Interview Pointers

[meridianjumper 0]

OK, I am going to be having 2 interviews this Friday, both with professional settings and people. Does anyone have any tips or pointers I should be aware of and use during them? I know to not say "Uh" or "Ummm".

Blue Skies,
Jeremy

[labrys 0]

Good Luck!!!

http://www.joblink-usa.com/interview.htm

Owned by Remi #?

[Remster 30]

Be honest.

Ask questions too to show you are interested. Research the companies before hand to know what kind of questions to ask.

This is as much an interview for you as it is for them: you want to know if you fit in this comapny.

Dress for the part.

Dont be late.

Know you weak and strong points. Have a couple of success stories on hand to tell them when they ask you, and also some failures you learned from. DONT say you dont have any weaknesses or never failed, but put positive spins on those if you can.

Thats my tips.

Remster

[tumbler 0]

I have interviewed hundreds of people… there are keys that I look for.

1) look them in the eye… but not with some crazy I wanna stab ya look.
2) Don’t hesitate in your answers, but take a second to form your thoughts
3) Speak intelligently, but not pompously.
4) Know what your talking about and don’t try to bullshit. I have sent more people out the door because they tried to answer a question that they were clueless on.
5) Shut off your cell phone, pager, and blackberry. Automatic disqualification if your cell rings while I am interviewing you….
6) Pay attention to your settings and comment if appropriate. I got one job because I noticed a picture of Mt. Saint Helens behind the guy and it ended up taking the interview into much more of a shoot the breeze session than anything else.
7) Dress appropriately.
8) Carry in a copy of your CV.
9) Say thank you when it is over and follow up with a thank you note in the mail. An email is not as effective when doing this. It gets lost in the blur but something actually through the US mail says I am taking the time to right.

Good luck.

[flifree 0]

jeremy, i would be happy to give you some pointers as i'm actually helping a young lady on this forum with her resume. i have been through it all....first interview to good interviewer to learning the art of b.s. to being the interviewer. if you could let me know what industry that would be helpful. one constant shared across all specialties is this: corporate america wants team players, not individuals. YES you will move anywhere. YES you will work late and weekends. get my drift? it doesn't always work out that way, but if you don't play their game and hit the correct buzz words you are dead before it starts. i played that game for ten years and learned a ton, but now i do my own thing and am having a blast . i hated being a team player b/c it never pays off....10% of the people do 90% of the work in corporate america. other than the u.s. government it's the premiere model of inefficiency. however, you can make a fine living within those confines. i'm look at myself as a mercenary....i'm in it for me and if the company makes money and the stock goes ballistic b/c of that then yahooo, but i'm not in it for the collective good. call me selfish, but NO ONE looks out for you in corporate america. the reason i tell you this is so that you can arm yourself with the right ammunition in the interview. if you want to shoot me an email with specs i can help ya further. best of luck to you. also, excellent stuff by TUMBLER above.

[RkyMtnHigh 0]

Just be yourself Jere and it's all good
and remember this interview is an opportunity for you to interview them as well and make sure it's what you really want and a good fit. Make sure you keep the questioning conversational and interactive and you'll do great.

_________________________________________

[bob.dino 1]

Quote

4) Know what your talking about and don’t try to bullshit. I have sent more people out the door because they tried to answer a question that they were clueless on.

I wanted to affirm this point. You'll may well get asked a question you don't know the answer to. There's nothing wrong with this. What is wrong is if you try to bullshit. It's always fucking obvious and will ensure you don't get the job...

[flifree 0]

another very good point. i specifically ask questions that i know people won't have an answer to just to hear how they might react to a customer when confronted with that scenario. my referral to learning the art of b.s. is directed at....telling them you are a team player that LOVES to work nights and weekends...etc. there is absolutely nothing wrong with not knowing the answer to a question, but trying to blow through it can take you out.

[freeflir29 0]

If it's a guy interviewing you try to get him to meet you at the strip club. Buy lots of drinks and lap dances. Works EVERY time.

[panzwami 0]

When the interviewer asks you a question, *answer that question*.

In every interview you will be asked questions that might make you look slightly bad (what's your biggest weakness, name a time where you screwed up at work, etc.) It's unavoidable. They will give you plenty of opportunities to make yourself look like hot shit, so when they ask the bad ones, they expect an answer. The worst thing you can do is try to tap dance around the question. Interviewers know full well that no one is going to walk through the door that has no faults whatsoever, so the "I don't have any weaknesses" answer doesn't fly.

Also, ask questions. Lots of questions. Ask stuff the interviewer won't know, just so they have to say they don't know. Do research about the company before you get in the door. If you can convince the interviewer that you came to the interview better prepared than they did, you've done well.

