lives’ serve as tools to achieve the objective of improving the English proficiency of the students. The syllabus also includes the English Language Lab with focus on production and practice of English sounds with emphasis on use of English in everyday situations and contexts.

Facing Interviews

Facing Interviews
Interviews are a source of dread for many people! With careful preparation and planning, you can turn the situation to your advantage and actually start to enjoy and exploit interview situations. Let us look at a number of different areas that will help you when you attend your interview. 
An interview is a formal meeting wherein a group of persons meet a person for evaluating him or her. The appraisal could be for appointment to a new job or for an assignment or for promotion. Though the purposes vary, the procedure is more or less similar -- The group asks questions and the person answers them. The purpose of an interview is to find out the candidate’s views, subject knowledge, ideas and attitudes and above all communicative skills. 

Why Interviews? 
 For the purpose of jobs, candidates are called for interview in a ratio to the vacancies available, which is usually 1:3 or 4. Therefore, the interviewee should be well prepared for the interview lest he should be one of the those found unsuitable. It is an extension of written test (if there is one) and the main purpose to assess the applicant’s suitability - general behaviour, personality, and ability to communicate effectively, his/her sensitivity to the society and contemporary social issues and genial attitude. Some candidates stammer, some have bad or wrong manners, some have very unintelligible pronunciation, some take undue pauses while speaking and above all, some are not able to express themselves and fail to convey what they mean or want to say. All such shortcomings can be detected during the interviews. The way a candidate moves, walks, dresses, goes a long way to help to have an idea about the "the woman/ man in him/her". In other words, the viva voce examination helps the screening authorities to select a proper candidate for a particular job. A candidate may be a first class holder all through his academic career, but may not be able to do well at the interview. Hence is not selected. On the other hand, an average candidate can do very well at the interview and get selected. Therefore, interviews play a pivotal role in the selection process. Therefore, anyone seeking a job should realise that interview is very crucial and a useful medium for the total selection process. It is therefore, essential for the candidates to prepare well for the interviews. 

Firstly, we'll take a reflective look of what the interviewer is looking for. We will also look into more details at things you should and should not be doing during the course of your interview. Things you should and should not say. 
We will also look in more detail at body language and its effect at an interview and how you can use it to your advantage. 

The key characteristics that the interview board members look for are -- Problem Solving Ability, Communications Skills, Motivation and Self Analysis. 

Personal Interviews 
Good Preparation is half done
Unless you are confident you will not be able to take the interview confidently. For the confidence to grow, you need preparation. 

Find out about the company 
Normally the company’s website gives most of the information. If you are being interviewed for a senior position, you should try to get more information even about the company’s performance and market analysis. Keep these facts ready with you while you take the interview. If you are going to attend interviews in marketing or financial companies you may focus on the following areas: 

  • Products and services 
  • Customers 
  • Competitors 
  • Past performance record 
  • Recent news about expansion, mergers, performance and share price movements 
  • Outline of the company, current projects. 
  • Annual reports 

Magazines such as The Economic Times, The Business Week, Business Today, The Financial Times, Dalal Street Journal could be consulted. These will help you to answer questions like:
What do you know about our company? 
Why do you want to work for us? 

Keep a copy of your portfolio ready
Keeping a portfolio of yours is a good technique. It contains evidence to back up your claim. A well-maintained portfolio gives a good impression of yourself for the systematic work done by you. Some people go through such things and even ask questions on certain items in the portfolio. Neat lightweight folders with transparent folios are available in plenty. 

You could put your 

  • Updated cv at the beginning. 
  • Copies of your degrees and diplomas and certifications. 
  • Copies of your passport, PAN card, driving license. 
  • Your previous employers in a chronological order (latest first) 
  • The projects you have done, your achievements (Keep CDs/DVDs if you wish) 
  • Seminars attended, honours bestowed on you, testimonials for your good work etc. 
  • Your personal vision statement and career and professional growth which you have achieved. 

