"What's the proof?" How many times do we ask this in our daily lives?
Even in day-to-day activities, we prefer to look for proof to support a fact, a happening, or a piece of news. We all believe in cross-verification.
The same goes for when a recruiter conducts interviews to hire employees for a particular job position. What is the proof that you are telling the truth? On what basis should the employer trust you?
Here, documents come into the picture.
Documents don't lie. Documents don't forget. Documents don't change their story. Documents don't try to cover up after the fact - John Frost
In an interview, documents play a very important role. They are proof of what you have to say. If you have an interview on a particular day and you miss carrying documents with you it might create a mess and can increase your stress.
At times if you don’t have the required documents you might not be allowed to sit for an interview. You need to be prepared with all the essential documents before going for a job interview. The interviewer may not ask you to give all the documents but it's better to have them with you.
Being prepared beforehand with essential documents can reduce the chances of last-minute goof-up and can keep you relaxed. You should start preparing as soon as you get a call for your interview and make sure you have all the documents prepared before one day, so that, you don’t need to struggle on the day of the interview.
Below is a comprehensive checklist of documents to carry for an interview:
1. Curriculum Vitae and Resume:
The first and the most important thing you have to take for your interview is your CV and resume.
A Curriculum Vitae and a resume are two different documents and the employer can ask you to produce both.
Therefore, it’s best to take both for your interviews.
Your resume is your first impression. It is a brief job-oriented document that has your skills, abilities, educational backgrounds, and experiences listed in short.
A CV on the other hand is a document that consists of detailed information about your entire career. Sometimes you might have to submit the CV or resume to the HR manager so make sure you have enough copies of both documents.
2. Educational Certificates:
The second most important thing is the educational certificates.
You must have mark sheets of your educational qualification including Xth, XIIth, graduation, and post-graduation (if any), and degree certificates.
The records on these documents should match those mentioned in the applications. For example, if you are converting CGPS into percentages for applications, try to stick to the formula to which your university adheres to!
3. Certificates of Extracurricular Activities:
Along with your educational certificates, you should also keep copies of all the extracurricular activities done by you in your career.
These certificates show your skills and overall personality.
If you have any national-level certification that can be an advantage for you. In extracurricular and co-curricular activities you can also add the certificates that you’ve got for participating in any competition at any local, state, or national level.
You don’t need to have an A+ grade or first prize in the competition even a simple certificate of participation works during an interview.
4. Salary Certificate or Salary Slip:
If you have experience and are looking for a new opportunity or job switch then you might need to submit the salary certificate or salary slip.
A salary slip can also be used to negotiate salary and perks with a prospective employer.
For a new employer salary slip is useful to know about the provident fund account number and other details. Sometimes might need to attach a bank statement to show the transfer of salary and the amount of money to prove your income.
5. Experience Certificates:
The job seeker with experience needs to carry the experience certificate as a supporting document. A fresher can show an internship certificate instead of an experience certificate.
Carry your portfolio of certificates with you because your work skills speak more about your strengths and personality.
An experience certificate helps the interviewer to analyze your skills. If you have adequate experience then the experience certificate can help you get a good salary offer from the new employer.
It can also increase your chances of getting selected.
6. Letters of Appreciation:
If you have letters of appreciation, it will create a great impact on the interviewer.
For experienced candidates, it acts as proof of excellent skills, your hard work, and how good you are as an employee.
A letter of appreciation speaks about the efforts that you have taken in projects and how well you work in a team. Many companies give a letter of appreciation to employees, trainees, interns, and sometimes the contractual candidates also get the letters for their outstanding work.
If you’re working or have experience ensure you take a letter of appreciation from companies you have worked with. Make sure to carry the copies along with the originals.
7. References:
You can take references from people with whom you have worked before. For example, references from your previous supervisors and managers can be impactful.
You can include the references given by co-workers. Freshers can get references from faculty members to showcase their skills.
Along with that, you should also carry identity proof such as an AADHAR or PAN card and a photocopy of all your documents.
Make sure the photocopies are duly attested by an authority. Sometimes you have to fill the application form with attested photocopies, so having these copies will make work easier for you. Make sure that you have passport size photos with you.
These are the most important documents you should carry before going to any job interview. If you make a checklist of these documents, you won't miss out on any of them.
Having all the documents at hand will avoid an 11th-hour rush. Having ticked off the checklist you can keep your mind relaxed on the day of the interview and you can be able to focus on what's most important.
Some companies may conduct employee background checks to verify the details of the candidates.
Make sure that you do not add fake information about your educational qualifications, certificates, and work experience.
If your information is found to be wrong you may not get the job or the company can blacklist and block you from applying in the future. So, while going to a job interview make sure you follow the checklist of documents given in this article.
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