Job Interviews

[GZA]

I know this has been discussed in various ways in this sub-forum thus far, but I have questions. I have only been in two job interviews my entire life (I'm 19), and I did not get the job for either. Ironically, the job I did get I did not have an interview for and was hired before I had even been offered the job (i.e. my mom said "you got hired for a job today". I worked for her employers, it was a good job, great experience in many ways).

What I am curious about is what the interviewers are trying to accomplish through the interview, and what the best way to answer is. Of course, this will vary greatly depending on the interviewer and the job being interviewed for, but bear with me.

So far what I have gathered is that obviously they want to see you are qualified for the job technically speaking, and that you would fit in to the social atmosphere of the work place. They through curveball questions to try to throw you off and especially get you to answer beyond simple, conventional, standard answers.

What advice do you have for a young man with many interviews ahead of him?

 

[Sparrow]

At my current job I got a chance to interview people (as a group with my co workers). Dont talk too much (rambling on and on is bad), dont be cocky, and dont be negative! Be confident and be prepared, research the company a little before the interview, think about what your strengths are, and before hand think about the possible hard questions you might get asked so you dont stumble over your words, its best to be prepared .

 

[highlander]

Dont talk too much (rambling on and on is bad), dont be cocky, and dont be negative! Be confident and be prepared, research the company a little before the interview, think about what your strengths are, and before hand think about the possible hard questions you might get asked so you dont stumble over your words, its best to be prepared .

This.

At my company, we use critical behavior interviewing. A lot of companies use that. You might want to research it and understand how to respond to questions in the right way (e.g. get down to specific situations, a point in time, and talk about what you did, what you thought, what you said, etc.). Also practice makes perfect.

It's a hard thing to do - to make decisions about people with so little time. The process is inherently error prone and highly varied based on the people you end up talking to, so I wouldn't take anything too personally.

Here are a few issues I've seen:
- People talk about what "we" did vs. what they did. I don't know what you did if all you talk about is "we".
- Follow directions - listen to what the interviewer is asking for and respond to their direction and their questions. It is amazing how many people don't do this. I have had numerous candidates who come in with canned stories and they communicate them even if they have nothing to do with the question. Or, I will ask them to give a quick 1 minute summary response to a question and they talk for 5 minutes.
- They don't have any idea what the job entails or how they would be suited to it
- They don't understand their strengths/abilities and weaknesses (low self awareness)
- They don't come across as confident, seem nervous or don't make eye contact

Anyway, those are some quick things I can think of off the top of my head.

 

[miss fortune]

I interview people and have somewhere around a 99.9% say over whether or not they are hired!

- I tend to ask some out of the blue and strange questions during the interview to catch the interviewee off guard and get a more genuine view of how they think and how they view humanity- this is because I know that everybody lies during job interviews

What I look for-

- how naturally personable does the person seem? (are they relaxed and friendly in the presence of others? this is a social job!)
- do they pay attention to what I've said to them?
- have they done outside research?
- do they have a positive mindset?
- how cocky are they?

Reasons that I will say no to hiring somebody-

- they don't listen well
- they're cocky
- they are negative whineybutts
- they can't get comfortable around people- which spells failure in this job
- they are incurious

hope that helps some

 

[skylights]

i've interviewed before... here's what i look for in general:

- genuine interest in the position -i understand mainly needing a job for the money, but i need to know you actually care about what you're going to be doing
- engagement - especially as in, you are actually paying attention to me lol
- social skill - can range from just being attentive and understandable for a behind-the-scenes position to being highly engaging and diplomatic for a more social position
- skills and overall demeanor that match the position you're applying for
- evidence that you've researched / thought about the position and the institute
- values and attitude that fit with the position and institute
- attention to appearance - you don't have to look incredible, or like someone who's not you, just put-together and appropriate. in my personal book, extra points for dressing especially nicely, as long as it's not overdone or out of place

things that aren't such a big deal to me especially with younger interviewees include being nervous and tripping over words a little, needing a little time to reflect (like 30 seconds, not several minutes), asking if you can start an answer over, saying something a little awkward once or twice, doing something clumsy, speaking really fast (though i'll probably ask you to slow down, lol), other general nervousness indicators that don't really have any bearing on your ability to do the job

weirdest things i've experienced / who not to be like (lol):