Overcoming Nervousness 
It is quite natural to be nervous and tense before the interview. In fact, experts say that if you are slightly tense, it sharpens your performances and enhances your reflexes. Too much of tension spoils even advance preparation. 
You should remember that you will be interviewed in the area you are specialized in. Normally, there will be nothing very new to you. All that required is to make a good presentation of what is known to you and impress the interviewers of your capability and knowledge in the area. 

Take deep breathes just before interview. Close your eyes and imagine a pleasant scene. Do not try to mumble prayers. That will cause more tension. Instead, close your eyes, think of your favourite God.
 Please remember that you always have another chance if you can’t succeed in one. Only the fallen can rise!

Your Body Language 
Body language gives out one’s sub-conscience. It gives vital signals to the other person(s), even if you do not utter a single word. The board can form an opinion from how you enter the interview room, how you greet them, how you dress yourself, how you sit (posture), how confident your eyes are, how disinterested you are, how honest you are etc etc. Unless you feel what you say, your body language gives you out. 

The interviewers can make a judgement on you, based on these visual signals. It is true that most of the times; you will be assessed in the first two minutes of your meeting. It’s called the ‘halo’ effect. 

Dressing for the Interview 
Wearing decent clothes means showing respect for the board. Casual dressing reflects casual attitude towards the interview. Dress well. Personal grooming and hygiene are important. You should be immaculate. Your mannerisms will supplement your physical grooming. Do not smoke before the interview. In spite of mints, you still would reek of tobacco. Some people smoke to ward off tension. Please avoid this. No chewing gum please during the interviews. Do not use any caps. They are very casual. 

Attire for Men 
For executive positions, a full-sleeve shirt with a tie is enough. Needless to say that the shirt to be tucked and the sleeves should not be rolled up. A dark pant and a light coloured shirt or a checked (small checks) shirt serves the purpose. A silk tie that is stripped or one with small dots would be fine. No patterned or designed ties should be used as they look gaudy. Polished, laced, black shoes will be ideal, though brown shoes can pass off. Well-ironed and clean shirt, neatly knotted tie, shining shoes and well kempt hair will be the ideal attire. Jeans and T shirts are not accepted as formal dress. Do not try to use gels and give spiked style to your hair. Whatever is the season, wear a vest. A clean white vest will brighten the colour of your shirt besides absorbing the sweat. No strong smelling deodorants or sprays should be used. Please note that expensive clothes are not a prerequisite nor is modest attire. Wear something that is not fanciful. Collarless shirts, half sleeve shirts, unbuttoned shirts¬ especially the top two buttons, faded shirts, bathroom slippers, chappals, unpolished shoes, unshaven face, uncombed hair, greasy hair - all are contributors for negative impression at the time of interview. Don’t show off with rings and bracelets. 

Attire for Women 
Women usually dress in a sari or salwar kameez. The guiding principle is to wear clothes that are not dazzling as are used for an evening party. Neat silks with a good blouse with conservative neckline will be ideal. Younger candidates may however prefer salwar kameezs. Whatever is worn it should look elegant but not showy. People should focus on your performance rather than your attire. Light make-up with pleasant lipstick is quite acceptable. On no account jeans should be worn for interviews. No heavy jewellery and clinking bangles, especially for software people. They keep making noise as they key in. One ring and one thin and plain chain is just the expected jewellery. Make a distinction between attending a wedding party and an interview. 

Reach well before the time! 

Allow yourself plenty of time to get to the interview, especially if you have a long journey. It is worth remembering that your late arrival could upset the carefully planned timetable. If you arrive late, you may well be mentally and physically restless and this will not help you to give your best efforts during the interview itself.

Preparation

Preparation is the key to interview success. Getting an interview call is not easy and once you have secured one, it is important to make the most of it. Prior to attending an interview it is important to have a clear understanding of what the job is, how and why you would be suitable for the job, what the company does, who its competitors are etc.

 Many graduates frequently forget under pressure that an interview is a two way process. An interview is a chance for the employer to find out more about you and your suitability for the role and for you to find out more about them, the suitability of the role for you. In order to take adv-antage of this opportunity it is advisable to have a set of questions that you would like to ask. Questions could be about the company culture and how they might think that you would fit in, what would be expected of you in the first 6 -12 mon-ths, possible career paths available etc.

