Just got an interview

[App13]

I just managed to get an interview with an Intranet company called Ektron.

Now I am sure you are all better at interviews of this sort then I am, so could you spare some wisdom?

[seven6ty]

Bull****, as much as possible. And preferably, about anything other than the work at hand. Worked for me! Either that, or just wow them with your qualifications... And then bull****.

[keith]

If they didn't think you are qualified they wouldn't be interviewing you - remember that.

Most of the interview process is about them working out if you are someone they want to work/interact with. So avoid yes/no answers, try and actually get a conversation going (as pointed out bull**** is useful here).

When you answer a question - answer it fully and then stop, don't move on from why you want to work for them to telling them your grandmothers favourite food.

Have a couple of questions to ask them - that last bit of the interview where they ask "So is there anything you would like to ask us?" can be the most important part.

[latenight]

At the end, make sure you ask when you can expect to hear back. This will save you days of wondering if you got the job or not and wondering when you will know. Send a follow up email thanking them for their time. You can also use this email to state again why you think you and the company are a good fit for each other.

[TBean]

No one ever lost a job by being over-dressed for a first interview. While white tie and tails are over-the-top, certainly you should be considering a nice pair of pants and shoes, buttondown, tie and possibly a sportcoat. If you go back for a second interview make sure you follow the dress-code of the business. However at some IT companies it is okay for employees to wear jeans and sneakers - I do not recommend that you go that casual for an interview.

An alternate to sending a follow-up email is a thank-you note to the person or persons that you interviewed with for their time and consideration. Email is fine but wanted to give you another option.

[ThatReallyHurt]

I completely agree with Keith, Latenight, and TBean.

I've run many interviews (and will probably be doing it again shortly). Some of the things I can think of (in no particular order) are:

- Have all of the documentation that was mentioned in either the job advert or at any point along the way. Have any documentation that you think may have been alluded to, or that you think is relevant. Make sure it's complete - I'd rather look through a book of your certificates and qualifications than have to pick up the phone and call you because you didn't put in page 2 of your resume. Have it paper clipped together and in a nice big envelope so you don't need to fold it.

- I completely agree with TBean - dress up. If you're going for a job where you're going to be shovelling sheep poo all day, dress up for the interview and whine about your suit pants being dirty... when you get home.

- Bring a nice pen. As silly as it seems, if any situation comes up where you need a pen (writing a test, etc), it looks bad to have some chewed up PaperMate. Come to think of it, anything you take along with you should be clean and in good repair.

- Remember that while they're the ones asking (most of) the questions, you're the one with the captive audience. Relax and pace yourself. Don't be afraid to think about your answer before responding. Don't spend ten seconds looking up at the ceiling and going, "uhhhhmmmm", but two or three seconds just looks like you're actually thinking about what you've just been asked.

- Well before the interview, think of a few examples of things you've done that are relevant to the job and firm up the details. Talk to a friend or family member about the examples you've picked until you're comfortable with discussing all aspects of them. Try to minimize words like:
-several
-many
-lots
-few
and use words that actually mean something. "I've been part of four blah-blah surveys" sounds better than, "I've done some blah-blah surveys".

- Don't try to impress people at a tech company with your incredible l33t-ness. If you're interviewed by an HR person, you'll bore them. If you're interviewed by an IT person, you'll irritate them. You'd be surprised how many people walk into an interview and start trying to assert their alpha geek-ness. If someone does that to me and I'm in a bad mood, I'll drop some weird hardware questions on them just to shut them up. Anyone remember what an RPI modem was?

- If you're suddenly asked a question that's WAAAY out of the blue, expect that it's a part of the interview. In a lot of IT jobs, you need to be able to change gears quickly. I've asked the regular, ho-hum questions "What makes you suitable for this position? Why do you enjoy working in IT?" and then dropped something like, "List five possible uses for dirty coffee filters". They're not trying to trip you up, they're trying to see how well you'll change gears.

