I have a lot of issues with job interviews.
- What helps make you feel secure when entering a job interview?
When I get the impression the interviewer is sincere & asks relevant questions to the job, not asking loaded, trick questions or working off some script of questions they think they're supposed to ask. if I get the impression they are trying to scare me by making the job/environment/themselves sounds tough, then I don't especially want to work for them. I want someone who shows they can treat employees/coworkers well, not like robots.
- What types of questions do you feel uncomfortable answering? (What do you anticipate to be the 'correct' answers?)
The weakness question is annoying because it's a trick question. They know you are going to put a positive spin on it. They're basically asking "how well can you BS us?". If I were honest, then I'd say that I may be 10 minutes late but it makes no difference in my efficiency or productivity and no employer I've ever had in the past cared because the bottom line was I worked faster than others with higher quality output. If I actually ever said this, I know I would never get a job. Instead I'm supposed to lie about being a perfectionist or some other "weakness" that translates to good for employer & bad for my personal life.
Less than questions, I feel uncomfortable being asked to do "tests" which amount to work without pay. In design, this unfortunately pretty common. If prerequisites for the job include a resume w/references, a degree & portfolio of sample wok, then giving "tests" is not only insulting, but it's borderline unethical. You're getting ideas for free, basically.
Employers need to learn to extrapolate the given information about the person to see how it would adapt to the position they're hiring for. Few will come to the job having done EXACTLY what it requires in past positions. I think a good question may be, "how would you apply your past experience in this position?". I have never been asked this & it seems extremely relevant to me. What you have done/learned is not the same as how you'd apply it in a new situation.
- What are some good questions to ask?
Questions that are relevant to the actual work being done. Think about if you were the interviewee, and how you would honestly answer a question. If you know you'd have to BS to answer the question yourself, then it's not a good question. If you want to get a feel for their personality, then just ask! Ask them how they interact with others in past jobs, ask them what their personality is like. Those roundabout loaded questions just push people to say what they think you want to hear. That's why so many who say they get jobs easily & interview well also say they LIE. If you want honesty, then you have to be honest with yourself about the kinds of questions you're asking & what their purpose is.
- Do you follow up?
I used to and it made no difference. It simply made my humiliation more acute; it's like sending flowers after a first date & never hearing from the person again. It seems desperate & needy, IMO. Although I've heard of people nagging an employer into hiring them, but I can't stomach such tactics.
I've found "don't call us, we'll call you" to be the preference of most employers anyway.