Preparing for Common Interview Questions
 While you'll never be able to anticipate every question you might be asked in an interview, you can get a head start by developing strong, concise answers to commonly asked questions. Most interviewers ask similar questions like these to gain knowledge about a candidate's abilities and qualifications and compatibility with the job and the company. Let us look at few typical questions which needs good preparation.

Tell me about yourself. 
This is often the opening question in an interview. It's also one of the most difficult if you're not prepared. Remember, the interviewer does not want to hear about the football team you support or your unusual hobbies. This question calls for your one-minute advert that summarises your profile, experience, skills and your personality in the context of the job for which you are being interviewed. Get to the point and sell your professional self. Develop a few brief sentences that demonstrate you have what it takes to do the job. Sumarising briefly about one's project/ internship / job experience with examples of proven results and desire to contribute is recommended.

Why should we recruit you? 
The key to answering any question about you versus your competition is using specifics. Everybody is going to speak in generalities, so you need something that will make you stand out a bit. Give real examples that show them you are best-suited for the job. Point out to your achievements and accomplishments that are relevant to the open position, as well as experience in dealing with different types of situations. Pinpoint the qualities you have that are truly valuable to the company.

Why do you want to work here? What do you know about our company?
Use this opportunity to show off what you know about the company and, more importantly, how you would fit in. Address issues and challenges in the company to demonstrate the depth of your knowledge. Talk about revenue, numbers of employees, and also challenges in their type of business.

What are your weaknesses?
The secret to answering this question is using your weaknesses to your advantage. Turn your weaknesses into strengths. For example your weaknesses include lack of patience then state that because of this, you have learnt to take special measures to ensure that you remain calm and attentive. Just make sure that you do give a real answer to this question. None of us is without faults, so don't pretend that you do not have weaknesses.

What did you dislike about your last job? Why did you leave your last job?
Candidates with experience need to be cautious about these kinds of questions and make sure you do not end up sounding bitter. Never criticise your former company, the boss, or former colleagues. You need to have a good understanding about the job for which you're applying to turn this question into a positive one. It may be best to say that you really enjoyed many aspects of your job, then focus on how this new job will give you the opportunity to contribute more in a particular area that is key to the position.

Where do you see yourself in five years?
An interviewer does not want to hear that your five-year aspiration is to climb Mt. Everest in the Himalayas or working in a different industry. You need to talk about goals you have that relate to the job. This will demonstrate that you understand the industry, the company and are motivated to succeed there. Keep the answer specific to your field.

 Preparation is the key to answering any question with poise and confidence. Always keep in mind - whatever the question is - the interviewer is trying to find out if you are a good fit and can make a positive contribution in the job.

Things to remember at the Location of Interview
A job interview can provoke anxiety. Here are some practical things you can do to make your interviews run smoothly. Going to a job interview can be stressful. Be prepared by practicing responses to sample questions. Have patience when you are waiting for your turn near the interview venue. Sit in the waiting place in a relaxed mode. It is preferable that you are quiet and calm. Mentally rehearse how you would answer the question " tell us about yourself". Be prepared to pick 1-2 subjects of your interest in your domain when asked by the Interviewers. Do not allow other friends or candidates who are along with you to continuously engage you with some useless talk. Unnecessarily, other candidates attending the interview may pass on their tension to you. Also, the candidates who have come out of the interview room may volunteer to give away loads of information about how their interview went off. They may also disclose what questions were asked and how they answered. Listen to them only to get a brief overview of the kind of interview you may face. But, do not indulge in continuous talk with them as it would make you more anxious.

 While attending an interview, one should remember a few important etiquette points. When you are called into the interview room, before entering the interview room, tell yourself that you are going to meet new elderly friends and whatever they ask, you are ready to take the questions confidently with a smile on your face. Ask for permission before entering the room and take the seat very elegantly without making much noise. 80% chances are that the first question that you will be asked is "Tell me about yourself". And you must feel fortunate on getting that question, as it will give you the best opportunity to present yourself to the interviewers.

