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Interviewing

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14:48 / 13.12.05

Of course, the research will tell you that whether or not someone deals well with the questions you ask is only confirming or confounding your prejudices because you've made up your mind about the suitability of the candidate within the first fifteen seconds. By the time you're shaking hands and indicating the chair for them to sit in, it's essentially all over.

14:48 / 13.12.05

Well, you know, I'm not sure that's true. Maybe the fact they see you making stuff up is why you don't get the job? I think if you can focus on the things that you CAN do, and use the structured questions, however silly, to talk about who you are and how you work, then you can show off your strong points?

I always laugh when I get asked what my failings are - and talk about something I get frustrated by or find difficult - but also talk about how I handle that.

The person interviewing you is really hoping to find someone good - it makes their life easier if you can tell them why you'd be right for the job.

14:50 / 13.12.05

Sorry, that was in response to Phyrephox. But yeah, I've heard that, Xoc. Mind you, my first two minutes in the interview for this job must have been good, because the third minute saw me knock water all across the table.

Regrettable Juvenilia

14:52 / 13.12.05

Ariadne - agreed. It's better to just skip the content-free bullshit. If you then fail to get the job, because the interviewer wanted you to play along and churn our content-free bullshit, then ask yourself: do I really want this job anyway?

Tryphena Absent

14:57 / 13.12.05

Don't listen to Petey, he was complaining three months ago because I was so pissed off about having to jump through hoops in order to not get a job because I wasn't bullshitting enough.

Perhaps I look too nervous when I walk into a room. They think this girl looks like she can't take this hardcore environment. This hardcore environment of corporate bullshit.

15:07 / 13.12.05

I don’t think you really do have to talk in some special code, in your CV or in interviews. I’m no great expert at either since I’ve worked for the same company for 7 years, but I have had interviews and I believe I behaved like a normal person throughout. The interviewers are normal people too (and if they’re not, you probably don’t want to work for them) and I think you’re pretty safe answering the questions like a human being. If you’re asked about your weaknesses, talk about your weaknesses (do you work poorly to soft deadlines, are you work better on your own than in a team, are you grumpy in the mornings, bad with names…?).
Fact is, interviews are largely about determining whether your bosses will get on with you and whether they think your colleagues would. They know whether you’re qualified from your CV. They’re more likely to want to work with you if they think you’re a normal, relaxed, communicative individual than if you’re some bullshitting actor. Engage with them.

Tryphena Absent

15:13 / 13.12.05

So Smoothly what you're saying is they just don't like me.

15:16 / 13.12.05

I'm sure they'd like you if you were the way you are naturally - maybe you just come across differently in interviews because you're nervous? Which isn't easy to change, I realise.

15:16 / 13.12.05

Maybe I've just been filling out too many on-line application forms and reading too many careers advice websites: They all seem to talk in this bizarro version of english.

15:17 / 13.12.05

There's a lot to be said for the whole, y'know, If they don't like me then would I really have enjoyed working there sort of of thing... I've only ever had proper jobs in fairly eccentric places, and although I'm sure I could function at PriceWaterhouseCoopers or EMI or wherever, I'm not sure if I'd find it quite as amusing.

That's just what I tell myself to avoid the numbing realisation that I am perhaps quite dreadful at interviews.

The weirdest question I've ever been asked was about my star sign. When I told the interviewer I was a scorpio, she choked on her tea and asked if I had a lot of dark secrets. I didn't really know how to answer any of the questions from that point onwards.

Tryphena Absent

15:22 / 13.12.05

Maybe I just don't like them because they're asking me about my proudest moment!!!

15:35 / 13.12.05

I think if you enter into the conversation expecting it to be an ordeal, or if you resent certain questions, or just feel oppositional to what you perceive to be the norms of the interview process, then it’s going to be hard to build any kind of rapport.

Think of it like a date – there’s going to be an interrogative aspect to it, but it’s a two-way street and how the conversation makes the participants feel is probably more important than the content.

16:14 / 13.12.05

Hmmm, reading back, I’m aware that that sounds a bit ‘Job interviews are like making love to a beautiful woman…’. I just mean that they can become either vicious or virtuous circles. If you can make the experience pleasant and natural for the interviewer (answering questions honestly, seeming open and sincere, appearing comfortable with their line of questioning, etc) then they’re more likely to give you the benefit of the doubt on the content. And that human, social stuff is more intuitive and easier to do than writing killer answers to the predictable questions.

Mind you, I’ve fucked up interviews and been on some deathly dates, so I’m no expert on the techniques. Perhaps one of our NLPers will have some practical advice.

16:18 / 13.12.05

Why? Why roll over and accept the arbitrary pointlessness of it all? Why play along?