- Similar to the previous point, if you're constantly interrupted during the interview, don't let yourself get distracted - it could be part of the interview. Don't get flustered, don't look at your watch, just let the interruption finish and then continue. If it's not part of the test, then whatever's going on isn't your fault anyway and you shouldn't be penalized for it.

- Leave your phone/pager/blackberry/whatever either in the car or at home. If that thing rings or buzzes during the interview, it looks bad. It looks even worse when you answer it (I've interviewed two people who've done this so far).

- If you sweat, go out and buy a nice hankie and mop your brow with that. Don't drag your forearm across your face.

- Show up early. It'll give you time to get used to the smells and sounds, and a little bit of time for a few deep breaths before you go in for the interview. Besides, they may be running a little early, and that'll make a good impression.

- Check your schedule. One of the dumbest things I've ever done was not checking my schedule. As a result, I had all four of my wisdom teeth extracted (hammered out, I was told) at 0930, then due to a slight oversight, I had a job interview at noon. As soon as I could stand on my own, my Dad passed me my suit and I went and changed in the bathroom at the surgeon's office. Good thing about that was that I was cool as a cucumber throughout the interview, had a nice happy floaty time. Best part was when I was midway through answering a question when I turned around and spat a big wad of bloody gauze into my left hand, then continued on. I got the job, but I still don't know how. I wouldn't have hired me...

I could talk for hours on this topic, but unfortunately, got to get back to work. The single best thing you can do for yourself is prepare beforehand. Read the advert and any other documentation from the company you have. Try to learn a bit about the position so you can better show which of your skills fit it best.

Good luck with your interview and let us know how it goes, eh?

[App13]

Hm, I'm not entirely sure what paperwork to bring. If I get this job it will be my first, so I don't really have a resume... Should I draw one up?

[telkanuru]

If you actually have stuff to put on it, yes. Volunteer opportunities, anything that shows technical competence or leadership ability tends to work.

Also I can't help but second the BS suggestion. Learn ways of saying things that make what you did sound more important. I, for example, am not a grocery store lacky, but a trained inventory-management technician, with skills in finance and customer relations.

[Shi no Tenshi]

Originally Posted by ThatReallyHurt

- Well before the interview, think of a few examples of things you've done that are relevant to the job and firm up the details. Talk to a friend or family member about the examples you've picked until you're comfortable with discussing all aspects of them. Try to minimize words like:
-several
-many
-lots
-few
and use words that actually mean something. "I've been part of four blah-blah surveys" sounds better than, "I've done some blah-blah surveys".

One thing that's helpful in this situation as well goes along with the BSing bit. You can make up examples. Don't tell them they are made up, of course, but most of the questions you get wanting examples are seeing if you have the thought process they desire. Even if you never did it, if you can at least show them you know what to do, that tends to work fairly well in lieu of an actual story (which I'm assuming, with this being your first job, will be fairly hard to come by).

Also, have some confidence in your presence. Don't go in there acting like it's your first interview ever. Kind of like ThatReallyHurt was saying, they like to see how you react. If it's your first interview ever, and you come in there confident and convince them that you've done this before, it can only look better if/when they find out it was your first time.

[pokey]

I'll incorporate by reference a lot of what has already been said and add the following points (applicability varies based on your position and company, obviously):

Have some questions that aren't answerable by the website. Most interviews end with them asking you if you have any. If your questions are easily answerable by the website, it looks like you didn't do your research. If you don't have any, it looks like you don't care.

Along the lines of the "expect the unexpected", I was once the designated "shock" interviewer in charge of throwing odd-ball questions out of the blue. The answer was usually less important than how you reacted. YMMV.

This point depends really on what position you're interviewing for. When I was interviewing candidates, I was looking for potential colleagues, not interrogating them on their technical qualifications. If they didn't meet the qualifications we wouldn't t have wasted time calling them in in the first place. Other than maybe some clarification of points on the resume, I was looking to see if you were someone I would like working personality-wise, if I would have to watch my back around you, and other matters of general fit. My colleagues and I called it the 3am test: How would we feel about having to work with you on an emergency project at 3am?