 Use a forceful voice and talk with good clarity. There is no need to answer all the questions. If you surely do not know the answer to the question, politely tell the interviewer that you really do not know the answer so that they can move on to another question. Always answer to the point. Do not beat around the bush. For 'yes' or 'no' type questions, justify why you say 'yes' or 'no'. Do not try and pretend that you know the answers for all questions. There will be some questions for which even the interviewer also does not know the answers. Do not try to justify your wrong answers and never argue with the interviewers. Use good body postures and always make eye contact with the members of the interview board. Pan your eyes at all of the interviewers from time to time while interacting with them during the interview. Plus, if they make a joke and you don't "get it" just laugh anyway, if you don't they'll think either you are stupid or that you think they are.

Modern Interview Skills

Before applying/choosing any job, job analysis is a basic exercise which can help us to find a suitable job. Following are some of the aspects that are to be looked into:
The job interview is a common and effective system practiced by organizations to identify qualified and efficient candidates.

  • The job interview is the only time in the entire process where candidate has the opportunity to prove personal and professional capabilities. 
  • By preparing in advance for interview you will be in command of situation. If your answers are well planned, you will be much more at ease. 
  • Be relaxed and comfortable, the interview is bound to be better. 
  • Prepare for an interview by going over the details of the job requirements from the sources, developing a clear idea of your professional goals, and know your own strengths and gaps. 
  • Be calm, alert and polite, groom appropriately for the interview, express enthusiasm for the job responsibilities and your role in them. 
  • Always be a positive speaker - about previous experiences(if any), about yo-ur own competency, maintain good po-sture and hygiene (avoid nervousness and avoid smoking or chewing gum). 
  • Interviewer either asks a series of questions and answers to get certain information or ask you to talk about yourself and your skills in a less structured manner. If you have prepared well yourself as suggested, you may not face difficulty with any of the approaches. 
  • When looking for a job, gather some basic knowledge on interviewing. The following points will give you some idea when taking interview for the new position. 

The first impression you make in the interview is the key to whether you will get job offer.
 Some of these points will help you.

Interview etiquette:
Arriving too early for your interview will make the interviewer will be under pressure to see you at that moment, when they are not ready. Arriving so early also projects you as too eager, even desperate.

Pushing the Interviewer:
If the interviewer says they will be making a decision and let you know in the next few weeks, you should say "I'll check back." If you have another offer, tell them but don't try to push them into making a decision.

Follow-up without fail:
The interview is concluded by interviewer saying that they'll get back to you in a few weeks, but you haven't heard from them. Call them. Let them know that you are still interested in the job and that this is something that you want to take up.

Communication etiquette:
Talking too much or too little does not impress the interviewers; the interviewer will not like this at all. Let them put all their questions. Follow, rather than lead the interviewer. This will help the interview to go on smoothly.

Answering:
Answer appropriately for questions asked, listen well before answering. You should not do more than half the talking; you may come across with person with no listening skills. If asked a question for which you may not be able to answer, politely and frankly say "I don't know, but it will not be a problem, I will pick it up", rather than beating round the bush and answering incorrectly. Talk slowly, distinctly and to the point (especially if it is a telephonic interview). Give information only when asked and it should be precise and convincing.

Grooming & Hygiene:
Always be formal in grooming and maintain hygiene. Organization atmosphere may be informal, but job aspirants are still expected to dress and behave formally. That will show respect to the interviewer(s).

Researching the organization:
It is very difficult to know every aspect of a company that you are attending for interview, but if you are attending interview with a mobile company, you should at least know that their primary business is telecommunications. Try to do some basic research on the company. It will show your interest in the firm and your keenness in joining it.

Asking package and benefits: 
Interviewer will provide you with an opportunity to ask questions. When you are asked if you have any questions at an interview, do not ask about salary and benefits until you smell that there has been a tentative decision that you are selected for the job.

Sending a covering letter with work samples:
If you are asked to send some samples of your work, make sure that you include a covering letter. This will remind the interviewer who you are and for what position you have applied. This is a key to building a relationship with a prospective employer.

 Hope this will help to prepare for interview and present you with confidence.