rjb294 Posted January 9, 2003 Share Posted January 9, 2003 Hey all, Does anyone have any good suggestions on how to approach an interview? I get good job interviews and then I freeze up when I get there. They ask me a question and then go totally blank. Can anyone give me some advice? RJB Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
justin_tx_16 Posted January 9, 2003 Share Posted January 9, 2003 do a search (yeah right...) on the forum. I believe it was me, horned, and ray that went on a few pages about tips. i think prodj, or kenratboy, trespasserguy, or Kain were looking for help... it got QUITE extensive! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rjb294 Posted January 9, 2003 Author Share Posted January 9, 2003 Would I look in the general questions section? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jobman Posted January 9, 2003 Share Posted January 9, 2003 If you think you might freeze up, just start out with a little lighthearted small talk. You can even joke about being nervous. I sometimes interview people who have worked at 1 job for 10-20 years, and they can be very nervous about not having good interview skills. As far as I am concerned, that is better that someone who is an "expert" interviewer. The expert can give all the "correct" responses, telling me what they think I want to hear. The novice interviewee, while maybe nervous, is usually honest and upfront. Just tell the interviewer that you are not used to interviewing, so you may seem nervous. Believe me, unless the interviewer is a jerk, they will understand and do their part to make you comfortable and at ease. Jobman Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ray Garrison Posted January 9, 2003 Share Posted January 9, 2003 rjb294, First thing I'd note is that the way you approach this is going to depend very much on the type of job you are applying for. I'm in IT. If I were looking to hire someone to, say, write code I am not overly concerned with how they perform in front of people, how they deal with public speaking, whether one on one situations like an interview are difficult for them. If an applicant told me something like: "Before we start talking, I'd like to take a moment to tell you that I sometimes freeze up when I'm being interviewed like this. I have the background and experience you are looking for, here are my references, here's a sample of the work I've done, and I'm sure I can demonstrate the technical capabilities you're looking for. My understanding of the responsibilities and requirements of the position you're filling would indicate that the fact that I get nervous in situations such as this on would not prevent me from doing an excellent job for this Company. I hope that's true." I wouldn't have any problem hiring them. *** HOWEVER *** if you're applying for a job that involves public speaking or a lot of personal contact, particularly something in sales or customer support, you're not going to get very far until you master the interview process. I have no personal experience, but people I am friends with who have had serious problems with public speaking have told me that the Toastmasters organization is excellent at helping them overcome these fears and feel comfortable in front of groups of people. That's not directly analogous to an interview, but the same issues might be at work. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Audio Flynn Posted January 9, 2003 Share Posted January 9, 2003 I was a real geeky engineer until Dale Carnagie. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HornEd Posted January 9, 2003 Share Posted January 9, 2003 Your getting some great advice rjb... yet another sign that this Forum goes above and beyond most expectations... good or bad. lol As a retired employer with thousands of interviews under his belt (okay, so the personnel section helped)... the slick-willy's of the interviewee world usually get the slick-willy jobs (no presidential pun intended). While improving your people and communication skills tends to add t. your quality of life in all areas... they are not as critical in landing most jobs as you may think. I iknow that's been said above, but it's such good advice it bears repeating. Toastmasters, by the way, was started to help people just like you. I recommended Toastmasters to a former employee that wanted to get ahead... and she went from a $50k job in Dallas to a $150k job in Silicon Valley. And, may I say, those kind of jobs in Silicon Valley are not easy to find after the dot.com slide, the plunging economy, and the Thirty-four Billion Dollar deficit run up during the current California governors administration! As an employer, my task is to determine how well the person that wants the job can do the job. And if he gets the job... how long is he likely to keep it... how well is he suited to master the job and move up to a better one withing my company. As jobs get more important to my company's well being, I would rather have someone who came up through the ranks in our way of doing business to take a more sensitive, higher paying, position. Of course, unless the company was failing... then I would be looking to attract someone who knows the job from a more successful company! And if I had someone in my personnel department that let a slick-willy butter them up with his interviewing skills and we miss out on a less slick but better suited candidate... we are going to have a new opening in the personnel department! To add to the above line about honesty (always a good policy for landing a long term job), tell the interviewer that while you might not be the most at ease person he's interviewed for the job... you sure can do the job he needs doing and then tell him all the reason you would rather do that job in his company. All job skill sets being equal, stuttering doesn't kill interviews... insincerity does. Any employer that hires a person for reasons other than what it takes to do the job honestly and consistently is a dangerous person to work for! =HornEd... retired... but thinking those Renaissance thoughts! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jtkinney Posted January 10, 2003 Share Posted January 10, 2003 I don't have any other suggestions on interviewing, but will second or third the recommendation for Toastmasters. It is not an organization that teaches you how to make speeches, but to be able to relax while you are speaking, and to think on your feet. I think the short (1 min) unrehearsed speeches helped me more than the standard (10 min) well prepared speeches. Getting laughed at and laughing at someone who muffs a short speach will teach you a lot, and loosen you up. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
j-malotky Posted January 10, 2003 Share Posted January 10, 2003 RJB Here are two suggestions: Dont pick your nose. And dont Fart. Seriously though, it is important to make good eye contact (look them in between the eyes when adressing your interviewer) and sound like you know what your talking about. If you don't have an answer, dont bull****. I use to hire people for IT jobs. I would ask direct questions about projects or experience they state on there resume. If they stated they ran a ERP system on Oracle, I would find out more about the project and pitfalls of implementation etc. If they state they earned a Microsoft MCSE, I would ask a question an MCSE should know. If they tried to bull****ed me, I did not correct them, but I also did not hire them. Also it helps to do some research on the company to know what they make etc. When the company started, try to sound interested in the company. It will set you apart from any slackers. JM Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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