Job Interview Advice

[tomalak301]

I went to a Job Fair last week for my school and got a Job Interview with one of the companies this Tuesday. This is a Financial company in which the employees talk with clients on financial goals and stuff like that. Much like other interviews I've been in, I'm very nervous about this one. Does anyone have any advice? I've been preparing and trying to anticipate questions, but if there is anything else I can focus on, such as not being nervous, that would be cool too.

 

[Tiberius Jim]

The best advice I can give is to be confident. Walk straight and with purpose, give the interviewer a firm handshake, and make eye contact. Be enthusiastic with your answers and show genuine interest in the position and the company. Have some questions for the interviewer in case they ask, as they like to know you have thought about this job a lot and are curious about where you want to work.

 

[Canadave]

The best advice I can give is to be confident. Walk straight and with purpose, give the interviewer a firm handshake, and make eye contact. Be enthusiastic with your answers and show genuine interest in the position and the company. Have some questions for the interviewer in case they ask, as they like to know you have thought about this job a lot and are curious about where you want to work.

Pretty much this. Make it seem like you want the job, not just that you're someone who happens to be qualified for it. Be friendly and make yourself as approachable as possible (but don't overdo it, as that can smack of being desperate or putting on a veneer).

Having done some hiring in the last couple of years, I think what makes people stand out most is how they answer. If they're confident and express themselves well, that's almost as important as the actual answers they give. Oh, and don't ramble. When you're doing half a dozen interviews in a day, you don't want to listen to someone go off on a tangent that's only vaguely related to the question, even if what you're saying pertains to the job. You don't want to bore your interviewers.

 

[MANT!]

Answer quickly and concisely but with a 2 second "Beat" between the question and answer..always worked for me...

 

[tomalak301]

Answer quickly and concisely but with a 2 second "Beat" between the question and answer..always worked for me...

2 Second Beat?

 

[FPAlpha]

Appearance:
Clean yourself up well.. shave, put on nice and clean clothes (a bit fancier than regular street clothes but not all out as if you're going on a date) and appropriate for the position you're applazing for, i.e. no T-Shirt and Sneakers if you're going for middle management and no suit if you're "just" an office worker.

Be on time.. better to wait half an hour in the lobby than to arrive ten minutes late

Don't lie about your resumee.. experienced recruiters will spot inconsistencies and lies and by then you've got no chance to get the job. Admit that you made mistakes in life and tell them what you did to correct them.. most of the time you'll get bonus points if he feels you've learned from it and didn't repeat the mistake.

Try to come up with good answers when he asks you why you want this particular position before you go to the interview.. nothing looks worse when you start stammering and coming up with answers other than "Because i need the money to get by!"

All these seem trivial and self-evident but i've read many stories and heard much to be convinced that you only need to worry about the 10-20% who make it to the interview and display the same level of respect and professionalism. The rest of the morons you've already beaten.

The rest has been said.. be natural, try to be relaxed and show interest in the job. The rest is either meant to be or not.. the more you clench up because you are desperate the less chances of actually getting the job.

 

[ancientone51]

Silly as it reads, breathe. A deep breathe before you go in, the two "beats" mentioned above.

Know the answers to all of the questions you can think of, but answer in a conversational way. Don't seem forced or canned. Both are negatives.

Relax, smile, be polite (yes sir and no ma'am go a long way to proving you are professional) and be you, not some robot programmed with answers you think they want to hear.

Sounds as if you are going for a job that deals with people, the above will show you can.

 

[John Picard]

Drop the following words/phrases from your vocabulary:
"I'm like, you know"
"you know"
"stuff"
"So, I was talking to him/her, and I go"

Practice with a friend how you would answer questions and be professional. Picture what you want to become and you'll be there.

DON'T carry your cell phone with you to the interview!

 

[freak]

What I would do is go in and be confident. Go a little bit early(like 30 minutes or so) and wait 15 minutes before you go in and take a couple of deep breaths. I did that when I went on an interview a while back and it seemed to help me out. I get REALLY nervous at these kinds of things. But I looked really nicely put together but shouldn't have really worn a suit. Oops. Oh well..I'm still searching anyway.

 

[Professor Zoom]

Appearance:
Clean yourself up well.. shave, put on nice and clean clothes (a bit fancier than regular street clothes but not all out as if you're going on a date) and appropriate for the position you're applazing for, i.e. no T-Shirt and Sneakers if you're going for middle management and no suit if you're "just" an office worker.

