Job interviews

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rayonline

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Topic # 109932 29-Sep-2012 17:26

I am moving into a slightly different friend. I have tried to google for answers but been unsuccessful.

Has anyone been on the interview panel before and know how people generally perform? Mines are not talk it up (or slick) .. it's more be myself informal and I find it hard to guess the questions before the interview and when they put forward to me it's hard to recall events and to the same detail .....

Like for example, one question was what was the most complex thing I have done. Because I had a desk job in reporting, a lot of work, it wasn't that technical, I struggled to find answers. I wasn't involved with data mining or doing any financial analysis. The other was that while in the advert they didn't ask for XX experience, and they know that I retrained in a new field, so they threw some spot questions at me like what would I do ... one was said very good, the other I may had answered it at a different point of view. Like, if the figures were off from a whole company point of view, it may sound something was wrong, but I put it as that I worked in a small project so maybe a variance wouldn't necessarily be that bad as it may be due to an oversight and I listed the possible causes ...

khull

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Reply # 693655 30-Sep-2012 17:07

Not directly involved but I am aware of organisations who just simply pick people off the street simply because they have a skill they need to fill. On the flipside, I generally find preparing for interviews pointless (with exception of technical ones). I find general behavioural questions like 'what would you do in situation x ...' comes from job experience which I used to have problems providing answers but they get easier over time.

johnr

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Reply # 693659 30-Sep-2012 17:26

friend or field?

rayonline

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Reply # 693675 30-Sep-2012 17:54

johnr: friend or field?

Field. Haha ..

BTR

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Reply # 693877 1-Oct-2012 08:23

My advice would be to be honest. Make sure you blow your own trumpet just not to hard though. Like Khull said theres no point trying to prepare as you don't know what they will ask.

Jaxson

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Reply # 693894 1-Oct-2012 09:04

An interview is a fun game where they want to know something, so they ask a question and you have to work out what it is they really want to know ~ as in why did they ask that particular question. Your job is to give an answer that relates to the question, but actually more importantly satisfies the reason they asked that question in the first place.

It's a fine line between preparing and not sounding genuine because all your answers are rehearsed. Even if you've rehearsed an answer to a question that does come up, don't blurt it out real quick, make it look like you're thinking seriously about it for a short while.

You have to be flexible, go with the flow but there are some things you can study up on in advance. Namely:
Sit down and actually give some time to thinking about the projects you've been involved in. Over time these all role into history, but it will help if you can have a big pool of options to draw on when selecting specific questions.

Next make sure you study up any document you give to them. So go back and read your CV. Often the questions they ask will come from something they've seen whilst looking over this, so it pays to know lots about anything you've made mention to in there.

As above, they want you to seem honest. You could answer the questions technically correct but lose out if they get a vibe that you're not being honest. Relax, find something to do with your hands if you fidget, look at the people you're talking to, make eye contact and share your time amongst the group if you're being interviewed by more than one person. Shake hands well and firmly when you first meet them, don't go in for a hug or a kiss.

At the end of the day, you'll never really know why you don't get a particular job. Somebody else might be massively more qualified, often they'll pick someone internally, they might have a reshuffle and decide not to fill the role anyway etc etc. The only thing you need to know, is that if you're looking for a job and you're not getting a job or rejection letters, then there's still work to be done. Good luck.