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good luck!
i think the best advice i can give after having been through the post college interviews and post lay off interviews... is that you are honest about what you know and what you can do and STAY AWAY from the steretotypical sales pitch type answers of selling yourself to the company. They want real people and real people have flaws to work on! Obvi don’t say something dramatically wrong… but the whole “a good negative quality” is BS and the interviewers have heard it all “I’m a workaholic and therefore need to take on a lot of work (efficiency? No, it shows quantity over quality….!!)
Just be yourself, confident in your abilities, and you’ve already done the research!
Again, good luck!
Good luck!!!!! I have always encountered the question "What are your weaknesses" A good response to that is "I am a very detailed oriented person, at times it may be a weakness b/c I pay too much attention to detail"
BE (a polished version of) YOURSELF!!
If they're inviting you for an interview, they already like the "facts" about you. The interview is to see what kind of a person you are - how you interact with others, how positive you are, how outgoing you are, etc. You might as well be yourself because most people appreciate and recognize honesty. Plus, if you cannot be yourself in an interview, how will you know you can be comfortable once you're working at this company?
At the same time, it's important to give a good interview - so be yourself, but be a polished version of yourself. Dress appropriately, smile more than you normally would, avoid negative comments, be curious.
Good luck!
Talk out loud about things that you may possibly say. In front of a friend, ur FI, or a mirror. Once you have done that quite a bit, the actual interview may feel like just another practice session. Hopefully that should calm your nerve. Good luck!
P.S. give them a firm handshake!
Hmm. My main advice is to just be yourself, you're shopping for a workplace as much as they are shopping for an employee!
I will leave you with a bit of sage wisdom from my boss: he says "I hate it when I interview young people and I ask them why they want this job and they say 'I just want to get my foot in the door at a good company' or something like that. I don't want someone who is trying to get their 'foot in the door' I want a dedicated employee who really wants this job."
Good luck and don't forget to ask THEM questions. They always save that one for the end.
I agree that they already have the facts about you. Try to be as personable as you can. I read somewhere that 80% of career success is based on your social skills.
Don't be nervous if you can't answer a question right away. Breathe, take time to think about your answer. It shows that you think before you speak and don't blurt out just anything.
Give examples. Specific examples. It's easy to say "I'm like this and like that" but examples will prove your point and demonstrate HOW you are like this and that. Prepare these examples in advance so they come easily to you.
You want to prepare for stuff like:
your qualities / flaws (and how you overcome them)
why you want to work there (ensure to relate their mission to your values/goals)
why would you be a good candidate for the job
can you work under pressure
Have good eye contact, even if they are looking down, writing notes. DO NOT peep at their notes!
Good luck!
I was an employment counsellor for years, prepping people for interviews - if you have any specific questions, feel free to pm me! ;)
I know this may be kinds dis-honest, but I wouldn't bring up the wedding. That is a major life change and they may be nervous about hiring someone that is going through something like that right now. In fact, I personally would probably not even wear my e-ring. Maybe a simple fasion ring on my left hand, but not my big diamond with no band.
Whenever I get nervous about a job interview, I try to remember that an interview is a conversation. It's a conversation about you...and no one knows more about you than, well, you!
Also, being that it's a conversation, it means you're interviewing them as well. Make sure you take time to ask intelligent questions (one of my favourites is, "The environment in which I work is very important to me. How would you characterize the work environment here?") and to make sure that the job fits you -- that's just as important as you fitting the job.
Just remember to ask them as many questions as possible about the work environment the job etc. You are interviewing them as much as they are interviewing you for a good fit. An acknowledgment of that exudes confidence. Good luck!
Few things (I've done lots of interviews!):
1) A very frequent question is "tell me about yourself" and thats really hard because it is SO broad. What (i think) they are looking for here is to see what you lead with. If you lead with "well I was born and raised in x, i have 2 kids, i'm engaged and getting married y, i've worked z for 10 years etc" they may get the impression that your focus is on your personal life and not your work life. Its a job interview. Lead with your qualifications "well I graduated from x in 2008 and i've been working here for 3 years. I had to work to put myself through school which was really a blessing because i became excellent at time management and organization out of pure necessity..." etc.
2) Do your research and interview THEM. Think of a first interview like a first date. It has to be a good match... you don't want to seem like some desperate person who will say yes to the first offer that comes along. You want to seem like an in-demand person that is looking for the right fit. That means coming into the interview with a variety of real questions that will help you determine if you'll even be happy there. It also means doing research on the company before-hand and NOT asking any question that you could have found out online. Example (for me bc i'm in law): "I saw on your website that you speak of being committed to public service. Could you go into some detail about the opportunities I might have as a first year associate to get involved in community outreach or pro bono work?" That question shows that I did my research, displays some of my interests, and shows that I actually care about where I work.
3) Try not to be nervous and use common courtesy. Smile. Please and thank you. Firm handshake. And definitely send a hand-written thank you card the day after your interview. It doesn't have to be long, but something like "I just wanted to thank you again for taking the time to interview me for the position. I really enjoyed meeting with you yesterday and after our discussion I am even more confident that I would be an asset to your team. I will hope to hear from you soon. Very Truly Yours, x". First of all, it reminds them of you and sets you apart if you're one of 3 that sent thank you notes of 20 interviewees. Plus it shows them you REALLY want the job and that you have good social skills.
This is all helpful to me too! I am doing the post-college job interviews right now and I've found that...
- thinking about possible questions and thinking of answers is really helpful. I spent about an hour driving the day before and the whole time worked on polishing interview questions
- be cheerful and SMILE at the interviewer
- don't answer too hastily. if you need a minute just say "let me think about that for a moment"
- ask questions
good luck to everyone doing interviews! I'm waiting to get one and hear back from another.
Everyone else has already written great advice, but I wanted to add: send a thank you note.
@Corgi: well thought about the "Tell me about yourself"!
You should split this answer in three parts:
1) your education
2) your experience
3) your qualities
All related to the position you're interviewing for.
End with what brings you here today, why are you interested in this particular position.
Ensure that you cover all of the above, it gives a complete overview of your professional self.
It sounds simple, but look them in the eyes for as long as you can possibly stand it. It lets them know that you are not intimidated (even if you need to fool them for this one!) and that you are a confident person. Also, go in with a list of questions ready. If you don't ask questions, you don't seem excited about the job.
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I have an interview today for a job that I am so excited about. I have been working 2 part-time jobs since I graduated from college and this would finally be a full-time job. I would be able to quit my serving job that I dislike very much. I'm so excited. I'm qualified, confident in my skills, and know I am a great candidate. I get super nerveous before interviews though! If anyone has any great interviewing advice, I would love to hear it. I feel very prepared, as I've done my research it's just the nerveous excitement of what could be. :)