On a purely pragmatic level, to increase one's chances of The Ma(aa)n giving one a job. If that's not a particular priority then no, there's no real reason to consider the question. If one has genuinely never felt any degree of satisfaction in one's work then yes, perhaps one should simply say that and take one's chances. Might be an idea applying for more satisfying types of job, though.

In the case of doctor interviews, one can usually personalise the questions by pushing for specific clinical examples. This then means the interviewee talks about feeling proud/regretful/conflicted about a situation involving a patient and other health professionals. The way he frames his answer is what's telling.

16:31 / 13.12.05

It's also not all about the interviewee. Sometimes the interview panel sucks. I've had lots of experience on both sides of the equation and have taught interview skills to both sides so I was able to take comfort when the "Are those Burberry socks?" people heartlessly rejected me from the knowledge that the whole two and a half hour interview had been poorly conducted and I wouldn't have wanted to work for them had they given me Damian Lewis to play with every Friday as a perk.

The problem with this knowledge is that it's helpful retrospectively but each interview still has preparation time and a load of anxiety associated, so it still ends up with hours or days of your life seemingly given over to a fruitless pursuit. And, however you fry it, rejection is always hard.

ONLY NICE THINGS

16:35 / 13.12.05

If you can make the experience pleasant and natural

How on Earth is that anything like making love to a beautiful woman, smoothly?

16:44 / 13.12.05

I meant the bit about expecting it to be an ordeal, resenting certain questions…

16:47 / 13.12.05

Refreshing to know this fact about Smoothly though. He must make the ladeez happy.

17:37 / 13.12.05

It is very important for me to get the benefit of the doubt when it comes to content.

17:39 / 13.12.05

A recent poll said the most common complaints employers had about interviewees were things like punctuality, smartness, keen-ness and the like, obvious things that an amazing number of candidates apparently don't realise are important. Even with a large proportion of scruffy latecomers though, we're still faced with stiff competition from people just as charming and clever as us, and often assessed by people less astute than our beloved elephant-headed god, so in the end it's largely luck.

I've been both sides of the interview desk, and had to train people in interview techniques, and I have to say it's a dreadful way to select staff. Most people are bad at interviewing and most people hate interviews. It also costs loads to conduct the hiring process (around £6000 per position or so IIRC) and 60% of jobs are never advertised, so by far the best bet is to approach organisations direct, and ask if they want you. You pre-empt their need and save them money. It shows you're keen straight away, and you are usually assessed by the people who will decide on your merits, without them having to wade through hundreds of other people at the same time.

But I digress. "If faced with a challenge beyond your skills, would you bleat with panic or smile knowingly and pretend everything was OK?"

17:50 / 13.12.05

Piece Of Work Of Which You Are Proud

'Probably my interview for my current job. Maybe my interview for university'.

I was once asked to describe a highligher pen (handed to me as a prop) as though to someone who had never before seen a highlighter pen. The interviewer seemed quite disturbed by my lack of curiosity as to why I was being asked such a thing...

A question for people who do interviews -what are questions you like to hear people ask? I know they're important, but I'm not so good at dreaming them up ('Are the people in the office nice?')

Not in the Face

17:51 / 13.12.05

Leaping back from lurking. . .

In interviewing I've tried to move away from questions like give me an example of when you . . . and towards questions like - 'this job requires you to (manage an electronic database that needs to be regularly updated). How would you go about it?'

By relating the questions to the job in hand you can see if the candidate actually knows about the work and has done some planning and also it allows candidates to draw on other experiences and skills they have outside of the working environment. As has been pointed out, what they've done before is somewhat, but not entirely relevant to the job. Its how they will do the job thats relevant

*

18:19 / 13.12.05

I was once asked "If you could be any animal, what would you be and why?" My answer was "I would be a human being, because I like having hands." The interviewer was irked. "You're supposed to choose a non-human animal." "I would be a cat, because having humans is the next best thing to having hands."

I didn't get the job. %I was very disappointed.%

If I were interviewing someone, I'd want to know that they had realistic expectations about the position and would really enjoy the work. So I would ask things like "What makes this a good position for you?" "What do you imagine you would enjoy most about working here?" etc.

19:20 / 13.12.05

It's also worth bearing in mind that sometimes (or most of the time), your job will involve things that you don't enjoy or that you think are pointless but nonetheless need to be done. If you can't jump through a couple of hoops in an interview process because you think it's arbitrary and pointless then why would someone hire you to work for them? When the shitty parts of the job come around, the boss knows that they won't be able to count on you because you've just shown that you won't put a little effort in to do something that doesn't interest you.

If the interview process is so well-known and formulaic then how come it's so hard to follow the formula? That's what you'll be expected to do at your job day to day. Part of a good interview is showing your potential employer that you give enough of a shit about the job to prepare for the interview.

