Job Interview Advice/Stories/etc.

[BlackVCG]

I know you can type "job interview" into google and come up with a few thousand sites about how to give the "perfect" job interview, but I thought I'd see if we can get the AO crowd to compile their advice, stories, tidbits of information about that moment in your life that you're faced with questions that leave you with a blank stare and your future in limbo.

So, I'll start off and say that since I've graduated from college with a B.S. in Mechanical Engineering I've had four official interviews. My most recent interview was at Freightliner LLC for a Design Engineer I position and the result of that is still pending.


Although I haven't landed that big engineering job to start my career yet, I can say that I've learned quite a bit about the process and what to look out for.

For those of you that are going through a basic interview to get a job at a department store, the local grocery store or a fast food chain, for the most part they're not looking for your knowledge of the products they sell. These interviews are basically to look at your character as a person. You'll get told the "dress nice," "have good manners," blah blah stuff. Don't pass that stuff by but what you need to focus on is telling the interviewer why you want to work there. Telling them you just want a job so you can go have fun on the weekends typically puts you at the bottom of the list. I hope nobody thinks about saying something like that in a job interview, but you'd be surprised. Just focus on showing good character and that you can be a reliable employee that puts some effort into their work.

As far as professional interviews go, well I'm still trying to figure that out. Right now it's been one week since I interviewed at Freightliner and they basically said it would probably be anywhere from half a week to a week and a half before they contact applicants for the 2nd round of interviews. I'm debating on whether I should send an e-mail to the lady in HR that was my first contact for the job to reaffirm my desire to work for the company. I want to avoid being a pain, but I also want to keep my name in their minds and under consideration.

That's about all I have for now. I'd like to here about everyone's job interviews, humorous or serious.

[Miscue]

If you're a nice looking chick, you can just show them your credentials.

Otherwise, it's a sales pitch... IMO. The presentation is as important as the substance you answer with. A display of confidence, intelligence, friendliness is important - don't be arrogant. It's not a time to be shy and squeemish. You need to be someone they want to work with.

"If you knew any better, you'd hire me beeyatch..." is good to convince yourself and really believe. Urm.. I didn't do too well in my orals.

[wimag]

I'm debating on whether I should send an e-mail to the lady in HR that was my first contact for the job to reaffirm my desire to work for the company. I want to avoid being a pain, but I also want to keep my name in their minds and under consideration.

do it. it is a good practice. bring up the positive points that you liked about the company and how your skills will be an asset to their organization.
Mail it to them on the same stationary used for your resume

[punkncat]

I have managed many retail establishments in both sales and the food industry. Now given that is a bit less professional than what you are looking at, but at the same time, I was the one who was the first contact for their hiring process.
The best piece of advice I can give is to remember to be yourself. People go to interviews and put on this game face, or change the way they really are to try and impress. Most of the time it realy shows. Not only because its not natural, but because you get this impression from them off that and then find out they are a different person in reality within a few moments of their hire.

Don't lie, don't make things up. And the last thing you want to do is "stretch" your experiance. Most interviewees come in and they all know everything there is to know about "X" position. Oh they have done it all and have all the knowledge. We as interviewers know thats pure crap, and generally will look past the BS'er and go with someone who was honest about their experiance.

Looking good is important to a degree, especially in the department of clean shaven and well kept apperance. Honestly though, I would rather hire someone who was comfortable enough in themselves to come in in clean jeans and a comfortable shirt and shoes than to consider some guy trying to go over the top in a suit. Now of course this once again falls back to the professional level of the job you are looking for. Obviously you should consider the dress code for the co. you are applying for.

I also feel that having some bit of knowledge about the company you are about to work for is a plus. It shows you have done your homework and really have intrest in what you are considering doing. Anyone can walk in and put in an application just fishing for a job. Someone with specific knowledge of your company and what you do is definately a plus. Also know what position you are interested in. Being flexible about other things is good, but know what you want and let them know. Being decisive is a good trait. Wishy washy doesn't sell.

Relax. It shows confidence. Make eye contact. Don't fidgit around. Give a firm handshake and always thanks for the interview and opportunity.

