I have an interview tomorrow and dont want to screw it up....I think I'm usually over zealous in interviews and maybe even kinda too chummy.
Should I shut my mouth and just be quiet and reserved this time around...or what? I get all excited sometimes so maybe that makes me look desperate. I have been on 3 or 4 interviews already and haven't landed anything descent yet unfortunately.
I have gotten a few 2nd interviews though so maybe I'm not doing anything wrong....I dunno.
This economy sucks, I have to much competition dangit!
HELP!!!!!!!
Well good luck on your upcoming interview!
You are getting 2nd interviews so I think that's a good sign.
You're right, the economy sucks and the job market out there can be insanely competitive. Having 3 or 4 interviews with no good offers may be discouraging but in this job market, I've known people who have been through many more interviews than that before landing a good job. Some of these people are pretty interview savvy too. So I don't think you're necessarily doing anything wrong.
I've interviewed for jobs I didn't get and when I called to ask what I could have done differently, they said, your resume and interview were impressive, it was very hard to decide because we interviewed over 50(!!!) people! Not all jobs have quite that many interviewees but some positions do.
There are also some positions where they are required to post the opening and interview a minimum number of candidates even though they know very well who they already want and aren't likely to change their mind. You could have the interview of your lifetime and still fall short.
I dont think theres much to it than just being yourself. Do you have any positive stories from other jobs, thats a good idea I think. Its a good way to show that what you say are, has something to it. Like saying "Im flexible" and not come up with an example why you are flexible.
Exactly. Stories are important. Whatever you say makes you a good fit for the position, be sure you can back it up with some concrete evidence. For example, if you consider yourself highly organized, give examples that show how your organizational skills positively affected the company. Don't wait for the interviewer to ask for this information. Volunteer the information yourself.
Something that helps me in interviews when they ask questions (because I have a tendency to ramble) is to answer big questions in a particular format (like name a time when you overcame a challenge, etc etc etc.) which is STAR; Situation – where you were/what role, Task – what you had to do to, Action – what you actually DID to get a positive or negative outcome and Response – what the outcome of the process was. This helps me stop tangenting and stay focussed on giving a good answer to any of their “Big†questions.
Otherwise being yourself or a “professional†version of yourself is always best, if you’re effervescent, then let that shine through, but in a way you would do so if you were at work.
Hopefully that helps or at the very least hopefully makes any sense at all?
I really like that STAR tip.
! My interview got rescheduled because of the snow unfortunately. Yep the competition is fierce these days, at my old job 300 people applied for a position in my department....CEO's, Pilots, and Managers were shooting for an Administrative position, craziness! If I dont get hired then it wasnt meant to be and I will stay positive. Thanks everyone 
