Job interview advice

[milracing]

Hello
I thought I would try and tap into the collective knowledge for some advise on acing my interview next week. I desperately need to get this job. I'm very well qualified for it but I know that competition is going to be HUGE. I'm not so good at the schmoozing and selling myself, so I'm going to go with the very direct approach. The people I'm interviewing with and the job in general is very down to earth, thankfully, but also is one which carries tremendous responsibility.
Thanks!

[Telarkaster]

If you have an interview, it's because you are qualified for the job. Now they just want to know if you are an axe murderer. In other words, will they get along with you? Will they want to sit next to you for 8 hours a day, 250 days a year?

Make it easy for them to imagine you in the position. You might want to come up with a written 30/60/90 plan, detailing what you will do in the first 30 days to learn the intricacies of the job, within 60 days to develop yourself, and 90 days to excel in the position. Make it a no-brainer for them, do your research and explain not just why you are the best for the position but what you will be doing in that role. Walk in confident that you are THE one for the position.

At the end, ask them "now that you know a bit more about me, what challenges do you think I would have in the position?" This forces them to either realize that you are the right candidate, or give you a last chance to counter any objections they may have.

Good luck!

[wunderaj]

after they have asked all their questions they will most likely ask you any questions for us? have some prepared, like type of benefits , pay range, what the typical day is like etc. it also may be helpful to say your looking to make a difference in the company and you like this company because you feel like you can be a strong contributor to their overall product, or service

[Jenix]

My business fraternity (AKPsi) just had a speaker from State Farm Insurance come in and talk to us about this. He wrote a book about it;
http://www.amazon.com/Removing-Doubt...7836590&sr=8-1

No affiliation there.

Anyway, he said that the best thing to do is have a written plan on the interview and bring it with (yes you're allowed to do that). On it you can have some questions prewritten. Never ask anything about the company you couldn't find on the internet!
He's a big believer in doubt. He say's an interviewer needs to not have any doubt on your ability to do the job and if you have a weakness on your resume or history to explain it and not ignore it. He even said to write down your interviewer's names so you can recall them better when the interview is done.

Goodluck!

[Agave_Blue]

Originally Posted by milracing

Job interview advise ....

#1 - Work on your spelling (or use spell check).

Beyond that be prepared to talk about what you've accomplished in the past. Use language that will resonate with your interviewer (i.e. if they are dollar motivated, talk in terms of dollars saved, dollars earned, etc).

Also, you need to understand to the best of your ability the company you're interviewing with - what they do and how; organizational structure; their recent performance; how the economy is affecting their business, etc.

If you really have a good handle on those things, then you can relate your expereince, accomplishments and history to how you can be a valuable member or thier organization.

[WisconsinStrings]

You didn't mention what you're interviewing for.

When I'm interviewing candidates for application developer positions, I'm looking for someone who's not your usual 8 to 5er. Someone who will take ownership and pride in their work.

Good luck and stay relaxed.

[Bones]

Originally Posted by Agave_Blue

#1 - Work on your spelling (or use spell check).

Beyond that be prepared to talk about what you've accomplished in the past. Use language that will resonate with your interviewer (i.e. if they are dollar motivated, talk in terms of dollars saved, dollars earned, etc).

Also, you need to understand to the best of your ability the company you're interviewing with - what they do and how; organizational structure; their recent performance; how the economy is affecting their business, etc.

If you really have a good handle on those things, then you can relate your expereince, accomplishments and history to how you can be a valuable member or thier organization.

It's spelled correctly, it's just the wrong word.

[getbent]

be confident, be earnest, be on time.

in your answers, be bright, be concise, state your answer in the first sentence and follow with the explanation.

[Porchduck]

All of the above is great advice. I'm a Ret Sr Proj Engr and have hosted many candidates at Caterpillar. We would have 3 people all spend several hrs with the candidate and then compare notes in a meeting to grade the person. The main grading tool was "STAR"...Situation, Task, Attack, and Result. Try to have 4 examples of this where you've had a situation in a past job where you had to analyze and attack it, solve the problem and have a definitive (good) result. Quantify the result - like, "I saved the company $x /year due to my efforts".

