Interview Help

[girl68]

HI All,

Many of you members are older/ more experienced so I'm wondering if anyone has any advice for interviews.
-tough questions
-good/ bad answers
-good experiences
-bad experiences
-good questions to ask them
-unobvious things that might make you look bad

Help would be appriciated

[Sonrisa]

my interview experiences have always been good. i am all smiles and positivity, no negative answers whatsoever, why are you leaving your old job? career change, looking for better pay, overqualified for old position. yes, you are a team player but you can also perform great by yourself.

[QueenofCorona]

Handwritten "Thank You" cards after an interview is a must, IMO.

[girl68]

^ I have never in my life heard of this... do other people really do that?

[girl68]

my interview experiences have always been good. i am all smiles and positivity, no negative answers whatsoever, why are you leaving your old job? career change, looking for better pay, overqualified for old position. yes, you are a team player but you can also perform great by yourself.

I've always had trouble with the "what are you weaknesses?" Can someone give an example?

As for the other answers- thanks I like it.

[Sonrisa]

i've been asked about weaknesses and my reply was that i really don't have any and that i am always able to complete any task that is thrown at me, and then i start on reinforcing my strengths - hard worker, detail oriented, quick learner, etc.

[QueenofCorona]

^ I have never in my life heard of this... do other people really do that?

I had to take a course my last semester of college on Resume/Interviewing. I always have bought a pack of those little thank you cards, something professional looking and send one out immediately after the interview just saying something along the lines of "I appreciate you taking time to meet with me about the _________ opening. Blah blah sounds like a great company to work for, just wanted to say thank you again......"

Maybe its more of a midwest thing but especially with the economy, all kinds of people are applying for the 1 job. Any way you can stay on the mind of the person who interviewed you, the better.

[Sonrisa]

I had to take a course my last semester of college on Resume/Interviewing. I always have bought a pack of those little thank you cards, something professional looking and send one out immediately after the interview just saying something along the lines of "I appreciate you taking time to meet with me about the _________ opening. Blah blah sounds like a great company to work for, just wanted to say thank you again......"

Maybe its more of a midwest thing but especially with the economy, all kinds of people are applying for the 1 job. Any way you can stay on the mind of the person who interviewed you, the better.

yeah i've done that as well. it's always good to remind them about yourself. i've emailed though.

[girl68]

okay I like the email idea better but I think I will have to ask my recruiter. sounds like a good idea.

[Sonrisa]

here's mine:

It was a pleasure interviewing with you for the Technical Support position at Wella. I was very impressed with the description you provided of your organization, and I am very excited about the prospect of working for you. The job as you presented it, seems to be a very good match for my skills and experience. In addition to my qualifications, I will bring the job strong professionalism and the ability to encourage others to work cooperatively with the department. With the countless demands on your time, I am sure that you require people who can be trusted to carry out their responsibilities with minimal supervision.
I appreciate the time you took to meet with me, and thank you for considering me for this position. I am very interested in working for you and look forward to hearing from you about this position.

Sincerely,

Julia

[dewilliams2]

As for my weakness I always say "I'm not a yes-man...if I think something can be done in a better way I will not withhold my opinion"...it is a weakness to an exetent but also a strength.

Honestly I have had interviews and I have given them....what I have found.

Show up dressed appropriatly
Make eye contact but not like you are trying to stare them down
Firm handshake (so important...I'll turn people way on that alone)
Smile and be friendly but don't make jokes that can be takin the wrong way.

Also what I like to do is actually take a pen and paper with me and I will have a list of my own questions already written down, as the interview goes on I will write down more questions as they come to me. When I get a chance to speak I will ask my questions. It shows initiative and interest in the company. If you can do a little research on the company beforehand and through out some things from your research and you might say "I was looking at your website and I noticed____________"

Those are things I do...but that list of basic things dress nice, handshake, eye contact, and smile will get you most of the way, the rest is more a formality. As long as a person doesn't come across as crazy or difficult I'll usually hire them if they have met that criteria.

[IndiReloaded]

I had to take a course my last semester of college on Resume/Interviewing. I always have bought a pack of those little thank you cards, something professional looking and send one out immediately after the interview just saying something along the lines of "I appreciate you taking time to meet with me about the _________ opening. Blah blah sounds like a great company to work for, just wanted to say thank you again......"

Maybe its more of a midwest thing but especially with the economy, all kinds of people are applying for the 1 job. Any way you can stay on the mind of the person who interviewed you, the better.

This^ would seem over the top/calculated in my field. No offense, QoC.

But, for a junior-ish support position in an office or business setting it might be okay. I've had candidates for office positions do this. Frankly, it has never influenced my opinion on their ability to do the job. It does say something about their social skills and it might tip the balance if I had two very skilled candidates in terms of showing initiative/interest, but not much more than this.

As for giving you specific advice for your interview, Girl, it depends on the type of position you are applying for. Most of my experience is in the science & engineering areas. There is less emphasis on HR-driven interviews, which I find silly, and more on how smart you are, which I actually care about. Either way, good luck.

[Gigabitch]

When getting dressed for an interview, err on the side of being conservative. I've thrown applications out because I saw too much cleavage.

I also don't think it would be a bad idea to ask how business is. You want a job that you can stick with, not a temporary place on a sinking ship. Asking about this will make it clear to the prospective employer that you're looking for something long-term, which they want too.

[girl68]

I am applying for an admin position.

[Gigabitch]

Ask questions about the software they use, then.