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I have conducted some pretty awful interviews, I have to say. Some tips: - Don't come off as super overly confident and overly scripted, like the guy who literally kicked back, put a foot up on the table and said "Let me tell you a story..." and unraveled some uninteresting tale of his greatness... And then proceeded to do the exact same thing for the next interviewer, with whom I was of course sharing notes. - Don't put your cell on the table during the interview and then when it buzzes check a text DURING THE INTERVIEW. - Don't, when we get to the part when we ask if you have any questions for us ask "Are you guys mean?" - Don't have blatant typos on sample material you show as part of your portfolio of work. - Don't show terrible work. - Don't come in without any idea of the role or the company. Even if you're coming from an agency, make sure to have as good a sense of what you're walking in to as possible. It's ok if you have some misperceptions (you're not psychic) but don't be like "I dunno." I could probably list a million of these. The interviews that I've done that have gone well have been so rewarding and I've been able to hire or recommend some fantastic people, but the duds have been excruciating.
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May 27, 2013 20:15
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Those sound like situations where you can be pretty honest. They'll appreciate that you're real with them. I once told an interviewer who asked why I was applying for a job that if freelance had still been going strong (this was after the last major financial crisis so it had dried up) that I wouldn't even be there interviewing. It was probably a counterintuitive thing to say and I'm not RECOMMENDING that anyone say something like that, but I could tell on his face that he appreciated the honesty rather than if I had blown smoke up his rear, and I did end up getting the job. In your case I wouldn't frame it as a "bad decision" but I think there are ways of discussing that that would be honest and would help your interview.
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Jun 2, 2013 23:44
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Hey people take a risk on a start-up or a small business and it doesn't work out. That's why it's called a risk. If there was something about it that was attractive to you that speaks to your passion or your interests it can be a pretty compelling story, even if the business failed or contracted through no fault of your own.
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Jun 4, 2013 02:31
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Mondlicht posted:I've been waiting myself to hear back about my interview. Don't sweat it or over think it. Like you said, this can be a learning experience that you use in the future. I'll be conducting at least two interviews next week and hopefully one of those lucky suckers will have the pleasure of reporting to me! Hope they're getting good goony goon advice! 
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Jun 7, 2013 23:11
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There will be a second round of interviews for those that make it, so all I can really do now is hope!
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This has been discussed before but it can't be stressed enough: When interviewing, if your interviewer asks if you have any questions, HAVE SOME! Even if it's just "Can you tell me about the team I'd be a part of?" or "What would a day in the life of my job be?" I had yet another interview today where the person couldn't think of any questions for me. Nothing? I haven't even told you what the job is in my own words yet and you have no questions for me? I find that crazy.
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Aug 21, 2013 03:30
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me your dad posted:Thanks! My interest is just to find out who I'm dealing with in advance for the interview, and what their backgrounds are in case it's advantageous. Just to echo everyone else, it's not creepy but don't go over board. I like to see that people are looking because it shows that they inquisitiveand at least somewhat resourceful. I'm not a huge fan of people sending connection requests pre-interview however, which happens. I don't even know you yet and we might hate each other!
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Aug 30, 2013 00:44
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Yup, you're good.
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Aug 30, 2013 11:15
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Xandu posted:My sense is that you really have two options, I'd go with option 2 if possible. Don't stretch so far that it seems like you didn't understand the question, but if you can find any experience that illustrates how you handled an applicable situation it's always good to discuss it.
