A few questions re my recent interview. (employment, sample, applying)

[sledge106]

Hi for anyone who would like to answer:

I went on a recent Job interview (office admin) and I just had a few questions

1. Can 1 messed up question *********r entire chances to get the job? I don't feel like I gave a good answer at all for the where do u see yourself in 10 yr question.

2. The interview lasted about 10 to 15 mins. Is that on the short side on average. Just wondering if they brushed me off. I probably started the interview about 4:55 to 5pm and was in the car driving home at 5:10

3. They took my handwriting sample and my handwriting has never been good. I usually type 90 percent on the computer.

4. I gave self confidence as my what is your weaknesses answer is this a bad answer. I justmsaidmthat I thought self comfidence could be a weakness of mine as I sometimes second guess myself into thinking I,will have a tough time with a task. I then showed I over came it by stating a school course related to the job that I was worried about but graduated with honours.

5. My guess is they will always interview a few people for each job but does anyone happen to have an idea how many on average someone will interview for a position.

6. If I asked for details of the duties of the job and they told me all about the benefits package and holiday time and everything. Do you think that could be a tip off or something they are telling all interviewees m

Overall I feel like I interviewed quite well and come across as comfident but I am hating this waiting game and its stressing me out . What are your thoughts and please be honest

Thanks for your replies.

[FBJ]

Originally Posted by sledge106

Hi for anyone who would like to answer:

I went on a recent Job interview (office admin) and I just had a few questions

1. Can 1 messed up question *********r entire chances to get the job? I don't feel like I gave a good answer at all for the where do u see yourself in 10 yr question.

2. The interview lasted about 10 to 15 mins. Is that on the short side on average. Just wondering if they brushed me off. I probably started the interview about 4:55 to 5pm and was in the car driving home at 5:10

3. They took my handwriting sample and my handwriting has never been good. I usually type 90 percent on the computer.

4. I gave self confidence as my what is your weaknesses answer is this a bad answer. I justmsaidmthat I thought self comfidence could be a weakness of mine as I sometimes second guess myself into thinking I,will have a tough time with a task. I then showed I over came it by stating a school course related to the job that I was worried about but graduated with honours.

5. My guess is they will always interview a few people for each job but does anyone happen to have an idea how many on average someone will interview for a position.

6. If I asked for details of the duties of the job and they told me all about the benefits package and holiday time and everything. Do you think that could be a tip off or something they are telling all interviewees m

Overall I feel like I interviewed quite well and come across as comfident but I am hating this waiting game and its stressing me out . What are your thoughts and please be honest

Thanks for your replies.

The interview for the job I have now was only 10 mins but that was only because she had to go to a meeting and wanted me to give her a writing sample and leave it with the receptionist.

So not sure what happened in your case but if u didn't make it to the next round then just learn from the experience so u can be ready for the next interview

[ccm123]

A short interview is usually not a good sign. If they did not specifically inform you of "the next steps", I would continue looking. Use this interview as a confidence builder and learning experience.

[fishbrains]

10-15 minutes for an office admin seems pretty short, but the questions they asked you were terrible. It is very possible you encountered somebody who is simply terrible at interviewing.

I never use the weakness question, and the where do you see yourself is also terrible. Your answers were not all that great either.

For the sake of form, the correct answer to 'where do you see yourself...' is usually: I see myself in a more advanced position along the same career path. I want to be a senior office admin, or whatever a logical path seems to be. Most employers want to hire somebody that they can develop over time.

Self confidence is a really, really bad answer, primarily because it is not a weakness. There is no really good answer to this though. My stock answer is that I tend to have a lot of projects going at any given time, so it can be distracting and hard to prioritize. I cope with this issue by rigid discipline. I am zealous about keeping a calendar as well ad to do and project lists. This helps me to keep organized in a way that simply cannot do without these crutches.

I am not sure that this is a great answer, but it works well enough for me.

[sledge106]

i am gathering/starting to feel like i wont get this position. thanks for your time. they did however tell me about all the benefits they offer and that i will hear one way or another tuesday or wednesday. could this be a tell? Is it safe to assume i am most likely up against at least a handfull of others?

[STT Resident]

There could well have been hundreds of applicants for the position. And, yes, the relating of company policies about vacations, benefits, etc. is pretty standard.

It sounds as though you're maybe not very well prepared for interviewing. As an employer for many years I'm completely turned off by stock responses to questions which obviously come from applicants having read a bunch of hack articles on "how to answer interview questions" but you do need to be prepared to some degree for even the most daft questions which some interviewers throw out (and that includes, "where do you see yourself in 10 years"!). You may need to hone your general communication skills as well as your interview skills. A basic course with such as Toastmasters may be of help, along with a session with a competent employment counselor who can point out your weaknesses and provide insight on how to overcome them.

And of course never put all your eggs in one basket and sit around waiting for someone to call you about any job for which you apply. Keep applying and don't slack off. Good luck!

[sledge106]

I actually did the job councillor thing in the past and they told me I interviewed quite well. I think this was just a case of freezing. Can happen to the best of us. Thanks for your input. My other answers were quite good I believe so I'm not to sure what to think.

[STT Resident]

Originally Posted by sledge106

My other answers were quite good I believe so I'm not to sure what to think.

Don't over think it, just keep moving along. With so many applicants vying for every open position the competition is formidable and, however well you interview, there can be any number of reasons why someone other than you gets the job.

[fishbrains]

Move on. Interviewing under pressure is a skill. It is not unusual to blow an interview because of the unexpected pressure.

Like anything else, practice makes perfect. Good luck with the next one.

[Wry_Martini]

I hate to say it, but the short length of the interview is not a good sign. In my experience, when they spend too much time talking about benefits and not asking you questions to clarify your skill set and ability, it can also be a bad sign; it's east to fill 5 minutes talking about the fact there's health insurance.

You might want to go to the bookstore and flip thru some of the various job interview books to get some ideas on how you might answer the more common questions ("Where do you see yourself in 10 years?" and "What's your greatest weakness?"), then practice your answers with a friend until you feel comfortable.

If you're applying for jobs where the quality of your handwriting is an issue, you could also try and improve your penmanship.

Good luck and hang in there!