Have spare copies of your updated resume to hand out if someone wants it. I've never been asked for it or asked for it, except when I thought they didn't have it.

As stupid as this sounds, if you send a thank you note, get the person's name right. Yes. This happened. *facepalm*

Probably most importantly, remember that the interview is a two way process. Let your personality come through, answer the questions, get the offer, etc, but don't forget that at the same time you are interviewing the company to see if this is a place you would want to work at. A good personnel fit goes both ways.

[seven6ty]

Yeah, thatReallyHurt had some very good advice. Some of it may be a bit over the top and excessive, but it's always good to come very prepared. And as a few have noted, most of the time, they already know your qualifications, interviews are often very much about meeting someone face to face, seeing if you are the type of person they want working for them, or on whatever project. So as long as you don't come off as an arrogant ass, or something similar, you should have a pretty decent chance. Also, the dresscode bit and all of that is going to vary depending on the type of job you're looking at. I know that in my profession, I doubt that anyone would bat an eyelash if I showed up in jeans and a nice shirt and shoes, but in other places, you'd better be coming in with a suit and tie. It just depends on the environment, and most importantly, don't ever be afraid to ask the recruiter you're talking to, how they recommend to dress, what to bring with you, etc... That's what they're there for, to facilitate the whole process.

[Fencergrl]

It's your first interview, so relax. They just want to figure out if you're the right "fit" for the company. The flip side to this, is you're trying to figure out the same thing. Trust me, it's better to turn down a job that you know you won't like, than to take it. Always remember that you are interviewing them as well. Both sides are looking to achieve the same goal, a good match.

Another thing to keep in mind, if you don't get the job, consider this to be practise for the job you do get. I will sometimes apply for jobs I'm not too interested in just for a little interviewing practise before I get serious about landing a job.

[Empty Wallet]

Nervousness is a problem for lots of people in interviews -- first jobs or way down the track. Try to be more relaxed -- get there early, take deep breaths, monitor and control your presentation.

have some people practice interviewing you so you get comfortable with the process.

when asked a question it is better to take a moment to consider what was asked rather than babble on until you actually get to the real point.

Interviews usually have a mix of questions. Think about the factual ones -- qualifications, experience, what you do in free-time.

There are some opinion questions -- why have you applied, career direction and how does this fit etc. I have been in interviews when people just cannot answer these, and they do not do well.

There can be probelm solving ones -- what would you do in this sort of situation? So consider the job and think about problems that could arise.

I would rather have people tell me that they do not have experience in something than to pile on the manure

Good luck....EW

[Fencergrl]

Originally Posted by App13

Hm, I'm not entirely sure what paperwork to bring. If I get this job it will be my first, so I don't really have a resume... Should I draw one up?

You might want to put a resume together. There's lots of websites to help you with this. Think about any work-related experiences, courses you took etc... Put down your education, especially if anything relates to the position. You might not think you have much experience, but when you think about it you do.

You might want to include 3 references. People you know, family friends, teachers etc... who can tell your potential employer something about you. Coming to the interview with this information will help you fill out the application and answer questions in the interview. It is likely this employer will want either a resume or have you fill out a job application.

[the maple epee]

Don't take jobs that require sit-down interviews in offices...

[latenight]

Originally Posted by the maple epee

Don't take jobs that require sit-down interviews in offices...

Unless you want to rule the corporate world. Then they are a necessity. Interviews are a game, and a fun one at that.

[ThatReallyHurt]

Originally Posted by latenight

Unless you want to rule the corporate world. Then they are a necessity. Interviews are a game, and a fun one at that.

Right on!

[App13]

Interview today at 2... *crosses fingers*

[erik_blank]

Good Luck!