- a guy with one-word answers and no eye contact
- a chick who played with the zipper on her bag the whole time and applied lip gloss very carefully (mirror and all) while i was asking her an in-depth question - then asked if i could repeat the question
- a chick with clothing better suited to prostitution, who had a lot of trouble walking on her 4" heels
- more than one person with an apparent lack of hygiene
- a chick coming in and admitting she hadn't really prepared at all - don't tell me that!!! either you've prepared well, or your skill in acting on the fly will be evident in that i don't know you're doing this on the fly) unfortunately in her case she wasn't very good on the fly :[
- a guy with a huge beef with his last employer who really wanted to share that with me
i really do understand hating your boss, but an interview isn't really the best time to bring that up
- a chick who shook in fear the whole time - still ended up hiring her, she's good at what she does and does not shake anymore
- a guy who went off on so many tangents he never actually ended up answering 3/4 of the questions posed to him
- a chick who used a "cute voice" when she was giving examples of things she would say to people in certain scenarios -
it was so unbelievably annoying - i was on a panel of people who interviewed her, and when we discussed things afterwards, this was our #1 turn-off. we couldn't imagine her being socially appropriate on a day-to-day basis if she was doing this during a professional interview.

my #1 advice is don't be late!! i usually advise students to go to the interview location 30 minutes beforehand to give them a big time cushion in case anything should happen. if they're early, they can just hang out somewhere (car, lobby, nearby cafe, etc) and review their resume, notes, and cover letter, go to the bathroom, double-check their appearance, and just meditate a little to relax and center. then go in 5 minutes early and give the secretary or whoever a heads-up that you're here whenever they're ready.

ps if you run into some horrible circumstance like getting stuck behind a car accident in traffic, call ASAP, explain, apologize, and ask if you can reschedule (and don't be picky about when). we know that shit happens but we expect you to have done everything you can within reason to prevent it

 

[Beargryllz]

Always lie as much as possible when searching for a job. The moment I stopped being honest was the moment I started my career. But it was more than that, it was like the entire world fell perfectly into place.

Never project weakness, EVER. It is better to bullshit your way through and get paid, than to not be employed, so do whatever is necessary to get paid. I hated myself at first when I started stretching the truth about everything I had ever done, but the results are incredible. Now I wouldn't have it any other way.

 

[highlander]

Always lie as much as possible when searching for a job. The moment I stopped being honest was the moment I started my career. But it was more than that, it was like the entire world fell perfectly into place.

Never project weakness, EVER. It is better to bullshit your way through and get paid, than to not be employed, so do whatever is necessary to get paid. I hated myself at first when I started stretching the truth about everything I had ever done, but the results are incredible. Now I wouldn't have it any other way.

A good interviewer will pin you down in a corner and you won't be able to do that unless you are amazingly adept at making up things that are consistent and fit together on the fly. I tore a guy to shreds (nicely) who was doing this a couple months ago. He still was sending me messages afterwards. I couldn't believe it.

 

[miss fortune]

If I think that someone is lying on an interview I spend the rest of the interview tricking them into revealing that... and then I give them a no

 

[mmhmm]

This.

At my company, we use critical behavior interviewing. A lot of companies use that. You might want to research it and understand how to respond to questions in the right way (e.g. get down to specific situations, a point in time, and talk about what you did, what you thought, what you said, etc.). Also practice makes perfect.

It's a hard thing to do - to make decisions about people with so little time. The process is inherently error prone and highly varied based on the people you end up talking to, so I wouldn't take anything too personally.

i conduct fairly structured fit and behavioral interviews as well.
basically i'm just trying to examine your past accomplishments
in depth, the best way to do this is to focus on your specific
role, and describe the key actions you took that were critical
to success.

i'll ask the interviewees to go in depth into a leadership
experience, ie. how other people reacted to their ideas, how
did they handle resistance to their leadership? and probe on
all the details: "and then what did you do? what was the next step?
would you have done things differently?"

the best tip i can give is : KNOW YOUR RESUME. it's one of the very
few things you actually have complete control over, yet people fill it
up with so much fluff, and can't explain it when asked. it's very, very
funny to watch especially when they get little details like dates mixed
up without even knowing so. know what you want to talk about and
practice, practice talking about your achievements and overcoming barriers.

know how to sell yourself when asked to give a quick run through
of your resume. i don't really care about your summer backpacking
through south america with your two best friends. because all you're
doing is just showing your lack or prioritization skills : wasting my time
and yours when you could be hilighting more interesting aspects of your
strengths.

Here are a few issues I've seen:
- People talk about what "we" did vs. what they did. I don't know what you did if all you talk about is "we".
- Follow directions - listen to what the interviewer is asking for and respond to their direction and their questions. It is amazing how many people don't do this. I have had numerous candidates who come in with canned stories and they communicate them even if they have nothing to do with the question. Or, I will ask them to give a quick 1 minute summary response to a question and they talk for 5 minutes.
- They don't have any idea what the job entails or how they would be suited to it
- They don't understand their strengths/abilities and weaknesses (low self awareness)
- They don't come across as confident, seem nervous or don't make eye contact

Anyway, those are some quick things I can think of off the top of my head.

hahaha. and the all time classic when asked "what are your weaknesses?"
and they answer with a “strength disguised as a weakness” answer.

hahahah don't do it!

