what to expect at an onsite interview

[jaimelannister]

Wear a suit and tie to all white-collar interviews unless you are told specifically not to. Your demeanor/attitude/how you carry yourself will give them all the information they need about whether you will fit in or not; they aren't looking at your suit and thinking: "this guy is overdressed for our workplace, he won't fit in!" They are actually thinking: "we know he won't dress like this every day, but he's really trying to put his best foot forward, he must really want this job!"

Can you get a job without dressing in a suit? Yeah sure, sometimes a company won't care overmuch.
Is it worth taking the risk of being the only guy to interview for the position who didn't wear a suit? Hell no.

[obake1]

Do you know who will be present in the interview? If there will be some sort of recruitment/HR consultant of any type or shape, be prepared to encounter a truckload of seemingly retarded and pointless questions.

Yeah, I'm almost certain it's just the person the I'd report to and most likely another person in the department.

[Grummgug]

I watched a Ted Talks video on "Your body language shapes who you are"
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ks-_Mh1QhMc

And one of the studies done was that your posture, by itself, seems to regulate your hormones. Adopt an open stance, or an open posture when seated, actually increased testosterone and reduced cortisol. Cortisol generates feelings of anxiety. Testosterone boosts confidence. They suggested one technique to try before an interview is to just stand or sit with an open posture for 30 minutes just before the interview.

Never tried it myself, as I just watched this last nite. But the best interview I ever did was one day where I felt particularly confident and didn't care what the interviewers thought of me, and went in to have a good time as much as interview for the job.

Questions I ask are:

1. I ask the interviewers what they like best about working there.
2. What I am expected to do on day 1 after being hired?
3. What is a typical day for an employee in my job?
4. Is the company growing? By how much? How many new hires have there been in the last 6 months?
5. Is this a new postion? If not, what did the previous person in this job go on to do?
6. Is there a lot of turnover for this department?
7. What is the management style? Is it hands off or do they make a lot of decisions?
8. What is training like? Is there a training department, or are you expected to learn from co-workers?
9. What is the one quality you look for in your employees?
10. What would get an employee in this position an "exceeds" on their job performance evaluation?

[goodwrench]

From experience, as someone that has hired a lot of people, you always dress one step ABOVE the position you're applying for. If you're applying to be a maintenance mechanic that wears coveralls you should show up in a polo shirt and khakis. If you're applying for a job that wears a dress shirt and tie, then wear a 3 piece suit. If the job requires a suit then wear a fitted NICE suit. Carry a pen, show up about 15 minutes early, and look the guy in the eye and shake his hand.

[jaimelannister]

4. Is the company growing? By how much? How many new hires have there been in the last 6 months?
5. Is this a new postion? If not, what did the previous person in this job go on to do?
6. Is there a lot of turnover for this department?

I would caution against these questions (or any questions like them). They could come off as critical of the company and you could be inadvertently asking them to air their dirty laundry. Yes, you do want to know if the company is growing and whatnot before you make your decision to sign with them, but you're better off asking those tough questions AFTER you've got an offer in hand, to avoid insulting them and ruining your chances of getting the offer in the first place.

[vindicatorx]

They're also looking for someone that's going to fit in with the culture of the company.

Wear khakis and a nice shirt (collared, of course). Make sure you're comfortable.

GL!

Edit: And don't wear black shoes with khakis, unless they miraculously match your shift, you'll look sily.

Shoes should match belt color so if wearing a balck belt wear black shoes. I would still wear a tie them being gamers or not if you are on a third round of interviews it means they ake the interview processs seriously.

[Fahrenheit]

Granted I don't work at a game company, but as someone who has conducted numerous interviews, a suit and tie is never a bad thing. I don't think any hiring manager in their right mind would say "no" to a person based on that they showed up to an interview looking too professional, at worse they'd say when the interview is over that the work place is business casual, so feel free to leave the jacket and tie at home.

[headzinthacloudz]

Agreed. I went with suit jacket + tie, even though we wear jeans + polo shirts on a normal workday.

