Interviews and You

[Archillus]

Hello there!

So I have a pretty big interview coming up that I think could change my life in a big way. Having applied to the Merchant Navy.

This is something I've wanted to do for a long time.

My question is this. How do you get ready and handle an interview.

[Yunru]

*Dont be late
*If they ask you if you like to drink something deceline
*Have a counter for shitty questions. http://www.cluewagon.com/2009/03/4-d...sible-answers/
*Come in best cloth and be sure you smell good
*Be sure you have all information on spare list

SO OP: What is your greatest weakness?

[Rucati]

I'd also add don't be early, to that list. If you show up 10-15 minutes early odds are they're interviewing someone else, and it'll be weird for them knowing you're already there. Wait in your car or something until your time is up, then go in. And ask them questions, it shows you're engaged and that you're interested in what's going on.

[Archillus]

I know it sounds a bit cliche but I'd like to say I am a bit to honest. I mean I don't like to keep things from folk

[Deleted]

All the obvious stuff like... make sure you are well dressed, presentable, showered and so on. Wear appropriate clothing. Yada yada.

Next: Research the shit out of where you are applying to. Know the company inside and out. This will probably raise a couple of questions that you can ask if you are given the opportunity to ask a question, and if not, you can ask about something you already know, because you look a bit daft if you are asked if you have any questions and you don't have any. If everything you wanted to ask HAS been covered, and you are stuck and don't know what to say if you are asked if you have any questions, just be like "I think we've covered everything, I was mostly wondering about < thing that has been covered in the interview > but you beat me to it!"

Remember that an interview is your opportunity to sell yourself to the company, but also their opportunity to sell the company to you. A lot of interviewers forget that. It gives you a good impression about the kind of job/company it is and how their search for a candidate is going if they don't try and sell their company to you. It usually means they are SWIMMING in applicants so don't really need to stand out to any of them, or they are assholes, or both. Bear that in mind.

Be prepared for shitty questions, some interviewers throw them out because they don't know how to interview, or because they are trolls and want to see how you react.

And like, do not leave the interview without telling them that you want the job. Seriously, it sounds stupid but it's important. I work in a recruitment agency and we tell every candidate to do it and 3/4 of them don't but it DOES make a difference. If you leave the interview and be like, "thank you for your time, this looks like an amazing place to work, I'm wicked excited about the chance to work here!" like, it leaves a good impression with them, and then the number of times we call up the client for interview feedback about a client and they are like "oh yeah we wanna see XYZ candidate again, she was great and it was so nice to see how enthusiastic she was about the job, when she was leaving she said such-and-such and we thought that was really cool" or whatever.

Bear the kind of job it is that you are applying to when you are talking or answering questions or whatever. For example, if you are applying to a hardcore sales job, it can help to close the interviewer down at the end, saying things like "So, do have any objections to hireing me?" because not only will that give you the oppoertunity to overcome those objections there and then, but it will also show them that you know how to sell, since you're selling yourself. On the other hand, if you say that when you are in an interview for a friendly receptionist who is meant to smile and make customers feel welcome and happy and blah blah blah, it might look like you're a bit too strong/stern for the job sort of thing.

[Kalis]

I'd also add don't be early, to that list. If you show up 10-15 minutes early odds are they're interviewing someone else, and it'll be weird for them knowing you're already there. Wait in your car or something until your time is up, then go in.

Ignore this, always show up about 10 minutes early.

Try and engage the receptionist in meaningless chit chat if possible, as it will relax you, and be as polite to the receptionist as you would be to the interviewer.

- Turn off your phone.
- Don't lie (too much). Relax. Smile, but not creepily. Speak clearly and confidently, even if you're bricking it.
- Always say thank you to people, even if it's just the person holding the door open for you, or giving you directions on where to go - people within organisations talk to each other.

[Austilias]

I've always been good at interviews, whether doing them or being subject to one; to the point where I actually interviewed people for a living until recently. I suppose the best advice I can give is:

-Speak clearly
-Try to maintain eye contact
-Don't fidget
-Try to smile
-Try not to have your voice break (if you can help it)
-Take a drink of water if your mouth feels dry
-Where possible, try to be informal; as though talking to a friend
-Maintain the impression of confidence, unless you're actually confident; in which case it's much easier

[belfpala]

*Dont be late
*If they ask you if you like to drink something deceline
*Have a counter for shitty questions. http://www.cluewagon.com/2009/03/4-d...sible-answers/
*Come in best cloth and be sure you smell good
*Be sure you have all information on spare list

Your points in order:

*Don't be late should instead read, "Be early." Hi, I'm here for the interview, I'm a bit early. Of course, I'll wait over here until it's my turn.
*Asking for water if they offer a beverage is fine. Just don't sip on it nervously.
*Shitty questions... many sites for advice on that. Have a plan.
*Groom yourself like any professional human being would.
*Rephrasing: Have copies of your Resume/CV and other information, and know it well enough that you can talk about it without looking at it.

Moving on:
WHAT IS YOUR GREATEST WEAKNESS? ...Pretending to answer this question. (Don't say that).

