First Job interveiw in 21 years

[JPkempo]

I have my first job interview in 21 years coming up on Monday. Scared out of my mined. I hope they like me or at least I can BS my way thru it.

[palitoy]

Good luck, I'm sure you'll do fine. Just remember to make lots of off color jokes

[MIB41]

Just be confident in yourself and fate will take care of the rest. If it's meant to be, it will be.

[Corellian Corvette]

I interview a lot of people. I don't know what you do but here are some tips I give people.

1. Do your homework. Find out everyting you can about the company; how are they doing financially, what is going on in their business and their industry; what are some of the challenges their business faces? Show that you know more than the limits or scope of your work.

2. Be passionate. Passionate about your job, your industry, your day-to-day work. Whatever. Loving what you do and having a positive attitude will put a candidate over the top.

3. Prepare some answers. Not to come across like a script, but think about the general questions you get asked (why did you leave, what did you like about your job, what are some of your strenghts, what are some of your weaknesses) - the typical interview questions. Think about how you'll answer them before you get asked.

4. Practice. Have your wife/family/partner do a mock interview. Being prepared takes away a lot of the nerves.

5. Ask good questions. It surprises me how many people don't have good questions prepared. This is as much about fit for you as it is about fit for them. Good questions show an inquisitive mind. Ask about the persons management style. What does the company look for in successful people? What's the culture like? How long to people stay at the company? NEVER ask questions about pay or hours. That comes after you get the job.

6. Don't be afraid to ask how you did. Close the sale. Don't beg - but ask at the end. How did I do? How do I stack up against other candidates? Would you consider me in the running? You may not get the first one - but if you can get feedback on how you did in the interview that will help you get better.

Some other thoughts. It's OK to be nervous and getting that out in the open can be an OK conversation starter. For whatever reason you haven't done this in a while and that's fine. Be thorough and direct in your answers. Don't BS, and don't talk endlessly. Some people are SO nervous they never stop talking, others never start. Answer the question as best as you can, ask a follow-up if you're not sure what you're being asked. Try to think about something interesting or memorable about yourself. What do you like to do (I suggest not mentioning Mego collecting unless you're interviewing with me) - what have you been doing with your time, etc.

That's all I can think of for now. good luck!

[Zemo]

Treat them like the two Bobs from office space.

[toys2cool]

I feel you man,I hate interviews good luck though

[Meule]

Just be yourself and you'll do fine. Good luck

[Adam West]

I also interview a lot of people and I whole heartedly agree with the suggestions above.

The only things I will add:

-It's ok to be nervous...most people are but I wouldn't mention it. Personally, when I interview, I think positively "You're going to do great" "You are qualified for this job", etc. Stand up straight and give a firm handshake and smile. You don't want to come across as arrogant but confident.

-Understand that you are already qualified for the position. At this point, they are looking to see if you are a good personality match. I agree with knowing the company and being passionate about your career. You want to give the employer the confidence that you want to be there.

-I also suggest practicing some interview questions. The toughest ones to answer are things like what are your weaknesses. Everyone has them and I hate nothing more than someone who responds "I can't think of anything". To me that tells me the person either is 1)arrogant 2) has no basis in reality or 3) didn't prepare for the interview. I have used a couple of tactics successfully to this question. One is to say that you are weak in an area that is related to your profession but totally unrelated to the job. For example, I work as an Accountant and will sometimes say "I don't have a lot of experience with Corporate Taxes but if the job requires it, I will do whatever it takes to learn it." Of course, I already know I don't have to do Corporate Taxes because the job requirements didn't list it. Whatever you do, you want to acknowledge something but try to put a positive spin on it.

-I like the idea of closing the deal but I use a different approach. I would ask how many other candidates are being considered for the position. If you like the job I would phrase the question something like "Based on our conversation, do you think I would be a good fit for the position?" You'll know immediately by the response. If it seems to be a mutual fit I would close the deal by saying "Is there anything else about me that you would like to know to help make you in making your decision? I'm really excited about the company and would like to be a part of your team" and then close by reiterating a couple of your strong points.