Most people tend to think that the interviewee is just supposed to walk into the room, get smacked around for an hour, and then leave and pray for a call back. But keep in mind that taking a job is a two-way street. In order for it to work, you have to like the company as much as the company likes you. Interviews are not one-sided affairs, so don't be afraid to take over the room.

[sheertrror 0]

don't listen to tumbler. He hires nobody except for bums.
He always passes on sending the really qualified guys to China for some local who makes 3 bucks an hour.

_________________________________________
Sometimes I sits and thinks, other times i just sits....

[chaoskitty 0]

Quote

Just be yourself Jere and it's all good

I was gonna say *dont* be yourself, Jeremy.. or at least dont let them see the Jeremy we all know and love! jk!

[mr2mk1g 10]

Know the firm. Read their website inside out and check for referrences to them in the papers.

When they ask you a question and you answer a good tactic as an interviewer is to call your answer into question. Stick to your guns and don't let the sway you into thinking you got it wrong, instead explain why you're right. (of course it helps if you got the answer right in the first place).

[fallingchip 0]

Quote

I have interviewed hundreds of people… there are keys that I look for.

1) look them in the eye… but not with some crazy I wanna stab ya look.
2) Don’t hesitate in your answers, but take a second to form your thoughts
3) Speak intelligently, but not pompously.
4) Know what your talking about and don’t try to bullshit. I have sent more people out the door because they tried to answer a question that they were clueless on.
5) Shut off your cell phone, pager, and blackberry. Automatic disqualification if your cell rings while I am interviewing you….
6) Pay attention to your settings and comment if appropriate. I got one job because I noticed a picture of Mt. Saint Helens behind the guy and it ended up taking the interview into much more of a shoot the breeze session than anything else.
7) Dress appropriately.
8) Carry in a copy of your CV.
9) Say thank you when it is over and follow up with a thank you note in the mail. An email is not as effective when doing this. It gets lost in the blur but something actually through the US mail says I am taking the time to right.

Good luck.

10) Talk with you hands while talking with your mouth. Hand gestures are important.

______________________________________________
"A radical man is a man with both feet firmly planted in the air."
-Franklin Delano Roosevelt

[sheertrror 0]

made me just think of an old Carlin skit when he talks about this
if you really want the job go in with some swizzle sticks and a bottle opener hanging out of your shirt pocket
require a desk right next to the front door so you can get the f*ck out at 5pm sharp
tell them you don't need a 2 martini lunch, but you do require a 3 joint coffee break
and if that doesnt get you right in the door,
point to the picture on his desk and say "hey who's the C*nt?"
That outta get you a job. Sorry no one ever hires me, so I can't give you good advice.

_________________________________________
Sometimes I sits and thinks, other times i just sits....

[tumbler 0]

Yes.. I remember now. I interviewed you a few months ago. Sorry you didn't get the job... I recall when you left I thought the only job you were qualified for was knob polisher....

[sheertrror 0]

aahh, such a hose head!!!!!!!!

_________________________________________
Sometimes I sits and thinks, other times i just sits....

[Remster 30]

Quote

10) Talk with you hands while talking with your mouth. Hand gestures are important.

Depends. If who you talk to is an expressive, yes. If he's an analytical type, probably not.

Remster

[RkyMtnHigh 0]

Quote

Quote

Just be yourself Jere and it's all good

I was gonna say *dont* be yourself, Jeremy.. or at least dont let them see the Jeremy we all know and love! jk!

I suppose you have a point there..I should've told him not to have a *giggle attack* during the interview

_________________________________________

[ChasingBlueSky 0]

Yes, always have the typical stuff done: Clean suit fresh from the cleaners, haircut, shower, bring two copies of your resume/portfolio, etc.

Here is what you really need to know:
-research the company, know who they are and why you want to work there.

-be ready to answer the hard questions about your resume. as a recruiter if I see that you are trying to hide something on your resume I will go after that first. Therefore, be ready to turn all your negatives into a positive that will benefit the company you are looking to go to.

-be confident in your background and your skills. be ready to talk about them and please don't just use adjectives (best, top notch, etc) because we hear that all day long. What you need to do is have your success story ready. What have you done in past jobs that benefited your employer? What acheivements? What problems did you overcome? How did you do that? What was the final result? How much money did you save for them, etc? Past success is a good way to guide future success. In other words, what makes you better than the rest of the candidates interviewing for the position.