OP: Depending on what kind of job, I recommend having at least three things to talk about not related to the job. If this is a serious job, you've already passed on paper. Now they want to see if you're a person they want to work with. (also helps to deflect shitty questions like the one above).

[Kalis]

Also...

When they ask if you have any questions, don't ask about things like time off or lunch breaks - asking about training prospects is good, it makes you sound like you are willing to learn. Often they will cover training, so listen carefully and ask them to clarify some points of it, or go into greater depth aout a certain point, don't just ask them to repeat what they've said.

If they ask where you see yourself in 5 years time, don't say something retarded like "I want to be sat where you are". I always use some variation of "I want to be able to give value to the company by passing on the benefit of my experience to other members of staff", but I go for senior roles, so something like "I hope my experience will set me out as a valued member of the team".

[Deleted]

I love it when you get asked what your greatest weakness is and the interviewers expect an honest answer. I mean like wtf, if people told them the truth they probably wouldn't hire 99% of the people they interviewed.

[Kalis]

Moving on:
WHAT IS YOUR GREATEST WEAKNESS? ...Pretending to answer this question. (Don't say that).

A friend of mine said he always used "Selling myself at interviews" for his reply, it always gets at least a smile, so I use it everytime, but have a back up handy as they might ask what else.

[belfpala]

A friend of mine said he always used "Selling myself at interviews" for his reply, it always gets at least a smile, so I use it everytime, but have a back up handy as they might ask what else.

That's a pretty good one. My last "professional" job interview, it happened to be in an office with a window overlooking our local baseball stadium. "What's your greatest weakness?" Baseball, I'll need an office on the other side of the building I think.

[Deleted]

I love it when you get asked what your greatest weakness is and the interviewers expect an honest answer. I mean like wtf, if people told them the truth they probably wouldn't hire 99% of the people they interviewed.

It's a shit question but it can be used to separate the kind of people who bullshit you from the ones who are up-front and honest. Like if you have a job that doesn't have a lot of supervision and you need them to update you on how things are going, you need someone who is prepared to tell you that stuff isn't what you like and isn't going to bullshit you when there are problems or things are going wrong.

So saying things like "I'm a perfectionist" are bullshit answers, and while you don't wanna say something like "I'm sometimes late to work" but if you bear in mind the kind of job/place you are applying to, you can say something that might really work in your favour if you can pass it off as a "not a bullshit answer" like, if you know the job is a lot of solo work and you are by yourself for most of the time and you don't have to work as a team much or ever, (so long as it's not been made too much of a point of in the interview that you're going to be working alone) then if you were to say something like "Well, I struggle to work as part of a team because I'm not the most social person, and get distracted if people are nattering away in the office, I prefer to just like, get my head down and focus on what I'm doing, and I feel like in some places that makes it really difficult to work because being a teamplayer is required"

It sort of murders any chance you have at getting promoted into a job where there is teamwork, but if it's a job where you are always on your own it could work in your favour because chances are they will be struggling with finding someone willing to work in a room by themselves.


Or, like, if you see that the office is really vibrant and chatty and friendly and happening and so on as you are walking to the interview room, when you are asked about your biggest weakness, play on that. Say something like "Well, I really struggle to work in like, morose, dull surroundings. I always feel like the environment I'm working in rubs off on me, you know? So if you're somewhere where everyone is just silent and it's like a morgue and stuff, I can really struggle to sort of find my bearings and get on with things, but if I'm in environment where everything is like, quick and happening and vibrant and busy then like, again it rubs off on me and I feel like that's when I'm at my best"

[Raelbo]

I love it when you get asked what your greatest weakness is and the interviewers expect an honest answer. I mean like wtf, if people told them the truth they probably wouldn't hire 99% of the people they interviewed.

I have had to interview a lot of people. I want an honest answer in someone if I am going to give the thumbs up (we interview prospective engineers as a panel).

It is actually an excellent question and it tests to see how well someone knows themselves. This is important because if you don't know what your weaknesses are you cannot do anything to mitigate them. It's that simple.

If you can answer this question well it will go a very long way towards winning over your audience. People who evade the question or try to make out as though they don't have weakness always fail my interviews because they are either lacking in the ability to measure themselves, or they are dishonest/evasive - none of which are desirable traits in a job interview.

Here is the answer I would give:




"Personally my weakness is that I am a perfectionist. That doesn't mean I am perfect. Far from it. It is a weakness because in striving for perfection it is easy to lose sight of the actual objective. Perfectionists tend to be overly critical of themselves and heavily fear criticism and can therefore be resistant to listening to constructive criticism. Perfectionists also struggle to leave something alone which is actually good enough which can lead to missing deadlines.

However, because I know that I have a tendency to do these things, I have learned to override my natural instincts and perform better. I have learned to put faith in the opinions of co-workers as a sounding board - taking their opinion to heart when it comes to judging whether my work is good enough.

When someone gives me constructive criticism I am able to hear it, because I know that my instinct to be defensive is misplaced. When I am running late on a project I know that I can deliver something I am not 100% happy with because I set my own personal requirements for the project higher than what the client expects, and I know that they would rather have the product out today than fix the issues they would never even notice anyway."

