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Nailing the job interview
Thought I could provide some of my tips for nailing a job interview. Sometimes getting the interview is the hardest part, but when you get it, you have to get the offer.
I'm an engineer so I'm usually in high demand so it may bias things a bit, but I've been on plenty of interviews with 10-15 other people and gotten the offer. In fact, since graduating in 2007 with a bachelor's, I've gotten an offer on 9 out of the 10 interviews I went on. The only non-offer was right out of school and the interview was very technical.
So, here's some tips
1) Do NOT talk poorly of any of your old jobs. If you only worked somewhere for a little while and quite because you hated it, they will likely ask why you left so abruptly, so you better be ready to answer it; and with a good response. Always keep it positive-"I found a better opportunity" etc. When interviewing you don't know exactly what your duties will be at the new job, so you also don't know if saying you do not like doing a certain task is also part of this job, which you may want to land
2) Be ready for the stupid corporate questions:
"Tell me about a time something went wrong and how you fixed it"
"Tell me about a time you didn't get along with someone and how it was resolved"
"Tell me about your successes"
etc.
The bigger companies use these and even though they can be quite silly, they may be the only questions you may be asked. So have discrete examples and nail these while the other candidates falter. For example, GM and National Grid used these when I interviewed. Having concrete examples for these simple questions is key. Sometimes you can get a copy of the questions from HR.
3) Even if you are applying for a job where you need to come in and make a lot of changes, do not forget you are entering a company who does things for a reason. MY BIG THING THAT ALWAYS NAILS THE INTERVIEW:
"If I am offered the position, I first want to come in and understand why and how the company does things, and then after taking it all in, I want to offer my personal opinion on how to solve them." Rarely does anyone want to hear you come in and say how you can fix things before you even know the root of the problems.
4) Always sell yourself, even if the interviewer doesn't ask the right questions. One interview I went on, I wasn't even asked about my experience (small company). Most of the interview was them telling me about the company and the job. You need to sell yourself and your resume even if they do not ask about them. How do you fit the position?
5) I personally do not talk about money at the interview unless they bring it up. You don't know if you're getting the offer yet so why push the buttons?
6) I do not like OT and lots of hours. Some might. However when I bring this up I always say "what are the hours like for the position? I only ask because I have young kids and like spending as much time with them as possible." This way you aren't saying you won't work it, but you have a reason for asking. Your response will be different, but find a good way to ask it.
7) I am always well prepared. Bring extra copies of your resume (on resume paper!) in case there are more people than expected. Bring a profession binder, not a 3 cent binder you bought at walmart.
8) Ask about the daily routine of the job you are interviewing for. This is obviously important to understand if you want it or not
9) Ask the company who their biggest customers are.
10) Always shake hands, thank them for the interview, avoid too many "ums"
11) Tailor all of your responses to the position.
12) I recently started interviewing people at my current company and one thing I always liked to hear was "the work you do here looks really cool and I would really love to be a part of it" or something along those lines. Your interviewer wants to hear how badly you want to work there. Being energetic and upbeat is definitely a good thing.
13) Do not lie about questions or your resume. You are in big trouble if you get asked a technical question that you do not know the answer to and lie about it. Then, you get the follow up question. Can put the nix on the whole interview right there. It's better to say "yes I've heard about it or I've dealt with it in the past but not extensively lately, or I am familiar with it but haven't worked with it lately". You are applying for a job that you likely won't know everything for. The other applicants will be the same. Being dishonest will get you thrown off the list very quickly.
That's all for now, will post more later.
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