Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
These were things that helped me succeed in previous interviews
1. Having small talk with the interviewer before the interview starts
2. Letting the interviewer do most of the talking
3. Looking very excited to be in the interviewer's presence
4. Asking the interviewer's opinions on certain things about the company
5. Highlighting why my personality was a good fit for previous environments
Now you can still do all of this and not get the job because sometimes the interviewer has a certain person in mind they feel will fit in with the team
Yeah see so is it even worth it doing all the stuff that you are uncomfortable when you have no idea if it's going to get you anywhere? Obviously I have no problem with them talking most of the time but the rest I'm not sure about. In fact I prefer they do the talking because I'd rather listen. If I have to initiate the small talk it's just not something that I do. I never really show excitement about anything being reserved (I don't even scream at a concert with a musician I'd be smitten with) so I hate how people think just because I don't look interested I'm not interested or they think because I don't usually talk to people I wouldn't answer customer's questions. So many people think being reserved means you're a mute...no that's not what it means. It means if you don't ask me I'm not going to tell you. Once I would get the job obviously I'll be fine because helping a customer has nothing to do with me at all.
I think that's one reason why therapy doesn't work for me either because you have to talk about all this stuff IRL that has everything to do with you. Way too much for me so I quit.
Also I don't know how you're supposed to be excited when you've been rejected so many times. Why am I going to be excited about an interview when it's a test and not a guarantee? It's like expecting me to be excited about a piece of mail that says "you could be a winner of a million dollars"
I just wish that I could find an online interview. If they did an interview by text message or online chat, I'm sure I would ace that no problem being a writer by nature but I can't find any. They do applications online so why not?
Quote:
Originally Posted by cra2ybeautiful
If you mean right answers to interview questions there really is no right answer. You have to look back at your experience and figure out how you can make it sound like that experience fits into the skill they are looking for. When you identify those experiences play it up a little and always maintain an air of confidence and look approachable. Really, interviews are all about bull****. You have to be the fakest person you can be to mold yourself for them. Most often the interviewer is also bs'ing with you. Right now you may be young and looking for retail jobs but when you start looking for more stable jobs interviews will just get tougher. HR can be very judgmental and lie to you so be sure to get everything in writing even the job offer.
That's exactly my issue. I know they want you to be fake but that's not me. I may know how to be a character for a TV show or movie but that's completely different than faking yourself.
Quote:
Originally Posted by FBJ
Or someone else seemed like a better fit because of their personality which would mean the OP did not do anything wrong.
Which to me is doing something wrong. If I'm not successful in landing the job, then I did something wrong because I'm never going to be the personality that they want.
Last edited by Nickchick; 01-15-2015 at 03:30 PM..
Yeah see so is it even worth it doing all the stuff that you are uncomfortable when you have no idea if it's going to get you anywhere? Obviously I have no problem with them talking most of the time but the rest I'm not sure about. In fact I prefer they do the talking because I'd rather listen. If I have to initiate the small talk it's just not something that I do. I never really show excitement about anything being reserved (I don't even scream at a concert with a musician I'd be smitten with) so I hate how people think just because I don't look interested I'm not interested or they think because I don't usually talk to people I wouldn't answer customer's questions. So many people think being reserved means you're a mute...no that's not what it means. It means if you don't ask me I'm not going to tell you. Once I would get the job obviously I'll be fine because helping a customer has nothing to do with me at all.
I think that's one reason why therapy doesn't work for me either because you have to talk about all this stuff IRL that has everything to do with you. Way too much for me so I quit.
Also I don't know how you're supposed to be excited when you've been rejected so many times. Why am I going to be excited about an interview when it's a test and not a guarantee? It's like expecting me to be excited about a piece of mail that says "you could be a winner of a million dollars"
I just wish that I could find an online interview. If they did an interview by text message or online chat, I'm sure I would ace that no problem being a writer by nature but I can't find any. They do applications online so why not?
That's exactly my issue. I know they want you to be fake but that's not me. I may know how to be a character for a TV show or movie but that's completely different than faking yourself.
Which to me is doing something wrong. If I'm not successful in landing the job, then I did something wrong because I'm never going to be the personality that they want.
Im kind of shy too and it was a lot easier when the interviewer was smiling while interviewing me. But you really have to ACT when you are on a interview which is how most people get hired.
Im kind of shy too and it was a lot easier when the interviewer was smiling while interviewing me. But you really have to ACT when you are on a interview which is how most people get hired.
I just don't see how I'm supposed to act when they're hiring a real person and not a character. There's no way to get out of that mindset because I can't just go in there with a script saying my lines and have fake scenery. It's all real life. There's nothing fake about it. It doesn't seem like acting. It seems like lying because you're falsifying yourself and I'm a bad liar. I mean I have to use my real name my real experience...everything else is going to be real so how can I act like I'm someone else when I'm clearly not someone else?