- - - Updated - - -

if you know the job is a lot of solo work and you are by yourself for most of the time and you don't have to work as a team much or ever, (so long as it's not been made too much of a point of in the interview that you're going to be working alone) then if you were to say something like "Well, I struggle to work as part of a team because I'm not the most social person, and get distracted if people are nattering away in the office, I prefer to just like, get my head down and focus on what I'm doing, and I feel like in some places that makes it really difficult to work because being a teamplayer is required"

<snip>

Or, like, if you see that the office is really vibrant and chatty and friendly and happening and so on as you are walking to the interview room, when you are asked about your biggest weakness, play on that. Say something like "Well, I really struggle to work in like, morose, dull surroundings. I always feel like the environment I'm working in rubs off on me, you know? So if you're somewhere where everyone is just silent and it's like a morgue and stuff, I can really struggle to sort of find my bearings and get on with things, but if I'm in environment where everything is like, quick and happening and vibrant and busy then like, again it rubs off on me and I feel like that's when I'm at my best"

Honestly, avoid trying to tailor your answer according to your perception of the workplace. Go with honesty. If you prefer working alone, say so. If you work better in a team say so. If it turns out that it was the "wrong" answer, then odds are it was the wrong job for you anyway. Also, in some companies, there are positions which favour both types of personality and telling the truth will help your prospective employer to select the best position for you to grow in within the company.

Also avoid using the word "like" where it isn't needed.

[poser765]

Live by the gouge, die by the gouge.

More than likely an interview for the merchant marine is something that probably has gouge. Gouge is, well, information or intell on the interview, tests, questions they ask, or what you can expect based on other people's experiences.

In my field there are whole websites set up that do notihng but allow users to post their interview experiences so others can prepare specifically for them. I'm sure you target job has a similar community on the net if you look hard enough.

Be warned, though. Gouge us usually spot on and you really do live by it, but it can be wrong...painfully wrong...so it's very possible to die by the gouge as well.

In short, find out from others what the interview is like.

[Deleted]

Honestly, avoid trying to tailor your answer according to your perception of the workplace. Go with honesty. If you prefer working alone, say so. If you work better in a team say so. If it turns out that it was the "wrong" answer, then odds are it was the wrong job for you anyway. Also, in some companies, there are positions which favour both types of personality and telling the truth will help your prospective employer to select the best position for you to grow in within the company.

Also avoid using the word "like" where it isn't needed.

That is great in theory, but in reality you just want the offer. At that point you can decide whether the job is right for you or not. Bad interviewers are all over the place, and even if you are perfect for a role, they may take something the wrong way, miss something, not ask the right questions etc. In general, an interviewers opinion on whether you are perfect for the job or not is largely irrelevant. Say the right thing to get the offer, and then decide whether it's perfect for you. Because if you don't, someone else will because they are desperate for a job.

And if you think that "what is your biggest weakness" is a good question, you're probably not the best at interviewing. Questions where the candidate can straight up lie to you and you thus gain nothing from asking it are bad questions. Good questions are the questions where even if they lie to you, you are gaining an insight into their way of thinking. "What is your biggest weakness" is no different to asking "What do you think I want to hear your biggest weakness is?" Whereas a question where... I dunno, for example, you propose an open ended situation and ask how they would resolve it, where like, the candidate can either tell you how they would resolve it, or they can tell you what they think is the correct way of resolving it is. No matter which way they answer, you find out how they work. Maybe they are lazy and wouldn't do it the "correct way" in reality because it's easier to do it a different way, but that's something you have to find elsewhere.

Like, someone asked one of our candidates the other day "Suppose you had two things that needed doing urgently and you were not sure if you could get them both done in time, what would you do?" and like, our candidate answered "I'd do whichever was quickest/easiest first, because if I can get that done and out of the way and then focus on the other thing, then at least one thing is done, whereas if I did the difficult thing first, I may get stuck on it and neither things get done". There's nothing strictly speaking WRONG with that answer, but the client wanted her answer to be more like "I'd do whichever was most important first". Either way, you get an insight to the person's personality though, how they respond to pressure, whether they would run to superiors to tell them what to do or make descisions by themselves and so on, whether they'd just crack and do nothing, and how they prioritise tasks. There's no real way to lie your way out of the question.

[Morthulo]

If they offer you a drink, take it. Bring it into your interview and when they ask you questions you cannot answer right away, take a sip of your drink and use those few seconds to come up with an answer. This will stop you looking clueless trying to think of an answer.

Also, when you talk about yourself, don't make out as if you are Mr Fantastic. One of the worst things you can do is if they ask you "What's your biggest weakness?" and you turn around and say "hmm I can't think of anything"... you'll look like a right dickhead.

Good luck.

[Yunru]

Just for fun:



One of the worst things you can have is a bad sleep before interviews. Be sure you go to sleep 1-3 hours usualy than before.

[Deleted]

"Why do you want to work for us?"

Why do you want ME to work for YOU?

Queue awkward shuffling of papers.

[dextersmith]

My greatest weakness? My murder conviction doesn't impress the wives of bosses I sleep with...oh shit, I mean drug addiction...ahem......I work too hard and would never steal money for my alcoholism!