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Just tell the damn truth. It's so blatantly obvious when people are going beyond just "selling themselves" and into flat-out manufacturing a reality that doesn't exist for them. Plus, do you really want a job that you get based on a fictional personality or desire? You "love working in teams"? really - well "tell me about a time at work that your team bailed you out of potentially tough situation" is the next question I'll ask. Then you have to tell me all about the time that you dropped the ball and were saved by co-workers, or you'll start dishing in generalities that tell me you've never worked in a team. And now that you're derailed a bit I'm going to start digging in on anything else that feels like you've whitewashed.
Telling someone that "you have to act like this", when that's not them, is just about the worst possible advice ever. And your expected salary is a number. If you want $50K and an employer is only going to pay $40K, why drag the interview process out? Again, just be honest.
Yes, in and interview you want to be able to speak to what you do well, and provide examples of this - you'll want to be able to acknowledge areas of opportunity in your professional development and what you've done to work on them. Do all this in the most positive manner you can, but don't manufacture the truth.
These are good points. In today's wretched job market, the focus is almost solely on getting the job. I understand that for people who are out of work, that is all that matters. But for people who already have a job and are looking to upgrade, the interview process should be a two-way street. It shouldn't be about the applicant saying the right things to get into a job they will ultimately hate because they faked it throughout the interviewing process.
As far as the salary question goes, I don't see a problem with stating "market wage" or something similar initially. However, eventually they are likely to ask for, and expect, a number. At that point, some number should be provided or the applicant will look foolish if they absolutely refuse to provide one before the employer does.
The "thank you note" phenomenon was a 1990s effort to distinguish you from the herd. I interviewed 15 people two weeks ago and got 15 thank you notes. Sorry to say that this no longer is a point of difference. Personally, they go in my trash. I know the front desk in HR is always littered with them.
My best advice during an interview? Be sincerely interested about THIS job not just ANY job. Most people will hire because of chemistry. Knowing a little about where you are interviewing, and asking questions that show you truly want THIS job (as opposed to the dozens of other ones you applied for) goes a helluva long way.
The "thank you note" phenomenon was a 1990s effort to distinguish you from the herd. I interviewed 15 people two weeks ago and got 15 thank you notes. Sorry to say that this no longer is a point of difference. Personally, they go in my trash. I know the front desk in HR is always littered with them.
My best advice during an interview? Be sincerely interested about THIS job not just ANY job. Most people will hire because of chemistry. Knowing a little about where you are interviewing, and asking questions that show you truly want THIS job (as opposed to the dozens of other ones you applied for) goes a helluva long way.
I agree. For my current position, I interviewed over 30 people but only got like 5 "Thank you". The "Thank you" note can reinforce the good feeling but won't change the bad feeling or the decision not to hire.
I am hiring an admin. I ask about strengths. I get a recent college grad telling me about their "leadership" skills. That drives me NUTS. I don't NEED you to be a LEADER. I need an ADMIN. Please tell me about your effectiveness at managing projects, working with people, creating presentations, whatever. Don't talk like you are a Navy SEAL or about to run the company.
What I've learned is that since all interviewers are different there really are no blanket rules. Interviewer A might be unhappy with any talk about personal life. Interviewer B might be thrilled that you love the Dallas cowboys and like hiking. Whatever it takes to make a connection and get remembered.
I have never seen a hiring decision is based on preferences in personal life. None at all. This is from hiring over hundred people and interviewed far more than that. Maybe in the job market where skills aren't really required.
The rule of the thumb in an interview is that we should leave the personal life out of it. It's a JOB interview, not a dinner with friends or sessions with psychiatrist. I am not kidding. I had a lady coming in, with a good resume, and preceded to tell me how her husband cheated on her and she was going through divorce. I had to stop her and dragged the conversation back to job related.
Last edited by lifeexplorer; 05-30-2013 at 07:50 AM..
Not trying to promote myself. I spent quite a bit time couching people on interviews, and I wrote this based on my 15+ years of hiring experience. It tells you, in the real life, what an employer would be looking for.
I am hiring an admin. I ask about strengths. I get a recent college grad telling me about their "leadership" skills. That drives me NUTS. I don't NEED you to be a LEADER. I need an ADMIN. Please tell me about your effectiveness at managing projects, working with people, creating presentations, whatever. Don't talk like you are a Navy SEAL or about to run the company.
My pet peeve is when I ask the interviewee a basic, I do mean BASIC, question on experience listed on his or her resume, the interviewee would have no idea.
What I've learned is that since all interviewers are different there really are no blanket rules. Interviewer A might be unhappy with any talk about personal life. Interviewer B might be thrilled that you love the Dallas cowboys and like hiking. Whatever it takes to make a connection and get remembered.
^^^This post is spot on, and it should have been the end of this thread.
That's exactly why interview advice tends to be useless.
The "thank you note" phenomenon was a 1990s effort to distinguish you from the herd. I interviewed 15 people two weeks ago and got 15 thank you notes. Sorry to say that this no longer is a point of difference. Personally, they go in my trash. I know the front desk in HR is always littered with them.
this is why i don't send paper notes, just e-mails.
seriously though, i have a friend who is a finalist for a job and they actually mentioned "the old school touch of your handwritten thank you note" as something they were impressed by. so you never know. i don't think sending a follow up either way could ever hurt you, so why not go for it? as i mentioned before though, i think people should go beyond just saying "thanks".
Quote:
Originally Posted by whatisthedealwith
My best advice during an interview? Be sincerely interested about THIS job not just ANY job. Most people will hire because of chemistry. Knowing a little about where you are interviewing, and asking questions that show you truly want THIS job (as opposed to the dozens of other ones you applied for) goes a helluva long way.
i think this is great advice for pretty much any interviewer or position. interviewers want to know what they can gain from you, but it's never going to hurt to show a sincere interest in the job and the company. and it could help a LOT. this is especially true about nonprofits. i actually just had a phone interview about an hour ago where the interviewer said she was really impressed by how much i knew about the organization and the issues they deal with.
i also think it's a really good move to interview the interviewer, to really try to assess if the job and company are a good fit for YOU. a good manager would be impressed that you are really thinking about whether the job is right for you, and not just desperately trying to sell yourself no matter what and then ending up with a job you can't do, or that makes you miserable. a manager who would be turned off by this approach is not one i would want to work for anyway. thinking about the interview as a way for you to decide if you even want the job also allows for you to think of the "correct" answers (at least the ones that there aren't near-universal right answers for) as being the ones a manager who *you want to work for* would want to hear. not just the ones the manager who you're sitting in front of wants to hear.
it is true though, that anyone who says "interviewers are always looking for x, y, and z" and thinks that applies universally, is deluding themselves. there are some things that are so common as to be near-universal, but generally speaking, everyone's looking for something different. there's just not one formula that works with every interviewer. different people have different styles, and some interviewers are just stupid or not good at interviewing. you can try to suss people out and adjust a bit, but if you're not full of crap you are going to bomb out now and then with an interviewer whose style doesn't fit yours.
take the ever popular "what are your weaknesses" question.
some interviewers want to hear a bs "i am a perfectionist and i work too hard" answer
some interviewers want to hear an honest answer and how you are overcoming/compensating for that weakness
some interviewers won't even ask the question because it's stupid (my favorite!)
Last edited by groar; 05-30-2013 at 08:48 AM..
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