-One other thing I forgot to add. Read the job description carefully and make sure you have crafted some answers to show that you have experience in the different requirements for the job

-Finally, and this is a biggie. Follow up with a thank you letter. You wouldn't believe how few people do this anymore. Most people think this is old school but I literally have not hired people because I didn't receive a letter because I take the assumption that if they didn't take the 5 minutes it takes to thank me for my time and once again reiterate why you are a good candidate for the job, than they must not be interested in the job.

Good Luck.

[mitchedwards]

Go to the bookstore and buy a copy of 48 days to the work you love. Dan Miller does a good job about the job search and interview and follow up. Its a small book so you can have it read before Monday.

Good luck

Mitch

[The Bat]

I feel for Ya JP....I've been at the same Job for 22 Years...but could be unemployed in a few Month.

[Zemo]

and try not to make this list


--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

That was funny
where all the jokes are safe for work

Weird job interview answers
Vice Presidents and personnel directors of the one hundred largest corporations were asked to described their most unusual experience interviewing prospective employees:

* A job applicant challenged the interviewer to an arm wrestle.

* Interviewee wore a Walkman, explaining that she could listen to both the

interviewer and the music at the same time.

* Candidate fell and broke his arm.

* Candidate announced she had not had lunch and proceeded to eat a hamburger

and French fries in the interviewers’ office.

* Candidate explained that her long-term goals were to replace the interviewer.

* Candidate said he never finished high school because he was kidnapped and kept in a closet in Mexico.

* Balding candidate excused himself and returned to the office a few minutes later wearing a hairpiece.

* Applicant said if he was hired, he would demonstrate his loyalty by having

the corporate logo tattooed to his forearm.

* Applicant interrupted the interview to phone her therapist for advice on how

to answer specific interview questions.

* Candidate brought large dog to interview.

* Applicant refused to sit down and insisted on being interviewed standing up.

* Candidate dozed off during interview.

[BlackKnight]

Good Luck with your interview Bro.
In my line of work,.. as far as an "interview" goes,.. after I pass the U A .. they hand me a JackHammer, & see how long I can do it for. I'll be right behind you soon,.. considering my luck with the Loto seems to not be paying off.

[JPkempo]

I wish it was tomorrow insted of Monday. Having to think about it for 3 days is going to kill me.
My mom thinks I should run over to the store Sunday to make shure I don't get lost. Not a bad idea, getting lost and showing up late would be a bad wy to start.

[Hulk]

If possible, I always make a dry run of driving to the interview location the day before. Just realize if you do it on a weekend, it may not reflect local weekday traffic.

Otherwise, Albert "Corellian Corvette" gave some great advice.

Good Luck.

[Adam West]

It's not a bad idea at all. It will also relieve some stress. I have always done this in the past just so I can get a mental picture in my head of what type of work environment I'm dealing with.

One other suggestion is to be prepared for a situational interview. Instead of asking you questions about your job experience, some interviewers might ask you something like "tell me about a work situation where you had a problem with a fellow employee and how you handled it".

I ask these type of questions all the time. The main thing I'm looking for is that someone is going to fit in, be a team player, do their work, and not be a troublemaker. You'd be surprised at what comes out of candidates mouths in an interview when they haven't prepared properly.

I don't do this but I know some managers who will ask bizarro questions that are what I call throw aways. Stupid things that sound like they are from the old game show "The Dating Game". I have a friend who asks questions like "If you were an airplane, what part would you be and why?" I asked him why he asked such stupid questions and he responded that he did it intentionally to try to throw someone off their feet and see how they would respond to a question that is so quirky, it just comes out of left field.

Like I said, whatever happens, just respond very positively, get excited, and put yourself in the frame of mind that you are the best candidate for the job.