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Aug 30, 2013 21:28
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me your dad posted:Cool, thanks! This is good advice. That is all such good advice. Regarding the portfolio, I gather from your response that you do have a suitable portable device that you can have a portfolio ready to go, but in case you don't for some reason, printing emails across multiple pages (rather than squeezing them) and putting them in a plastic sleeved portfolio book is fine too. But bringing up samples locally on a tablet or laptop is the best idea, just make sure you aren't fumbling around like crazy trying to get it to work. I had a guy who was so unfamiliar with the workings of (what I assumed was) his own computer that I couldn't really have confidence that he knew his way around one. And don't count on wifi for anything at all, or even a cell signal. A lot of these crappy corporate buildings are like lead boxes. The advice is dead on with redesigning their templates too. You don't know their brand standard details and you don't know why they have what they have. Just show good work from elsewhere and they'll be able to envision you doing same for them. I'm sad to say that there was one guy who was applying to a position I had and who was really eager. I liked him a lot as a person but I was nervous about his experience and readiness for the intense environment. In order to "seal the deal" he made new designs for my company on his own and sent them through his agency. Unfortunately they were so far off the mark that they made my decision to save him the pain of a job he wasn't prepared for. So... don't be that guy.
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Sep 28, 2013 12:35
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Doctor Malaver posted:That makes sense, but the travel makes me thinking. Are they going to pay her two or three plane tickets to come several times? Or will they negotiate salary over email or Skype? Isn't it something that's usually done in person? I have no experience with this at all but if I had to bet, I'd say this is the only trip they're paying for but they won't expect a decision on the spot. Follow-up discussion/negotiation will happen over phone/skype/email.
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Sep 29, 2013 20:31
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Don't stress about it. If I conduct interviews for someone else's hire and don't get a thank you email I wouldn't even notice.
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Oct 8, 2013 02:54
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me your dad posted:Thank you to everyone for all the advice in this thread. After a month and three interviews, I got a new fuckin' job! Congrats! Great news! 
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Oct 11, 2013 03:38
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It is risky. I'd think very carefully about the rapport you've developed before saying that. If you haven't absolutely aced the interview it will backfire and if you have aced it you probably won't need such a gimmicky answer.
corkskroo fucked around with this message at 13:42 on Oct 19, 2013 |
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Oct 19, 2013 03:16
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CarForumPoster posted:I think there's a lot that gets discussed in an interview that misses the forest for the trees which is I think what he's getting at. A lot of interviewers aren't experts at the work itself and are there to assess personality, cultural fit, attitude, etc... I think asking to be asked about the role in depth is a good idea but make sure your answer is all positive statements. Even if you want to criticize something take the constructive approach and talk about how great things can be. Nothing buzzkills and interview like a candidate who uses it as an opportunity to complain about something. And it does happen. A lot of these industries change constantly and employers are looking for people who are passionate but also who aren't so rigid that they can't roll with the changes.
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Oct 24, 2013 11:17
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Just a reminder: Always send a custom written thank you note! This is important!!
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Nov 16, 2013 00:25
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Vomik posted:Interview advice from grandma. It's true, but you'd be amazed at how often it gets overlooked and the impact it can have.
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Nov 16, 2013 17:18
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I hear you guys. Obviously no advice applies equally across the board. I was just coming from a meeting of round two interviewers where a discussion of who sent a thank you and who didn't took up a big chunk of the discussion and had an impact on who was recommended and who wasn't. This wasn't for an entry-level unskilled position either, but one where interfacing and culture is a big component, so soft things like communication mattered.
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Nov 17, 2013 16:57
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Definitely wait. These things take forever.
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Dec 9, 2013 23:34
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I guess I'm jaded by our internal process. "We should know something soon" means "talk to you in 3 months."
