What to Do in the First 10 Minutes of an Interview
Get the small things right in the first 10 minutes and the rest of the interview gets easier: arrive calm, greet the panel properly, get through a minute of small talk, and have your documents ready. None of it is hard. Freshers lose marks here only because nobody told them what's expected, so these interview tips for freshers spell it out, for in-person campus interviews and online ones alike.
Key takeaways
- Reach a campus interview 30 to 45 minutes before your reporting time, since names can be called early.
- Carry one ordered folder with resume copies, all mark sheets, ID, photos, certificates and the call letter, plus originals and photocopies.
- Greet with a simple "Good morning", wait to be offered a seat, and shake hands only if the interviewer offers first.
- Answer small talk briefly and pleasantly, and never complain about the wait, heat or traffic.
- For online interviews, test everything 30 minutes before, join three to five minutes early and fix your display name.
Interview tips for freshers: arriving at a campus interview
Reach the venue 30 to 45 minutes before your reporting time. Campus drives rarely run exactly on time, yet names do get called early, and a student who isn't there gets pushed to the end of the list or dropped.
Use the wait to settle down. Don't cram. Go to the washroom, drink some water, check your clothes and put your phone on silent. Then read your own resume once, slowly, because the questions will come from it and you want those points fresh.
Be polite to everyone in the corridor, from the placement cell staff and the company's HR coordinator to the security guard. People notice you well before you walk into the room.
Documents to carry to an in-person interview
Put everything in one folder, in the order you'd be asked for it. Digging through a bag in front of the panel looks bad and rattles you.
- Several printed copies of your resume, the same version you submitted
- Mark sheets for every semester, plus your Class 10 and Class 12 mark sheets
- Your college ID card and a government photo ID such as an Aadhaar card or PAN card
- Four to six passport-size photographs
- Certificates for anything your resume mentions: internships, courses, competitions
- The company's call letter or registration email, printed or saved on your phone
- Two working pens and a small notebook
Bring originals along with photocopies unless the placement cell tells you otherwise, since some companies check documents on the day. Think of a mechanical engineering student in Coimbatore who forgets his semester five mark sheet. He won't lose the interview over it. He may, though, spend days chasing HR afterwards before the offer is complete.
The greeting: your first 30 seconds
When they call your name, stand up straight, pick up your folder and walk in at a normal pace. Knock on a closed door and wait for a reply.
A simple "Good morning" or "Good afternoon" is enough. In most Indian campus interviews, "sir" or "ma'am" is expected and safe. Wait to be offered a seat, or ask "May I sit down?" if nobody says anything.
Shake hands only if the interviewer offers first, and keep it firm and short. Otherwise don't reach out. A nod and a smile do the same job.
Your folder goes on your lap or the table beside you, never on the interviewer's papers. Sit upright with your back against the chair, hands still and visible, and look at whoever is speaking.
Small talk: what to say before the real questions
Plenty of interviewers open with a minute of easy conversation. "Did you find the place easily?" "How long have you been waiting?" "Hot day, isn't it?"
They're trying to relax you. Give a brief, pleasant answer in a full sentence, then stop: "Yes, sir, the placement cell had signs up. I've been here since nine." Never complain about the wait, the heat or the traffic, even if all of them were awful.
Next comes the opening question, very often some version of "Tell me about yourself." You can prepare this one completely, and it sets the tone for everything after. Our guide on answering "tell me about yourself" as a fresher has examples for different degrees. Keep it to 60 to 90 seconds. The technical and aptitude questions that follow can be practised round by round on Interview Prep.
Interview etiquette for the first few questions
Hear the whole question before you answer. A pause of two or three seconds to think is fine; a rushed answer to the wrong question is worse.
Didn't understand something? Say so. "Sorry, could you repeat that?" or "Do you mean in my project or in general?" Interviewers respect a clarifying question far more than a confident answer that misses the point.
In these early minutes, keep answers short and don't interrupt, even when you can see where a question is going. They'll ask if they want more.
Online interviews: joining on time and looking ready
On a video call, "arriving" means being in the meeting, set up, a few minutes early.
Thirty minutes before, restart your laptop, close every other app and check the meeting link works. Test your camera and microphone. Plug in the charger. Tell your family you'll be on a call, and shut the door.
Join three to five minutes early and wait calmly if there's a waiting room. Once you're admitted, switch your camera on, stay unmuted unless there's background noise, and greet the panel exactly as you would in person.
Fix your display name too. "Priya Sharma" looks professional; "Priya's Laptop" or a nickname doesn't. Change it in the app settings the day before.
If the connection drops, rejoin straight away and say "Sorry, my connection dropped. Could you repeat the last question?" Keep the HR contact's phone number written down in case you can't get back in.
For the full set-up (light, sound, background, and phone versus laptop), read our video interview checklist.
Practise the first 10 minutes before the real one
All of this can be rehearsed. Get a friend or a senior to play the interviewer, then walk in, greet them, sit down, handle two lines of small talk and answer "tell me about yourself". Repeat it three or four times, until it feels ordinary.
Get comfortable with the questions that come after the greeting through practice tests in Interview Prep.
Frequently asked questions
How early should I reach a campus interview?
Reach the venue 30 to 45 minutes before your reporting time. Campus drives often run behind schedule, but if your name is called early and you aren't there, you can lose your slot.
Should I shake hands with the interviewer?
Follow the interviewer's lead. If they offer a hand, give a firm, brief handshake. If they don't, a smile and a greeting such as "Good morning, sir" or "Good morning, ma'am" is perfectly fine.
What should I do if I join an online interview late?
Apologise once, briefly, and give the reason in a sentence. Then move on. If you know in advance that you'll be late, email or call the contact person before the interview starts.
Do I need to carry original documents to a campus interview?
Yes. Carry originals along with photocopies unless the placement cell says otherwise. Some companies verify documents on the same day, and missing papers can delay or stop an offer.