-be ready to ask them questions - it is a sign of interest in the position. If you really want it, you will have questions. what do you feel is the greatest challange of this position, what is the company philosophy/mission, what is you vision/idea of how this position fits into the company

-ask the hard questions: are there any concerns you have about me in this position, how many others have you interviewed, do you feel I would be the right person for this job. You want to ask these while you are still there in person. By addressing their concerns you have a chance to counter them with positives and avoid having them become reasons not to hire you.

-close the interview: if you like the people, like the position then ask for the job and ask what the next steps are.

_________________________________________
you can burn the land and boil the sea, but you can't take the sky from me....
I WILL fly again.....

[christoofar 0]

If the job is for an technical position... there will be a lot of "rules" you would expect to break on an interview.. I landed my job solely because I was confrontational ("why did you design the system this way instead of X which is the industry standard practice?"), etc.

I landed the job SOLELY because I wasn't placid and actually showed that I had a brain (and I wasn't a "yes man").

____________________________________________________________
I'm RICK JAMES! Fo shizzle.

[ChasingBlueSky 0]

Quote

If the job is for an technical position... there will be a lot of "rules" you would expect to break on an interview.. I landed my job solely because I was confrontational ("why did you design the system this way instead of X which is the industry standard practice?"), etc.

I landed the job SOLELY because I wasn't placid and actually showed that I had a brain (and I wasn't a "yes man").

I do Techincal and Professional recruiting and was an IT person in the past. It all depends upon the culture of the company. This is where your research comes in handy.

There are some old school interview styles out there where they hard-core tech screen you first then worry about the culture aspect afterwards.

_________________________________________
you can burn the land and boil the sea, but you can't take the sky from me....
I WILL fly again.....

[Slappie 9]

By George Blomgren

I was reading a career coaching website the other day, and one "rule" that was tendered was to never volunteer personal information during an interview, even if asked.

While there is some truth to this, as blanket advice it's misleading at best. As an employer, I do ask some non-work-related questions during interviews and I'm not impressed by candidates who are evasive or unresponsive.

There are many laws about what interviewers can and can't ask, and non-work-related comprise much of the list of forbidden questions. Asking about your living situation or health, for example, are both illegal. A good interviewer won't ask these types of questions. (How to respond if an interviewer does ask these types of questions is a subject outside the scope of this article, but it's covered in most interviewing books.)

In contrast, it's not uncommon to face questions about hobbies, for example. Or warm up "chit-chat" like, "Any big plans for the upcoming holiday weekend?" These generally aren't loaded questions, but there are good answers and bad answers.

When describing hobbies, for example, share the ones that are relevant to the job or professional skills, or are likely to be viewed positively. Perhaps you belong to Toastmasters or spend your Saturday mornings teaching reading at a local library. In contrast, there is no need to mention that you spend Friday nights playing poker or that you ride with a local bike gang on weekends.

During chit-chat, don't volunteer excessively personal information. "I'm going north camping over the holiday weekend" is fine. "I just went through a painful divorce and I'm meeting with my financial planner to try to put my finances in order" is simply too much information. Small talk about golfing or cooking is fine; religion and politics are completely taboo.

Your ability to chat may actually be an important part of the interview, and it may be evaluated. After all, in many jobs, the ability to make small talk - comfortably and appropriately - is essential.

"Find out just what any people will quietly submit to and you have found out the exact measure of injustice and wrong which will be imposed upon them."

[lawrocket 3]

Audacity is good. I made the final cut for a job I previously stood no chance of getting. One of those law school interview things, and the interviewer was running almost a half hour behind. I came in and he made some small talk about the firm and how they expect the best. I could tell he'd already written me off due to my resume.

So I interrupted him and said, "Look. You're busy. I'm busy. You are behind schedule now and you want to be back on it, right? Just let me know what my chances are."

He said, "Well, you're top 50th percentile, but we expect top tem percent."

I said, "Well, then, I won't be waiting by the phone waiting for your firm to call me for the call back interview. But, you'd be making a mistake not to call me back. Let's be honest, there are miserable failure associates in the top ten percent. It's just easier to justify giving them a shot when they fail.

"So, good luck to you. You guys will need it."

I got a call back three weeks later. Damn near got the job. Turns out higher ups wanted to meet the kid who demonstrated more situational awareness than they'd seen in a while.

I'm going to start interviewing again. And what I want from an employee is honesty. And I damned well better get it or I will show the interviewee the door quickly.

My wife is hotter than your wife.

[Guest]

I hope I'm in a position some day to be an interviewer so that I can be the ball-buster and watch people squirm the way I've had those things done to me.

mh

.

"The mouse does not know life until it is in the mouth of the cat."