Hi yall after being on disability income for years and job searching for months I finally got to step two of the job search process: a job interview.
I am wondering if anyone had any tips for the job interview process? I am very nervous.
Clean up, dress traditionally, get there extra early so you have time to familiarize yourself with the location and decompress (breathing, stretching in the parking lot, etc.), and get into the building early to wait ~10-15 minutes before your interview is set to start. Do not bad mouth ANYTHING, be optimistic and portray yourself as an obedient worker but a free thinker. Make sure you drink lots of water the day before and eat before you go, try not to overcaffeinate. You can message me if you need hyping up or more information :>
Don’t bring your parents to the interview lol.
Seriously though, you’re interviewing the company as much as they are interviewing you. Find interview questions examples to ask during the interview. You’ll want to find out if you like the work culture, if it looks like the interviewers like their job, how frequent overtime is required, etc.
Whether they give you a job offer or not, don’t sweat it. There is a lot going on at the company outside of your control that will affect them giving a job offer or not regardless of how well you did in the interview. I recommend taking the interview as a learning experience and practice with a friend beforehand. Doing well in interviews is a skill especially for technical interviews where folks can ask a range of questions while all eyes are on you.
Good luck!
Have a glass of water at the ready. It always helps to soothe my nerves and if I get stuck on answering a question, taking a sip gives me time to think things through. It’s also practical because if you’re doing most of the talking you’ll end up with a dry mouth and no one wants to croak during an interview. All this applies for both video call interviews or on site, in which case ask for a glass of water before you start the interview.
Congrats! Scope our the website for the company, sometimes they will ask if you’ve looked them up/made an effort to do research on them. Scoping out your interviewer on social media too, like linked in. Can make conversations flow more naturally if you know them a bit.
Finally, dress a bit nicer than normal, fresh clothes, iron them the night before so that you are ready to go. Probably goes without saying, but being showered, clean, and smelling great goes a long way in a first impression too. Finally, a firm handshake when meeting them. Good luck ^^
It depends on where you are and what sort of job you’re applying for as to what constitutes good advice.
If you’re nervous, are there any things that you can do which would help you feel in control? Some people meditate, some drink a bit of herbal tea, some listen to a particular type of music. Some might get a friend to take them through an interview roleplay, though you really need a friend who actually understands interviews for that to work.
The main thing to remember is that if it doesn’t go well the world won’t stop spinning … there will be other jobs, other interviews, and practice really helps!
Great job scoring an interview! Having worked in HR plus had a couple jobs, here’s my advice:
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look at the tasks you’ll be completing if you get the job and think about any experience you have that would help demonstrate that you’re experienced and able to do that thing. Think outside the box! Your examples don’t need to come from the workplace if you use clear reasoning. Interviewers love examples.
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Pull a sample interview of common questions offline and write down how you’d respond to each question.
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Don’t take things personally if things don’t go well. There are SO many reasons that you might not get a position that have absolutely nothing to do with you. One big one is that companies often already have someone internal in mind but have to meet certain job posting requirements. Just keep trekking and the chips will fall your way eventually.
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I came to give some advice but I see all the bases are covered! Part of my job is career counselling a d helping with stuff like this. I see all the good tips here so it looks like you came to the right place to ask your question.
Be nice to everyone, from the receptionist upwards, and if you’re offered a cup of coffee/tea, offer to wash the cup yourself afterwards. Little things that show you’re thoughtful.
So, one of my favorite questions for interviews is something like this:
“What are the top 3 things you would want any new person walking in the door to know?”
If they ask you to elaborate, you can explain this is a deliberately broad question meant to catch the kinds of important, organization specific things someone might not think to ask. It could be anything from “When the boss has his door closed it means he’s working on a key project, don’t knock just come back later” or “Never drink the coffee on Monday mornings.” It could also be: “A,B, and C are serious priorities for Management eventually.”
This sometimes catches people off guard (which is not a bad sign), but it can often yield good information.
Congrats and best of luck to you!
I think what tips will be helpful depend on the job you’re interviewing for. The interviews that I’ve performed rely heavily on behavioral questions. Consider reading up on the star method to answer your questions. Remember getting nervous is normal! You got this!
https://www.indeed.com/career-advice/interviewing/how-to-use-the-star-interview-response-technique
Good luck, what’s the type of job? Interviews vary wildly depending :-)
Really depends on the Job Type/field. I have an excellent interview record, so I’m happy to give you some tips if you need them!
Being nervous is super super normal, I was downright terrified for some of my first interviews. The good news is that they tend to get easier over time as you practice! If you can get a fake practice interview in before the real one, even better. Recruit someone trusted who can ‘pretend’ to be a stranger and really grill you so you’re ready for the real deal. This is a good time to try out your prepared responses to the most typical interview questions.
Ahead of any interview, you should do research on the company/industry and come with some specific, meaningful questions. Some all-purpose questions I really like include asking about what your training period will look like, what success metrics/performance indicators look like for the position at 3/6/12 months. That tells the employer you’re forward thinking, goal-oriented, and want to be successful.
As far as dealing with pre-interview jitters, if I can I like to do as many push-ups as I can. This may or may not work depending on where the interview is (easier at home for a remote call) or your physical ability. Just try do something that requires all of your bodily will and mental concentration as a nice hard-reset. Plus, endorphins feel great!
No matter how well the interview goes, take it as a learning experience and be proud of yourself for getting it done. If I’m job hunting, I’ll even take interviews for positions I know I don’t want just to be able to get practice. Good luck!
Look up popular interview questions ahead of time and think of ways to answer them, then practice giving the answers! You really can’t practice enough- the more you do it, the more confident and prepared you’ll be in the moment. Bring a copy or two of your resume, and paper to write notes on. At the top of your paper, list some of your accomplishments (to remind yourself if you blank in the moment).
When answering questions, be direct and give concrete examples whenever possible. Try not to ramble on or talk around the question.
If it’s in person, get there a little early so you’re not rushing in with sweat dripping down your brow lol. If it’s online, login 5 minutes early to make sure the technology is working. Wear something professional (what this looks like will vary by job, but generally nothing too revealing or casual, like a t shirt and sneakers).
Remember that you are there to evaluate them just as much as they are evaluating you! Show that you’re interested by looking into the company a bit beforehand, mentioning what you appreciate about their company values (or whatever), and having questions at the ready for the interviewers.
Read www.askamanager.org! SO many amazing tips on not only interviewing but lots of other work related stuff!
Good luck!
Lol, I see we had the same idea at the same time
It really depends on your field of work, but if it touches customer service (or even is just a job that will involve socializing with peers) at all then I think my biggest advice is to just be very friendly and approachable. Practice your regular conversational skills.