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Dec 10, 2013 23:38
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At an entry level or something like that you're best off accentuating the positive as much as possible. Once you get to a higher level and have a good understanding of power dynamics and how to play the game you can navigate these waters and critique without talking out of class. But unless you're at that level just go with "accentuate the positive." That said, read the room. When I interview folks, if they're perceptive, they figure out that I'm not your average corporate hiring manager. Still, they shouldn't go overboard criticizing their previous job but a little "we're all grown-ups" acknowledgement of challenges will let me appreciate their honesty. But read the room. That's my main advice for all situations. If you can read the room you can achieve a lot. corkskroo fucked around with this message at 04:26 on Jan 27, 2014 |
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Jan 22, 2014 01:47
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FAN OF NICKELBACK posted:Would you mind fleshing that out a little more? I'm interested in your experience and environment. Totally fair questions. When I conduct interviews I try to set the interviewee at ease to see what sort of natural rapport we can have (even though I know it's an unnatural environment) so I find common ground. Also, I let them know that the job they're applying for is basically my old job so they know that I've done the work and I understand where they're coming from. The best, most honest interviews don't involve them saying that their old boss was "impossible" but sometimes people talk about a lack of opportunity to advance, or overly high levels of pressure, or lack of management engagement, and those comments coupled with their demeanor let me know that what they're saying is "my last job was a nightmare, you know what I mean, you've been there too, but I don't want to badmouth them..." which I appreciate. Also the job that I'm interviewing them for involves a lot of complex internal client communication and if someone takes that tactic with me it gives me confidence that they'll be able to read our internal clients pretty well too (with coaching.) All that said, if you don't feel like you can read that situation, go with a fully positive approach since veering into smack talk is a bad move. I've had that happen too and it's a turnoff, not because I'm afraid they'll smack talk me in a year but because I need them to communicate well as part of their job. I feel confident that I can read an interviewer and drop a bit of counterintuitive honesty when I need to (especially if it's a situation where we both know what the real story is and pretending otherwise would be silly) but that's not to say that it won't backfire at some point. If I think it might I'll play it safe. I had 8 interviews for an internal opportunity last year, ranging from people I know well to high-level execs I've only heard of before. You'd better believe I tailored my approach differently for each one. The folks I know probably appreciated my honesty and trust in them. For the others I went with our corporate culture: positive, humble, open to feedback, willing to learn, etc... Not that I didn't do that with the other people but I also gave them a little more of my honest thoughts. But of course, internal is different from external. The main thing is even if you find a way to discuss challenges at your old work don't dwell on it. Use it as a platform to make them think how great you'd be in their company. Limited room for advancement at the old place? You are a burgeoning leader who can transform their team! Stuff like that. It's all about what you're going to bring them in the future, not what happened in the past. Of course, these are just my experiences. Ymmv
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Jan 22, 2014 12:32
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Yeah, like I said, if you're at all unsure just play it safe and go all positive. But IF you feel you have a handle on the situation and can try something a little different and still come across the way you want there are ways to do it.
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Jan 22, 2014 21:42
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Solving problems in innovative ways, working with people who are passionate about their work, challenging myself, helping other people succeed.
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Feb 14, 2014 00:26
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To the travel question, nothing ever needs to come off as unprofessional if he acts like a professional. Tell him to go on the trip, check email occasionally, and if they write respond with something like "That sounds terrific. I'm traveling at the moment but will be available at xyz date and very much look forward to meeting again." Always frame everything so that they see things they way you want them to.ripped0ff posted:Two questions: 1) Same suit is fine if it's your best one. Vary up the shirt/tie and they won't even know it's the same suit (if it's even the same person, which it sounds like it's not) 2) The negotiation thread talks about this, I think. My feeling is don't discuss it. You're not a major league ballplayer and you're not going to start a bidding war. However, if you get an offer from one it empowers you to go a little alpha on your negotiations with the other since you know you're definitely getting something. Use the leverage in how confidently you negotiate, not necessarily as something to explicitly hold over them, which can look cheesy and backfire. But I've never been in that position and others might have more nuanced advice.
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Mar 1, 2014 12:12
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Readman posted:There's a suit thread that can give more help on this, but as general advice, try and make sure that your first suit purchases are plain navy/grey/charcoal. That way you have more options for shirt/tie combinations. In this situation, even if you wore the same suit, you could switch around your shirt and tie and look strikingly different. Unless you like deep dark rabbit holes this post is all you need. Enter the suit thread at your own peril (although it is a great read, but it's intense...)
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Mar 10, 2014 07:51
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And here I thought car salesmen were swell guys!
