4 Answers

• Reputation: 1383 Q&A: 33 0 4 757 114 0 Classifieds: 0 0 what's this? Expert: 2 topics Jobs & Education Job Hunting Follow Following 0 Dan Williams

  2 0 Good question. The first point I would make is that your interviewing skills may not be the reason why you haven't been selected for the positions for which you have recently interviewed. You say your field is competitive (knowing which field would help folks give you more pointed advice) so it could be that the employer went with a more qualified candidate. Here are some tips on interviewing that should help you improve your chances: 1. Make sure you are framing your answers in a problem, action, result (PAR) manner. For example if you get the "Tell me about a time where deadlines were slipping, how did you turn that around" give the interviewing the Problem, elaborate on why deadlines where slipping, the Action you took to correct the situation, and the result. Speak in specifics and be detailed. Prospective employers are looking for what you can contribute and bring to their firm. If you are talking about team projects make sure to emphasize your role. Always speak in specifics. 2. Stay positive. Make sure your answers are always upbeat, if you are describing challenging situation make sure you put a positive spin on the outcome. If you can't don't share that situation. 3. Don't be afraid to turn questions back on the interviewer. If you get a curveball ask for clarification and then move into your answer. 4. Practice your answers at home and come up with some general scenarios you can go through that match most types of interview questions. You can even do role-playing with a friend or family member, it sounds corny but it can really help. 5. Do A LOT of research on the company and the people you will be meeting. LinkedIn and Google are your friends. 6. Have questions prepared before you go into the interview. 7. Send thank you notes, sending handwritten notes is great but an email will do. This is your opportunity to reiterate your interest in the job. I hope this helps, good luck with your interviews. Dan Williams answered in Job Hunting 6 months ago | Report 3 comments by Bion Satir, Bion Satir, and UnoriginalAndrew… 1 0 Thanks for the tips, Dan. They are all helpful, particularly #1 (hadn't heard of PAR), #3 and #6. For #3, I realized I had an unconscious believe that that was "not allowed". For #6, I've heard that before but it may be one of my weaknesses. By the end of the interview I often seem to have forgotten all my questions, or can't think of any substantive ones. So I will have to work on that for my upcoming interviews. Regarding the field, this shows my naivete, but I didn't think it was relevant. I am in the social services/mental health field, and I am applying to a kind of wide range of agencies, from hospital to clinic to homeless services. For what it is worth... Bion Satir commented 6 months ago | Report 0 0 I forgot to mention that you are right that it may be more a matter of qualifications than interview skills, especially because I am applying for positions that are a bit different from my past experience. But since I can't change my skill set, I'm hoping to somehow demonstrate that despite my background not being as relevant as another applicant, I can learn quickly and would be a better choice, long-term. Bion Satir commented 6 months ago | Report 0 0 Two things: if you have trouble remembering questions, you can always write them out and bring them in, and if your skill set is holding you back, you could try volunteering, particularly given your field. UnoriginalAndrew commented 6 months ago | Report Enter your comment or ask a new question preview THIS IS A PREVIEW: Click "Post" to submit it or "Edit" to make changes. edit Please wait… This could take a minute if the tubes are clogged.

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• Reputation: 4209 Q&A: 121 4 6 1581 87 19 Classifieds: 0 0 what's this? Follow Following 5 Russ Campbell, NWEBS