[Muzikman]

Having just went though about 6 months of interviewing and getting quite a few second interviews and finally landing a job just recently here are a few things I can say.

#1 - Lie! This does not mean tell them you have a PhD when you do not. This does not mean to tell them you worked for some big fortune 500 company when you did not. But, if asked, do you know how to do "A", tell them yes, even if you are not sure how to do it. This obviously means you need to have enough knowlege of the subject to make it sound like you do know what you are doing. But even if you have had minimal experiance (even read a magazine article on the subject) this will usually give you the ability to make it seem as though you know what you are talking about.

Now, the key is that if you do lie about something like this, make sure that if you get the job, you can learn the task fast and efficient. If you can not, not only will you make a fool out of yourself if you should get hired, but also probably will not keep your job.

#2 - Besure to present yourself in a way that makes you stand out from any other person they are interviewing. Dress to impress, use proper english, be polite, and tell them what they want to hear. The key is that once you get the job, keep all this up. This means if you get the job, don't start dressing like the bum on the corner asking for change or start talking like you just left a rap concert.

#3 - This is actually a big one, but not always in your control. Try to avoid talking about money on the first interview. This is something I just learned. When you walk into a first interview, they have read through 100 resumes and picked yours. They have interviewed 20 people (or will by the time they are done). But if you get asked back for a second interview it is now down to 2-5 people usually. Those 2-5 people are the best of the best from the 100 resumes they got (or atleast in their minds they are). Money is always a deciding factor for a company. They want to get the best person for the least amount of money. If you ask for more than they were thinking on the first interview that almost always gets you in the "send a rejection letter" pile. If you are now down to the top 2-5 people, and you come in a little higher than they were thinking, they will still way in the options on who the best person is.

Like I said though, alot of times you do not have a choice. They will often ask on the first interview. If they do, tell them what you would like, but also tell them it would depend on benefits and that you are flexible and it can be discussed.

Other than that...good luck.


Oh, and a few storied.

1. One company I interviewed for asked me how much I was looking for. When I told them the persons reply was "Well, we are in the same church, but not the same pew". Made me wonder, were we in a Cathedral or a small little Baptist church in the South

2. I once interviewed with a company and talked to their IT director first. I was a perfect fit for what he was looking for and very confident that the interview went great. I then met with the HR person and she proceeded to look at my resume and state "looks like you got a lot of experiance, you do know this is an "entry level" position right?

First off, what the IT director was talking about was not entry level at all. Second, why the hell did they call me in for an interview if it was an entry level position. They saw my resume, they saw I had over 8 years experiance in the field and they saw my last job title. Besically what they wanted was an experianced person they can pay like an entry level person. The best is that when I got my rejection letter, it stated that they decided to go with a candidate that was "better qualified"...no, they went for the guy that was willing to work for peanuts, which I am sure did not make him technically qualified for the position..

[Dayspring]

Always send a thank you letter to the people you interview with. Hopefully they give you a business card when you meet them. Also, do homework on the company. Look at their client list (if it's that kind of company). Learn as much as you can about the company itself, including their financial status- if they're publicly traded or private, etc.

[Creative Mayhem]

Dress to impress, use proper english, be polite, and tell them what they want to hear.

Umm... you are (A) American, you don't know PROPER english, and (B) from Pittsburgh, you have your own language

[Muzikman]

Umm... you are (A) American, you don't know PROPER english, and (B) from Pittsburgh, you have your own language

Hey, what do you know about proper English you damn Canadian!

[Creative Mayhem]

Hey, what do you know about proper English you damn Canadian!

Proper english = Queens english, in that reguard we are a hell of a lot closer than you

[punkncat]

Lie! This does not mean tell them you have a PhD when you do not. This does not mean to tell them you worked for some big fortune 500 company when you did not. But, if asked, do you know how to do "A", tell them yes, even if you are not sure how to do it. This obviously means you need to have enough knowlege of the subject to make it sound like you do know what you are doing. But even if you have had minimal experiance (even read a magazine article on the subject) this will usually give you the ability to make it seem as though you know what you are talking about.

