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Interview Advice

rhlentz said:
I have my first interview for a real job today, anyone have any helpful tips?
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If the interviewer has a funny last name like Neiswanger, be sure to make plenty of jokes about it. A little humor is just the right touch to lighten the mood at interviews.

Be sure to ask lots of questions about breaks, vacation time, paid holidays and sick leave.

Be sure to ask about their workman's compensation package, insurance and severance pay if you should happen to suffer a career ending injury in the first day on the job.

Be polite. Ask first if it's OK before you pick your nose.

Bring a bottle and offer the interviewee a drink to relax. Drugs are illegal so don't offer him or her any until you ask leading questions about drugs to gauge their attitude on the subject.

Hit on the interviewer. The faster you can develop a relationship that is more than interviewer/interviewee, the more likely you are to get hired. If the interviewer is a man, you might want to ask if he's gay first to avoid embarrassment.

Go get 'em.
 
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Be aware of your pronouns. I have never hired anyone who only talks about what "we" did on a project. I want to know what YOU did - I'm only hiring one person. If you can't tout your own personal accomplishments while demonstrating that you can effectively work with others, you're not going to make it.

I've seen too many people stumble on questions about group projects. They will either get lost and not be able to define their contributions or they will take credit for most of the project. Both situations highlight ineffectiveness.

Beyond that, best of luck to you!!!
 
Shut off your cell phone, cover tattoos, be polite, don't look at you watch,etc.
 
Also, don't be afraid to repeat part of the question, slight pause then respond. Much better to have a well thought of response than ramble on and on.
 
This is all pretty good advice. I will add that you should try to avoid being nervous. They will either like you or they won't, no sense getting worked up about it and hurting your chances.
 
timc243 said:
This is all pretty good advice. I will add that you should try to avoid being nervous. They will either like you or they won't, no sense getting worked up about it and hurting your chances.
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Yep. Be yourself, but more importantly be confident that being yourself will land you the job.
 
Make sure you take the tags off of your clothes if you bought new ones for the interview. I went to my last interview and went to lunch with the third person I talked to. I got up and put my sportscoat on. He walked up behind m and grabbed a tag that was under the arm. He said"Good to know you wanted to impress us with a new suit but you won't need to wear that here. We hate dressing up". Got the job but not everyone shares the same sentiments as my company.
 
Find out about their policy on Columbus Day and don't be afraid to invite them out for drink afterwards
 
Couple things:

Make eye contact as much as possible and be sure to give everyone a firm handshake before and after the interview. As little as this may seem it's a big first and last impression and shows you are confident. Don't play with your hands or move around in your chair or stare in the same direction all the time. Sit comfortably but also with good posture and make acceptable hand gestures once in awhile but nothing that seems not natural.

Be sure to send a thank you email to whoever you interviewed with the day after and not one of this butt kissing ones either just a simple few sentences thanking them for their time and the opportunity to discuss the job with them. Also there is nothing wrong with asking a follow up question if you thought about something after you left the interview. It shows you are interested in the job.

Don't make up an answer to a question. Especially with these entry level jobs don't make up a BS answer because the people interviewing you obviously knows more than you do so if you don't know something don't fake it, they will know it. You are better off admitting you don't know the answer to that but I always spun that too that I may not know the answer but if given the opportunity I would like to learn this or that, depending on what the question was.

Ask questions during or at the end of the interview. Be relevant though, don't ask things like "so what do you think of the Cyclones this year?" but ask things relevant to the job that shows your interest and that you want to learn more about their company and the job you are applying for. Some casual talk is fine if they initiate it but I think this is one place you can stand out from other applicants is by asking a relevent question that is not on their list of things they planned to talk with you about. Qualifications are 1 thing but employers are also looking for people that are always seeking to learn more and this is one way to show it.

Just be yourself. This is probably the most important one. I've sat in on interviews before and you can tell just by how someone presents themself and talks who is being sincere and talking with you like they would every day and who is trying to hard to impress you with big words and answers that are more than what they really need to say when asked a question.
 
My advice is to look them in the eyes, give a firm handshake, and be prepared. Do your research and be enthusiastic about the company and the opportunity.
 
MAKE EYE CONTACT!!! It's seriously the best thing you can do. Also, be sure to have lots of confidence.
 
If possible, it's good to apply for jobs through networking. I think it opens the door a bit and eases the nerves. It's always nice to go into the interview and relax the convo by talking about how you know such and such and how they know the interviewer.

Networking is huge. I had 2 connections through my major professor in grad school that invited me for a visit. Both places did not ask me 1 question, nor look at my resume. They simply relied on my networking to vouche for me. Both were not interviews as much as "this is what we do, here is what you would do...do you want the job?" These were for specialized engineering positions and I have 0 yrs of experience outside of class/internships.
 
Bring your step-brother.
Wear matching tuxedos.
Tell the HR lady to shut her mouth repeatedly.
Ask for a souvenir.
Rip a long one.
 
Probably a bit late to help you today, but some thoughts. Numerous companies now use behavior interview technique. Instead of asking questions about you, why you are qualified, why you deserve the job, etc., you will be asked to give examples of how you handled actual situations previously. For example, you might be asked "Tell me about a time you had to persuade a co-worker." or "Tell me about a time you had too much to do. How did you prioritize what you would accomplish." The interviewer is looking for you to describe the situation, the tasks involved, actions you took and the results of your actions.

The competency interview is similar, as it asks about a situation. The interviewer then follows with questions about how you did it, why you did what you did, what did you learn and how has it helped you.

I have seen these types of interviews catch the interviewee off-guard. To prepare, it helps to list some experiences to draw upon and try to answer some sample questions to yourself. They don't have to be about how you saved the company from certain destruction, just examples of how you effectively dealt with a situation using a logical, efficient and effective methodology. Search online for "behavioral interview" or "competency interview" for examples.
 
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