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Mar 20, 2014 23:37
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Your answer is a good answer if you're talking to a normal human being. Who the hell knows what the interviewer had in mind.FAN OF NICKELBACK posted:I agree that isn't a bad answer, and I don't think it would have hurt the interview. Unless that didn't actually happen of course.
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Mar 26, 2014 08:02
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FAN OF NICKELBACK posted:I know what the interviewer wanted and that's why I said that tbqh. Ah! But the key to good interviewing is being able to quickly identify things that DID happen and relate them to the question. Sometimes the question is a perfect match for something that happened or that you did but other times you just need to weave it together in a way that shows that you understood the question and are relating it to your life and work. As someone who has conducted many interviews it's really exciting when you ask someone a question and they get it and relate something meaningful and applicable back to you, even if it's not a 100% match. But it shows that they're thoughtful and take their responsibilities seriously enough to reflect on them.
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Mar 27, 2014 10:25
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FAN OF NICKELBACK posted:I agree to a point. I agree with all this. I might have phrased my post a little weirdly. I was interviewing a lot of inexperienced folks so the bar might have been a little lower. Also I was interviewing almost exclusively for contractor roles so the agencies would often ill-prepare them and it wasn't a top hiring market location so it wasn't always the best and the brightest (although I stand behind everyone I actually hired 100%). But boy did I see some idiots and weirdos as well. a mega thread on weird poo poo interviewees say and do would be eye opening, if a little cruel.
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Mar 29, 2014 09:02
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Xandu posted:You can't specifically counter the perception that "big companies are [insert x here]" if it doesn't come up in the interview because you don't know exactly what their perceptions are, and as you said, people have different perceptions about the same company. This is exactly right and you can even take it a step further by anticipating that they have these prejudices and framing yourself as what you think will break through that prejudice. I made an internal move but to a wildly different branch of a big company (going from giant home office with tons of process and slow action to a much smaller, more entrepreneurial satellite office with a need to be fast, make decisions, and try new things that no one has done before) and in all my interviews I played up all the aspects of my work where I broke down barriers, innovated, slimmed down processes and added the kind of value that they needed. If for some reason I had been applying for a move to a department that was more old world then I would have framed it totally differently. It was internal so it's different to a big extent, but I needed them to know that I wouldn't be bringing what they don't want from the broader organization with me. I also told them that I would bring some of the things that do work. (i.e. sometimes things are slow because people make decisions by committee but sometimes they're slow because we've developed stopgap measures to prevent big errors that will end up hurting the company. Because of my background I know which is which therefore you need me more than some other guy.) So you don't know their prejudices but in case they have them you can pre-empt them so that when they say "big corporations are like xyz" afterwards, their next thought is "but this guy seems totally different and more like what we're looking for..."
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Apr 12, 2014 08:30
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Crotch Fruit posted:Hypotethically, would it have been better for me to answer that question by saying that I am not proud of my accomplishments? Something like "Yes I graduated high school and college, but I feel those are just achievements that normal people should do. They are not accomplishments I am proud of because they have not benefited me or improved my life and career. What I do feel most proud of, is a small accomplishment, in that I have held my last job for six years, and I am very good at the work I perform. My employer does not offer many awards for recognition, however I know they recognize me. That last time that I was sick and could not work, when I called to let them know, my boss said 'wow, you must be really sick, you have never called in'." To answer your first question, before your next interview you need to look back over your professional work to date and construct a compelling answer to that question through actual experiences that you've had. Being proud isn't something reserved for awards and official recognition. In fact, I would be less impressed with someone who answered that question by bragging about some award they got (because I know how ridiculous and nepotistic corporate awards are) and more impressed with someone who told me about some spark of initiative that they took to improve something based on their own intellectual curiosity and passion for their work. As we've discussed in this thread, the key to good interviewing is taking things that have happened in your career and turning them into pertinent answers to questions.
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Apr 18, 2014 16:59
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