  2 0 You don't mention what your field of expertise is, but I can't think of a job where good communication skills isn't highly desirable. You have the background required and people willing to speak of your knowledge and skill. The interview process is a way of confirming those points and also to get a feel for you as an individual. The interviewer is trying to picture if you will fit with the workforce already there and adapt to the team effort that company has developed. What is said in the interview is important but so is how it is communicated. Body posture and eye contact add to what you say and show your enthusiasm. Sit forward in a chair, not reclined or slumped backward. Realize that an interview is a conversation and show your communication skills by how you engage the interviewer in fielding the questions. Think of the interaction as a teaching situation. You are instructing the interviewer about your level of understanding and experiences that are relevant to the job. Include anecdotes about how your skills have grown through your work experiences, get a smile in as you talk about your pleasure of doing particular tasks or processes of the job. Be a person that the interviewer wants to continue talking to even though the meeting is coming to an end. Somewhere through that whole process there will a point or two about the company, job, techniques, software, whatever that you may have a question about; save a good one for that inevitable ending question. If it can be a way of expressing your desire to learn more about your field or expanding your skills - all the better. When saying your good-bye, perhaps with a good handshake, look your interviewer in the eye and say something like, "I do hope you will consider me for the position, I would be very pleased to work with you." The words that you related in your explanation above could work also. You are worried about looking desperate - instead think of looking confident, skilled, and trustworthy. The selection of a new employee is task a company wants to do right the first time. You want the person interviewing you to think that they don't want to lose the opportunity of adding you to their company. Be that person and express that in your manner as well as your words. Russ Campbell, NWEBS answered in Job Hunting 6 months ago | Report 1 comment by Bion Satir… 2 0 Hi Russ, thanks for your tips, they are all helpful. I think some of them I do naturally but it is good to have them conscious. And, as I said in another comment, the "inevitable ending question" is something I can work on being more prepared for. Bion Satir commented 6 months ago | Report Enter your comment or ask a new question preview THIS IS A PREVIEW: Click "Post" to submit it or "Edit" to make changes. edit Please wait… This could take a minute if the tubes are clogged.

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• Reputation: 640 Q&A: 12 0 0 476 76 0 Classifieds: 0 0 what's this? Follow Following 0

  2 0 Be well-researched. Show your interest in the field and the company with your context, not by literally saying "I AM INTERESTED IN WORKING HERE". Black Beetles in Amber answered in Job Hunting 6 months ago | Report Comment on this answer Enter your comment or ask a new question preview THIS IS A PREVIEW: Click "Post" to submit it or "Edit" to make changes. edit Please wait… This could take a minute if the tubes are clogged.

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• Reputation: 1345 Q&A: 14 1 26 527 77 14 Classifieds: 5 0 what's this? Follow Following 0 infernactual

  0 0 Dan and Russ have given you great answers and they are right. My approach is somewhat different and not necessarily best for all types of jobs. Not knowing what field or what level the job is makes it more challenging to give you a good answer. My approach: 1. Know a lot about the company (and ideally the people there) before I go for an interview. Since my job is usually product/strategy/marketing oriented this is a no-brainer for me. I can get the impression their prospects/customers get and see where it falls short. 2. Know the competition and how their approach to the same business differers and why. Understand whether the company is the leader, a newcomer, etc. and what their ambitions are. 3. Interview them. I am willing and happy to answer their questions, but the reason I even like interviews is because I view it as an opportunity to learn about their company from an insider. Even if I don't get the job, I'll know something I didn't know when I came in the door. 4. If you don't have questions for them then you have a problem. Either you haven't thought about it, are too passive, don't know the industry, don't care, aren't interested... etc. I'm very skeptical of enthusiasm unless it is obviously genuine (and you cannot fake that). Better than trying to be enthusiastic you should be interested. You say you want this job, but you don't say that you know the people. I'd be very skeptical of that. I don't care how good a job is because I know it will only be as good as the people I'm working with. So I go in ready and curious, but I don't try and get the job. I try and get to know the person, how they think about the job, and the culture of the company. In my case I take it to an extreme. They need to convince me that I'd like it and that I have what they need before I'd let them know that I'm interested. You should keep in mind, finding a good job is tough. The only thing tougher is finding someone good to do a job. infernactual answered in Job Hunting 6 months ago | Report 1 comment by Bion Satir… 0 0 Thanks. Your perspective is interesting and I appreciate your thoughts. And you are of course right that without knowing the people I'll be working with, a dream job could really be hell. I guess I am looking for some balance - wondering if I was coming across as too neutral about the work; if I were hiring, I would look for someone who showed some "passion" for the work. I see how framing an interview as "me interviewing them" could be beneficial, but I don't know if I am 'there' yet. Maybe I don't have an innate sense of my own capacities (would I hire myself?) - which is something for me to think about. I do wonder if your approach could turn off the interviewer? I'd imagine in the business world, that "aggressive" approach (for lack of a better word) could be a good sign, but in my field (mental health) it might demonstrate a self-absorption that could be a turn off. All that said, your answer was helpful. I think you and several others have convinced me that I should work on my own questions for them. Thanks again! Bion Satir commented 6 months ago | Report Enter your comment or ask a new question preview THIS IS A PREVIEW: Click "Post" to submit it or "Edit" to make changes. edit Please wait… This could take a minute if the tubes are clogged.

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