When one appears at a personal interview, it is often seen that the interviewer takes 80% of his decision within the first half of the interview. In other words, we can say that most of the decision has been made within the initial few minutes.

But the thing to be given thought to is the fact that multiple casual questions are asked within the first half of the interaction, then how does the interviewer decide ?

Here are some points which will help crack a personal interview today.

• Absolutely nothing is casual in an interview.
  The moment we enter into the same room as the interviewer nothing remains casual. Everything is formal no matter how casual or random it may seem.
• Appearance and body language are vital.
  The clothes we wear, and how we wear them signify how much importance does the interview carry for you. Your apparel should be clean and formal. It should be something that you are comfortable with, not something that you have put on for the first time and are uncomfortable. Body language should be good enough for one to make an impression. Copy of the C.V. or resume should be handed over with both hands. A firm handshake and eye contact are two most important things. 
• Avoiding awkward silence.
  No kind of awkward silence should be present in the room. In case such a situation has arisen, it should be promptly avoided by making a small talk.
• Understanding the interviewers intention.
  One must think the reason behind the interviewer's question. Certain set of skills  like leadership, team skills, dedication, sincerity, out of the heard thinking, decisive, etc  are required by the firm. The interviewer tries to judge what skills the candidate has inside him/her. So we must understand what skills is the interviewer trying to judge by asking a certain question and then answer it.
• Examples should be in a S.T.A.R structure.
  Many a times the candidate has to give examples of situations. Most candidates react haphazardly to this kind of situations or questions. They answer without thinking and in an illogical manner. One should follow the S.T.A.R format. S.T.A.R stands for:
  
  S - Situation ( the situation or circumstance )
  T - Task ( the taskor objective to be completed )
  A - Action ( the action taken by the candidate )
  R - Result ( the result achieved )
• S.M.A.R.T
  If asked questions like aim / goal in life one should answer in a S.M.A.R.T way.
  
  S - Specific
  M - Measurable
  A - Achievable
  R - Realistic
  T - Time bound
• Answers to questions.
  Answer to questions should be properly thought, logically arranged and properly researched.