I disagree with this. Always wear a suit to the interview if it's for an office job, regardless of where in the office. You can ask about dress code during the interview.

 

[zakfa]

Being personable and fun and friendly is probably the most important thing to me. Try not to sound canned with your answers. I always hated listening to suits reciting scripts all day.

Also try to make it easier on the interviewer. You can ask questions too and you don't need to save them all for the end. Some insightful good questions during the interview are great. Be conversational and don't give one word answers. That makes it really painful for the interviewer. Try to present yourself as someone I would like to work with every day.

Be careful with the confidence. This has come off to me as being overbearing and an ass. Aim for being confident that you are competent for the job you are applying for.

 

[John Picard]

Don't pick your nose.

 

[tomalak301]

Don't pick your nose.

Well, that's a given.

Thanks for all the advice guys. It does seem that whenever I have something like that, all the nervousness happens before it starts. Once the interview starts, things calm down. Hopefully it goes well and I've been taking a job search class which seems to help.

 

[John Picard]

Don't pick your nose.

Well, that's a given.

Thanks for all the advice guys. It does seem that whenever I have something like that, all the nervousness happens before it starts. Once the interview starts, things calm down. Hopefully it goes well and I've been taking a job search class which seems to help.

You may think so; however, I've read some very bad stories about prospective employees' behavior during interviews. Some of them were on this BBS.

 

[Plecostomus]

You may think so; however, I've read some very bad stories about prospective employees' behavior during interviews. Some of them were on this BBS.

Yeah my Job Interviews Of Fail thread is a good resource on how not to behave.

 

[JAG]

Google the company and have an idea of how they work and what they do. Have a question or 2 to ask.

 

[Sephiroth]

Dress nice and act confident and polite with a bit of friendlieness and your resumee won't go in the rubbish bin, make an impression and you'll get to the top of the list

 

[TorontoTrekker]

Appearance:
Clean yourself up well.. shave, put on nice and clean clothes (a bit fancier than regular street clothes but not all out as if you're going on a date) and appropriate for the position you're applazing for, i.e. no T-Shirt and Sneakers if you're going for middle management and no suit if you're "just" an office worker.

I disagree with this. Always wear a suit to the interview if it's for an office job, regardless of where in the office. You can ask about dress code during the interview.

I agree with Professor Zoom. I had an interview last week for a Web development job. The main person interviewing me is someone I know from local fandom. I still wore a suit.

They offered me the job at the end of the interview. I started last Thursday.

(As I was leaving, my friend commented on it, and I joked, "I clean up good, don't I?" I don't think he'd ever seen me completely clean-shaven or wearing a suit in the five years we've known each other, except for perhaps at the Opening Ceremonies at Toronto Trek 19 when I was playing the role of Statler from "The Muppet Show".)

 

[FPAlpha]

Appearance:
Clean yourself up well.. shave, put on nice and clean clothes (a bit fancier than regular street clothes but not all out as if you're going on a date) and appropriate for the position you're applazing for, i.e. no T-Shirt and Sneakers if you're going for middle management and no suit if you're "just" an office worker.

I disagree with this. Always wear a suit to the interview if it's for an office job, regardless of where in the office. You can ask about dress code during the interview.

I agree with Professor Zoom. I had an interview last week for a Web development job. The main person interviewing me is someone I know from local fandom. I still wore a suit.

They offered me the job at the end of the interview. I started last Thursday.

(As I was leaving, my friend commented on it, and I joked, "I clean up good, don't I?" I don't think he'd ever seen me completely clean-shaven or wearing a suit in the five years we've known each other, except for perhaps at the Opening Ceremonies at Toronto Trek 19 when I was playing the role of Statler from "The Muppet Show".)

I've heard both versions and i think it depends on the interviewer and the company.

If it's a young company ("new economy") then they have a relaxed dresscode but some recruiters want all the bling before even considering an applicant.

It's hard to say as always.. some might regard you as overdressed and eager to impress which gives you a negative mark while others think you could have put on better clothes, i.e. a suit even if you'll never have to wear one at your job.

Job application "experts" are also divided on this.. personally i hate suits since they make me uncomfortable and that could be noticed.
Some weeks ago i had to wear one on a business trip to a customer and didn't feel right.. the meeting went well though.

 

[Colonel Green]

My rule of thumb is to always dress slightly above the level that will be expected on a day to day basis if you get the job.

Applying for a job at a store where the uniform is black dress pants and a company golf shirt? Wear a button-down and dress pants. They wear button-down shirts and khakis? Add a tie or sport coat.