One other goofy thing - studies have shown that if you LOOK LIKE the interviewer, your chances of landing the job go up considerably as he/she views you in a positive light.

Also - dress the part. I once got a foreman's job while going to college because I showed up in a "foreman's uniform", i.e., Black polyesther pants, white short sleeve shirt with a pocket protector full of pens and scales and such. They wanted me to start that day!

GOOD LUCK! (I'm so freakin glad I'm no longer in the corporate world!!!!)

[3 Chord]

I have had pretty good luck interviewing in my days. Maybe just lucky but what ever the reason, I can pass on what works in my mind. I have also sat on the other side of the interview this past summer so I know what I was looking for.
- wear a tie or at least decent cloths, no jeans
- decent shoes
- shave
- eye contact
- do some research about the company you are applying for and if given the opportunity at the end of the inteview, work in a question or two to show that you have done your homework
- don't try to be too funny, easy going is one thing but don't go for too many laughs
- don't ask about money or holidays or benefits, these are follow up interview or offer interview questions
- bring your experience forward but also mention that you have worked with good people that allowed you do well
- be prepared for conflict resolution questions like ..."if you were working with a fellow worker who did not like you, how would you maintain a positive relationship"... lots of potential for these questions. Try to work in a personal experience on how you resolved this in the past, even if it was with your kids.
- thank the interviewers for the interview

And last but not least, e-mail a "thank you for the opportunity to interview" note to the team a few (2) days after the interview.

Good luck, now go shine your shoes, remember how to tie a tie and buy a new razor, you can do it.

Seriously though, best of luck.

[dalandan]

stay calm, be yourself. as much as it is them trying to see if you fit in with the company, it's also for you to try to see if the company fits in with you.

be a bit early to show that you're prepared and not someone who wastes any time. Be courteous and polite to the interviewer.

You're almost there. There may be a couple more interviews before you are accepted. That's how it usually happens anyway. Make this first one good!

[TeleTim911]

MY ADVISE, WHATEVER IT IS WORTH:

Being one that has had the position of hire/fire for a lot of jobs, first...DRESS FOR THE INTERVIEW! When you walk in the door, you have exactly TEN SECONDS to amaze the interviewer....first impressions...keep that in mind. If everyone there wears a suit...wear one. If it's casual, look casual, but be just a little ahead...dress shirt, nice pants, nice shoes, so on. Get the idea? Also make sure your HAIR is appropriate. It's hard to understand in this day and age from a former hippie no less, but it's important.

Shake hands...nice, firm but don't squeeze. Eye contact is important (When walking in the room, pay no attention to the man behind the curtain, stare straight at the person).

Be RELAXED (yeah, right...but believe me, WORK on it...you have all weekend).

DO NOT SIT DOWN until you are either asked or motioned (some people just wave towards a chair). If someone else enters the room, STAND UP so you can meet them eye-to-eye...eye contact, remember? If they tell you it's okay to remain seated, then fine.

Bring a briefcase with pens, paper, note cards, whatever. If you have business cards, have a few of those. When the interview starts, ask if it is okay to take notes, and do so. No briefcase, have some stuffed away in pockets (where they don't show of course).

They'll mostly ask you about your family life (married, kids, etc - shows stability), and your work experience and why you left XXXXXX job (it should be on application or resume). They may just want to make sure you are not lying or stretching the facts. Keep in mind they may have contacted your last employer also.

If they ask you specifics, be prepared. As mentioned already, have a plan...what you plan you can accomplish in so many days, what your goals are, how you feel you can bring a good thing to the company, and so on. Research them all weekend, learn all you can. DO NOT BRING ANY NEGATIVE TO THE ARENA. If they once were the subject of some type negative news, don't bring it up!

You do NOT have to smile all the time...if you do makes them wonder why.

Do not use the word UH...such as..uh...say it to yourself, but not out loud....and talk in a sensible, clear fashion...no slang, and always keep everything PC. They will also be evaluating in how well you communicate, so make sure you are not animated, but smooth and clear.