 

[Kalach]

Do interviewers really ask "what's your weakness?"?

"My weakness? What, suddenly I'm in therapy?! GIVE ME THE DAMN JOB, ASSHOLE!"



"So, well, yeah, anger issues, I guess."

 

[Stigmata]

Don't waste your time working in any profession that gives credence to trivial interview questions over actual talent and ability.

 

[thisGuy]

Don't waste your time working in any profession that gives credence to trivial interview questions over actual talent and ability.

whats a profession that doesn't? are you thinking firefighters?

 

[FDG]

Don't waste your time working in any profession that gives credence to trivial interview questions over actual talent and ability.

Working isn't the real problem. Human Resources departments are.

Anyway, most interviews are weird, and interviewers generally assume you're much dumber than they are and are trying to screw them. So good luck, it's not an easy world out there. Actually learning the job is generally much easier than going through the tedium usually posited by 99% of interviews.

 

[Beargryllz]

A good interviewer will pin you down in a corner and you won't be able to do that unless you are amazingly adept at making up things that are consistent and fit together on the fly.

See, this is where our understanding of a good interviewer meets with some disagreement. Either a good interviewer is a very rare find, or a good interviewer is not what you claim it to be. To me, a good interviewer is one that approves of me and helps me get the job.

 

[strawberries]

Don't waste your time working in any profession that gives credence to trivial interview questions over actual talent and ability.

enjoy those soup kitchen dinners!

 

[Sparrow]

I have an interview in 30 minutes! I went above and beyond in my prep by printing all my letters of recommendation, cover letter, and resume on super nice paper, and enclosed them in a report protector (the thing with the clear cover and 3 hole prongs). In the cover letter I made sure to put emphasis on the traits they were looking for. If you don't have letters of recommendations from previous jobs since your new to the work force maybe try and get a teacher to write one for you !

 

[ScorpioINTP]

hahaha. and the all time classic when asked "what are your weaknesses?"
and they answer with a “strength disguised as a weakness” answer.

hahahah don't do it!

See it is all a big game. There is no one size fits all answer. You go to a recruiter or placement agency and they will give you this very advice, yet some interviewers may have a personal bias against any given answer "type". The whole process is over thought on both sides IMO.

I've had interviews where I hardly got to say a thing and still got the job without even needing to sell myself and had great interviews where I didn't get a call back. I hate going to an interview and the first question is "So tell me about yourself". Especially when the job description is vague and fuzzy to begin with.

HR people are the worst and usually have no clue what the hiring managers really want.

Surely there are many personal biases that play a role in hiring one candidate over another. Its a necessary evil.

 

[ThatGirl]

Do interviewers really ask "what's your weakness?"?

"My weakness? What, suddenly I'm in therapy?! GIVE ME THE DAMN JOB, ASSHOLE!"
"So, well, yeah, anger issues, I guess."

Lmao, yes I have been asked that before.

I think my answer was that sometimes I may be overly perfectionist and get so engrossed in what I am attempting to achieve that I do not stop to allow others assist me in what I am doing. Followed by an example of when I realized team work was important during my last job, and the strides I had made to become increasingly aware of the group.


Its a bullshit question. Most of them are. Then again if I were an interviewer I would ask questions like.

How fast do you learn?

What would you consider to be a work place code of honor?

If asked to cover for someone else's position for a day, how would you handle that?

General resume questions.

Hypothetical conflict, ask person how they would solve it.


I would use the interview to mostly vibe on them and most of my decision would come from references and histories (which I would check). Then again I have the ability to see through propaganda and drama, and note the possible dynamics that happened in other positions.

 

[disregard]

Job interviews are like a date you go on so that they can see if you are what they are looking for or if you are compatible with their needs. Be yourself and SHOW them your good qualities with your demeanor.

 

[mmhmm]

hahaha. and the all time classic when asked "what are your weaknesses?"
and they answer with a “strength disguised as a weakness” answer.

hahahah don't do it!

See it is all a big game. There is no one size fits all answer. You go to a recruiter or placement agency and they will give you this very advice, yet some interviewers may have a personal bias against any given answer "type". The whole process is over thought on both sides IMO.

it depends what sort of job you're interviewing for.

in constructed behavioral interviews, question
like these seek to find out what were your key
takeaways from your experience regarding a specific
incident.