Several years ago I applied for a receptionist position at a doctor's office and they made me take a 50 question personality test. The office manager also asked me "If you could choose to be any animal, which one would you be and why?" I think the look on my face eliminated any chance I had of getting the job. Seriously? A personality test for some crappy $10 an hour office job?
Imagine saying something like "an owl because I'm elusive and like my freedom".
Good subject, and maybe the people who post after you will provide some beneficial information, but...
You personally have ABSOLUTELY NO credibility and should not be advising anyone of anything to do with hiring.
This list of yours is not only incorrect, but may prevent someone from applying to a job for which they are qualified - but don't meet your arbitrary standards of "professionalism" (of which you have proven in your other thread to have very little of.)
I just don't see how I'm supposed to act when they're hiring a real person and not a character. There's no way to get out of that mindset because I can't just go in there with a script saying my lines and have fake scenery. It's all real life. There's nothing fake about it. It doesn't seem like acting. It seems like lying because you're falsifying yourself and I'm a bad liar. I mean I have to use my real name my real experience...everything else is going to be real so how can I act like I'm someone else when I'm clearly not someone else?
Most of my jobs have been in pretty narrow niches in government and non--profits, but for me it's been all about making clear that I have the skills they want and need. Sure, you want to play up the positives, but I don't consider that BS, just smart.
Non-profits in particular are unlikely to ask psych-based questions, they really just want to know that your experience is a good fit.
In addition to poor spelling on a resume, how about when they don't change the cover letter? I've actually received some that say they were excited to see a job listing for (some job title that doesn't exist here), and then tell me why they want to work at (some other company).
From my post in that thread:
Here is what I have found that many here think should be dismissed in favor of the applicant:
-No punctuation, spelling or capitalization. This is a job application, not a text message in middle school.
-Picking the wrong state of residence by selecting the first one in the drop down list. Do you really live in the Federated States of Micronesia?
-You said in the career goal box you want to work for company A. That’s fine, but we are company B, their competitor. It is fine you are applying there but you obviously didn’t check your application. I tossed all the apps that did this.
-Gross inaccuracies between your resume and application. I’m talking about employment dates being WAY, WAY off and other glaring inconsistencies.
Interview day is all day and consists of evaluations by your future peers in different areas directly related to the work you’ll be doing. There are no generic tests. Everything is directly job related and with people you’ll actually be working with. Your impression on them has a HUGE impact on if you get hired.
When I was given this responsibility I tried to be the nice guy and give everyone a break. Not anymore. Learned my lesson. Huge time waster.
Applicants invited for an interview and told to report with certain documents and two passport style photos. It is amazing how many people don’t bring photos. I used to let them get photos at lunchtime. Not anymore. Why should I when the other 40+ plus people followed the instructions?
Some are missing documents. Again, I would let them fax or email them to HR. Guess what? Some didn’t bother. Now I gave someone a break and they are being processed for hire and are missing crucial documentation. HR has to chase them down and if they don’t respond they are eliminated and someone else is selected. This bogs down the process and delays those that followed directions in the first place.
The very first thing I do at the interview I ask for the documents and photos. If they don’t have everything they are dismissed. Do I lose good applicants because of a simple error? Sure. This thins the applicant pool because there are plenty of others that did follow the direction.
i agree with that. I'm in the communications field. Beyond the resume and cover letter, all communications with an applicant in the interview process are important. If i'm hiring someone to work in public relations, for example, i need to know if they are able to practice good office etiquette; if they answer phone messages in a timely manner and how they do it; how they respond to uncertainty or disappointment; if they can write clearly when they don't have tons of time to edit and rewrite, etc. It's helpful for me to see them handle requests for information, especially if they don't really know what i want to hear.
Lots of people can communicate effectively face-to-face. When they have to employ other methods to interact, it's surprising how inept some of the most delightful people are. I learned that while teaching at a university and my personal observations have been confirmed by studies. Invariably, the student in a class who is most talkative, is leader in classroom discussions, and sounds perfectly intelligent turns in unacceptable written work and/or fails to complete assignments, usually because they have misunderstood or ignored the instructions. These are people who have learned to skate by on their charm and gift of the gab. Remove one-on-one interactions from the picture and they are ineffective communicators and often unreliable workers.
If someone works in a field where being an inarticulate rube is not an issue, fine. There are some of those. But in jobs where an employee will interact with customers, the public, and/or the media, a good company wants a representative who reflects positively on the brand.
I don't date and church attitude would not work either because I'm anti-religion.
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