I'll be honest, by the time I met a candidate, I had called his references, I had checked on at least two of his last jobs (if he had them), and the company had run a credit check and criminal background check on them. They wouldn't have been in front of me otherwise. I made up my mind in the first minute of whether I wanted to hire them or not, after that it was up to them to convince me if my decision was right or wrong.

I wish you luck!

PS: DO NOT mention playing in a band or being a musician unless asked. I didn't get hired for one job because I told them I played music on weekends, and they were afraid I'd quit if my band got the right opportunity!

[3 Chord]

..."They'll mostly ask you about your family life (married, kids, etc "...

I don't think these are appropriate questions in todays workforce. I know we are not allowed to ask these type of questions where I work. Now if the person having the interview offers up this information, then it might be fair game.

[Nick JD]

When the interviewer asks you if you have any questions say, "Yes. Do you think I've got what it takes to do this job?"

You'll almost always get a, "Yes."

This is beneficial in a numbers of ways but the main two are:

1.) You will get an indication of whether you will get the job by their response time (if it takes a while for the "yes", or you get it without eye contact you need not wait in hope).

2.) If the yes comes reasonably quickly from the interviewer then you can be reasonably certain that you are on the shortlist.

3.) When the interviewer does their mental review of the shortlist there was only one person who they actually said directly to, that they have what it takes to do the job. You. You've instigated a positive reinforcement in their mind of your abilities.

This is a little manipulative but job interviews are warfare.

Good luck.

[jbmando]

People.
Advise (Hard Z sound) is a verb. It's what one does.
Advice (Soft S sound.) is a noun. It's what one gives.

[rangercaster]

Dress well ... be totally honest ... look people in the eye ... be as knowledgeable as you can about the company and it's culture ... just be your self ...

[TeleTim911]

Not only do you get ideas on how to conduct an interview you get an English lesson as well.....LOL!!!!

Sorry, I'm not perfect.

[mr natural]

Lots of good advice here. A couple of the responders were dead on when they said to be prepared to give real life examples of adverse situations where you met a challenge. These days, most corporate-type workplaces ask questions specifically designed to see if you can a) work with a team b)work as an individual and c) take ownership of assigned tasks and see them through (on budget, no less). Many times, these questions are designed by psychologists who specialize in this stuff and they will ask the same question a couple of times but worded differently to see how consistent your answers are. For example, I was at an interview recently where they asked me, "give us an example of a situation where a task you were assigned went wrong and how you made it right." A few minutes later they asked, "give an example of a situation where you noticed waste on a project you were assigned and how you saved the company money." Then there's the dreaded, "give us an example of a situation where you failed to execute an assigned task and how you corrected it." Almost the exact same question asked 3 different ways. The point is to be prepared to give concrete examples that are consistent with one another. Good luck!
-Mr. Natural

[Agave_Blue]

Originally Posted by 3 Chord

..."They'll mostly ask you about your family life (married, kids, etc "...

I don't think these are appropriate questions in todays workforce. I know we are not allowed to ask these type of questions where I work. Now if the person having the interview offers up this information, then it might be fair game.

I am quite certain oyu are correct. If it does not directly impact your ability to do the job, it's off limits and potentially illegal. Questions on home life, health, sexual orientation, etc, if not job related, open the hiring company up to discrimination suits.

That said, it doesn't mean some don't ask, it just means they're not supposed to.

Originally Posted by Nick JD

When the interviewer asks you if you have any questions say, "Yes. Do you think I've got what it takes to do this job?"

You'll almost always get a, "Yes."

....

Smart.

[gionnio]

Learn as much as you can about the company/organization you want to join so you can persuasively claim that you want to work for them and explain why in some detail.

If your potential employer has a website, spend some time there gathering info about what they do. I interview candidates for an audio technology company; it always makes a good impression if the candidate has done his/her homework, and it makes a bad impression if it's obvious that smoke is being blown.

Don't preface your answers by saying "That's a great question".

It's OK to admit you don't know the answer to a question, but avoid creating the impression that you don't really care either.

These suggestions may seem rather obvious, but many candidates overlook them.