Under no circumstances should you not be dressed up as finely as you can be. I don't care if everyone is wearing hawaiian shirts - YOU are the one being interviewed and judged accordingly. Worry about "fitting in" to the office casual/business casual environment when you land the job - until you get an offer, dress your finest. Don't act differently than you had over the phone but your appearance should be professional - you do not want to lose credibility in the supervisor's eyes by "dressing down" on the basis that "they already are" (ps - they have the job, you don't) because that can easily be construed as too overly confident, lack of concern or interest, and just overall ill preparedness.

Wear a suit - wear a tie. Let THEM tell you "oh you can relax a little, take off the coat, loosen the tie, this is not that kind of place" - which I have been to places that will do that. But let THEM do it - don't assume, or you could as easily be out of the opportunity as it came along.

Just my two cents.

[obake1]

Hmm..so today is my interview, but as I was browsing craigslist for other potential jobs, I saw the exact position I’m interviewing for today, reposted yesterday. Not really sure what to make of that. I’d understand if it was after the interview and I didn’t make the cut, but why would it get reposted the day before my scheduled interview?

[Rukentuts]

I was browsing craigslist for other potential jobs

O_O?

Why not use Indeed.com? Much better imho.

[Lenonis]

Hmm..so today is my interview, but as I was browsing craigslist for other potential jobs, I saw the exact position I’m interviewing for today, reposted yesterday. Not really sure what to make of that. I’d understand if it was after the interview and I didn’t make the cut, but why would it get reposted the day before my scheduled interview?

Don't worry about it. Many companies have policies about posting positions even if they are in the final rounds of interviews. Don't let it get under your skin.

Here are a few other tips from someone who has always been offered the position after interviewing:

1) Dress up. Being overdressed for an interview is not going to be what ruins the job chance. Being underdressed, however, might. If you are following a guy in a suit and tie, you will immediate give off an impression of being less ambitious and desiring of the position. You can adjust based on your knowledge of the company culture -- but the rule of thumb is dress for the job at least one level (if not two) above yours.

2) Bring a copy of your resume on nice resume paper. Give it to the interviewer. Shows you are prepared and given them a good impression.

3) When you are answering questions, try to answer in a STAR format (it's how people are trained in many companies). STAR is Situation, Task, Action, Response. So if you are asked how you dealt with a conflict, begin by describing the situation, then mention the task you were given to complete, state the action you took, and the response of that action. Try not to be too robotic about it though -- be sure you sound conversational.

4) Smile, give good eye contact, shake hands on the way in and out. Thank the interviewer for their time and the opportunity to interview with them.

5) Know the company (sounds like you have this one down). Try to show that knowledge during the interview.

6) Always have a list of questions for the "do you have anything you want to ask me" section. Never say no. Pick at least one question -- it can even be something like "what is your favorite part of your job" or whatnot.

7) Never ever lie. Ever.

8) Do you best to get the interviewer talking about themselves -- and keep them talking. People love to talk about themselves and if you are able to keep them doing most of the talking they will walk away with a good impression of you. It might seem counter-intuitive, but it works.

Last but not least -- relax. Try to enjoy it.

There's a lot of debate on if you should send a thank you card (I don't). But either way, always ask when you can follow up with them, and do so. When you do, once again thank them for the opportunity.

[Silhouette of Seraphim]

Hmm..so today is my interview, but as I was browsing craigslist for other potential jobs, I saw the exact position I’m interviewing for today, reposted yesterday. Not really sure what to make of that. I’d understand if it was after the interview and I didn’t make the cut, but why would it get reposted the day before my scheduled interview?

Companies often keep open positions on job sites for the sake of collecting resumes to have when a position becomes available.

[obake1]

Two business days after the face to face interview, which was pretty much the same kind of questions as my 2nd phone interview, I got invited back again for another round of face to face interviews (next week), with the VP, VP of Marketing, and someone who is of equal level in the department that I would be in. This one would definitely be the "how do you fit in" interview I would assume.

[obake1]

Ended up getting the job less than 24 hours after my final round of interviews. Super excited about starting after the new year =D

[Kerath]

EDIT: Never mind and congrats on the job!

[Deleted]

Gratz on the job - i'm job hunting myself atm as my contract with the company i currently work with comes to an end in....1 weeks time (mortgage/nursery fees/chirstmas agh! :P).
Hoping to get me a face-to-face interview soon (or shortly in the new year! December is not a great time to be job hunting....)