This is absolutely bad advice. You should NEVER lie to an interviewer. The biggest problem with new prospects is that you get all these ones who know how to do everything, or lie about their experiance. Trust that this shows the first few days on the job. The worst case scenario will be that they will ask you detail questions about your lie and BOOM you are done. And what is worse is that the job world is smaller than you think. Word will get around and it may be after you got a job somewhere else.

It is much better and easier to keep up with when you get jobs based on your true personal merit and ability.

[Muzikman]

After 6 months of job searching in the professional job market with over 8 years experiance in your field, I totally disagree with you.

[Thourne]

In my job I am responsible for hiring many people. I hire people on a professional level (jobs requiring at least master's degrees) to a part-time basis (both jobs requiring a a college degree and hiring college students for summer employment) and one of the biggest pet peeves I have is when I get canned answers. Applicants think they know what I want to hear and they give me that answer instead of showing originality, creativity and real thought. Most of the questions I ask in an interview are really not about the answer but the thought process and analytical skills of the person answering. Most of the jobs I hire for require people who can think quickly on their feet and most of my questions are designed to test this.

Some other interviewers may do things differently, but that is how I generally approach an interview.

[Lohman446]

DRESS. I interview on follow up interviews. Sitting down and looking at the notes that have been taken from the first interview the first note is about dress. Frankly, if it says you were not properly dressed you will have to be A LOT better than anyone else to make it further. Now obviously proper dress means different things. Don't wear a seven thousand dollar suit to a minimum wage interview. If you are interviewing for a company like Southwest airlines nice new black jeans, a white shirt and tie are acceptable based on there presidents comments repeatedly to the work force and the public. Dressing so will show that you will "fit" into the airline better than suits. However, for 99% of American companies as large as SW this is not true. Know the company you are interviewing for.

[wimag]

#1 - Lie! This does not mean tell them you have a PhD when you do not. This does not mean to tell them you worked for some big fortune 500 company when you did not. But, if asked, do you know how to do "A", tell them yes, even if you are not sure how to do it. This obviously means you need to have enough knowlege of the subject to make it sound like you do know what you are doing. But even if you have had minimal experiance (even read a magazine article on the subject) this will usually give you the ability to make it seem as though you know what you are talking about.

Now, the key is that if you do lie about something like this, make sure that if you get the job, you can learn the task fast and efficient. If you can not, not only will you make a fool out of yourself if you should get hired, but also probably will not keep your job.
..

ah yes. this was the same method our newly hired CAD drawer used to land her job. Yes it did backfire. yes she caused thousands upon thousands of lost revenue due to her inability to do something she lied about.
The dumb box got fired, good riddance should have never been there in the first place. Well at least she wasnt in a position that could have caused some serious damage physically to other people, per say if she worked in the healthcare field.
Apparently she did not feel to highly of herself in order to lie about her qualifications in order to get a job.

[gimp]

Can't say that I'd lie in an interview, but exaggerating is acceptable. If they ask, 'Are you familiar with yadda yadda yadda?', and I'd read about it in a magazine, or touched on it briefly in school, then I'd say yes. I'm not an expert in it, but I know a little about it, and am capable of learning more.

I'm in my final year of college, and I've interviewed with about 10 different companies. During the first interviews I was really cautious and nervous, and I didn't get second interviews. As I got better at interviewing, the companies called back. I was so used to interviewing, it was like there was no pressure. I could just go and talk to the interviewer. I think one thing that really helps is to seem really excited about the position. I interviewed a few places that I wasn't motivated to work for, but they would pay well, and it would be a good start for a career. Those interviews didn't go as well as the the places that I really wanted to work for.

I'll be graduating in May, and right now I'm at the point of deciding where I'd like to work. Once you get one offer, you can call the other companies and say 'Hey, I've got an offer and I need to make a decision soon.' That usually gets them interested in you again.

I can tell you one thing I've learned. Having a job offer takes a lot of the stresses off from school. It really makes the senioritis kick into high gear. Instead of trying to get perfect grades, I can just worry about graduating.

I did have one interview with a guy who had a lazy eye or something. That was awkward.