Job Interviews

[cybercupid]

You can answer any or all of the following topic questions:

- How do you prepare for a job interview, or do you just wing it?
- Do you have any tips for interviews that you've learned along the way?
- How would you personally answer some of the typical interview questions?
- Have you ever had a bad experience at an interview?

 

[Excommunicado]

I wing it like I do with everything else in my life. It’s just who I am. Naturally, I was very nervous at my first ever interview but since then I’m quite composed during interviews and I pass most of them.

 

[cowcatcher]

I wing it. I was given advice once to go heavy into details of your example experiences, but it's difficult for me to talk in person (I'm very much introverted so it exhausts me and then I have trouble continuing to think).

 

[DrLeftover]

I've sat on the interview board a few times for various positions.

I think that is even worse than being the one who is being interviewed.

 

[MrDawn]

From my experience with Job Interviews is that there is one question you should never answer and that is when the manager interviewing you asks what you disliked about your last job. They do this to see if you're a complainer or to see if you're a lazy person. Don't say you didn't like it. Say you enjoyed it and continue to deflect the question. I fell into that trap once. During the interview the manager had already told me I had the job but at the last minute asked me "what do you dislike about your current job" and I answered wrong. The manager got turned off and changed his mind saying he actually didn't have any positions available after I told him my bad experiences.

 

[Crys]

You can answer any or all of the following topic questions:

- How do you prepare for a job interview, or do you just wing it?
- Do you have any tips for interviews that you've learned along the way?
- How would you personally answer some of the typical interview questions?
- Have you ever had a bad experience at an interview?

Dressed nicely for one. Even if the interview was in a group setting, I still came ready to get a job whether or not I was hired. I also prepared myself mentally to be able to answer the questions they would inevitably ask.

Eh, not really. Everyone has to find their own way and works for them I suppose.

I get straight to the point of what's asked of me. I don't like to offer up unnecessary information that's not relevant. Had former bosses, when interviewing me, ask me questions and once I answered they looked at me as if they expected me to say more.

Yeah. I had to wait on the person giving the interview. I was on time but they weren't for not a short amount of time either. Coupled with the fact when they did come they were distracted by stuff that had nothing to do with the company or the job.

 

[Mendalla]

How do you prepare for a job interview, or do you just wing it?

Well, I am normally on the other side of the table these days. And with retirement looming, I am not sure I will be interviewed again.

For my part, I review the resumes and HR phone screen notes, make notes of questions I want to ask or things in their background I want to clarify, and discuss any possible concerns with our HR department's recruiter (or the HR person who is joining me on the interview if he isn't around).

Do you have any tips for interviews that you've learned along the way?

Please learn something about the employer you have applied to so you give a straight, honest answer to the question, "Why do you want to work for us?"

"Because I want a job," doesn't cut it. We want to hire someone who wants OUR job, who wants to work for US, not just any old job they happen to get.

Similarly, if there are obvious concerns or discrepancies between your situation and background and the requirements of the job, be able to intelligently address them and why you are still a legit candidate for the job.

e.g. I had someone from another city apply for a position on my team. When we interviewed him, we pointed out that we run on a 50-50 hybrid home-office model and asked about how he was going to be available for the in-office part. His answer was that he would commute. We are 2 or more hours from where he is depending on how bad the traffic is. That was the wrong answer. The recruiter just wrote "NO" on his notes and showed it to me. Fortunately, the next candidate was well-prepared, local and spot-on for what we wanted. He starts next week.

Have you ever had a bad experience at an interview?

I don't think I have ever had a really bad experience as a candidate. As a hiring manager, there's pretty always one in every crowd who is clearly unsuited for the job and just did a good job of puffing up their resume. Those are bad because you kind of have to go through with the exercise even knowing that as soon as they leave the building or disconnect from the Teams meeting, you and the recruiter are going to look at each other and say, "Not a flipping chance."