19:21 / 13.12.05

id entity>

Agreed. Half of the candidates in our last round of interviewed were disqualified because they more or less said "well, I want a stable place to work" and left it at that. We do some pretty interesting stuff, so not having a candidate express any enthusiasm about the work itself is a real strike against zim.

pointless & uncalled for

06:59 / 14.12.05

A friend who regularly conducts interviews advised me that she likes to ask the following curveball - What interview question were you dreading the most?

*

08:14 / 14.12.05

I would have no idea how to answer that, since I make it a point not to think too much about the interview ahead of time— it makes me nervous. So I'd probably be flip and get marked down for it.

08:14 / 14.12.05

To which, presumably the answer is "that one".

08:16 / 14.12.05

Sedom Killer: I would just answer that question (which questions are you dreading the most) honestly.

I personally hate the 'what is your biggest weakness' question because I feel to some extent 'you can't win.' However I usually answer that one honestly, and then talk about/show the interview how I cope with that particular weakness. So, for example one of my biggest work weaknesses is that I'm chronically messy/disorganized. So I make sure each day to just take a look at my work station and tidy it up, and at the end of the week I go through my tray and pitch out anything I'm hoarding for no apparent reason. I keep all my appointments/etc on the computer and make to-do lists so I don't forget anything I need to do. And this is exactly what I would tell the interviewer.

After a year of disastrous interviews (shortly after I graduated college), a friend of mine who had to do interviews gave me a great piece of advice: "I look for people who are telling me the truth instead of what they think I want to hear." I have followed this advice ever since and it has increased my success exponentially (I think!).

Nina about what you're proudest of at work: first of all have you ever had to manage a really big or pain in the butt project, and you did it and left work feeling really happy you accomplished that? That's what I would talk about.

08:43 / 14.12.05

Wow, that's a bit scary, Nina. I wonder if it's possible to find out?

it is possible, if possibly an eensy weensy bit illegal, to find out what is being said about you. all you have to do is pretend to be a business calling for a fax/email of ms skryty's references, and then give them an email or fax number that they dont have on file as yours.
it can be quite fun to push it further and ask questions about the prospective employee(you).

i was at an interview yesterday and they asked all the classics. they also didnt take in my CV. the guy wouldnt explain beyond "we just dont take them" and i got the impression that he wasnt happy with the situation(or perhaps my asking about it).

my lowlight question was the "tell me about a time when you have provided excellent customer service".
i hate that question.
see, if i am being paid to provide excellent customer service then, barring injury, i provide it at all times. i see it as my job, and therefore my side of the bargain.
that isnt a good answer, apparently.

my favourite interview question has got to be "what do you find offensive? what would it take for you to be so offended that it would affect your work realtionships?"

the same interviewer had earlier asked me about my hardcore preferences; DC or New York, metalcore or punk; so i was confident enough to answer it honestly and without pretense.

funny thing is, it turned out later he's one of the most naturally offensive(yet strangely charming) people on the planet. perhaps he wanted to make sure no one sued him.

Tryphena Absent

09:24 / 14.12.05

You know I can't help but notice that absolutely no one here has actually helped me (thanks for trying Ariadne). I mean, none of you have told me what you actually say when someone asks you the pride/weakness questions.

Mysterious Transfer Student

09:24 / 14.12.05

Vincennes, that business with the highlighter pen is one of the most deliciously odd things I've heard of in ages. Would you mind telling us for what (type of) job that interview was... for?*

I've never had to interview anybody else, but the most recent interview I went through, for the (menial, phone-answering) job I now do, was a little unsettling. Two people interviewed me together, one asking questions in the most stilted, uncomfortable, reading-from-the-manual way (not an exaggeration, she genuinely was reading from a list of questions rather than making any attempt to appear natural, engaged or spontaneous). Meanwhile, her companion sat in silence, making notes and smiling at me occasionally. After a while I got the hang of who was actually assessing me and managed to direct my answers across the table at both of them, while still maintaining the pretence of talking to just one person. An achievement in itself: area-of-effect interviewing, as I dubbed it.

*My biggest weakness: lousy grammar.

09:30 / 14.12.05

Nina, at work, what is your biggest weakness?

09:36 / 14.12.05

Well, I think the problem is that it has to be your own answer, Nina - using someone else's will just sound false.

But if it helps, for my current job I said that I'm used to hard deadlines, from working in publishing, and that without them I'm prone to letting things drift. But I said that I recognise that, and so I set myself firm deadlines for things, so that I have something to work towards.*

That probably isn't relevant for you, but based on that example, and Cherielabombe's, maybe you can find a similar 'answer' that fits you?

* Given how I've spent this morning procrastinating and staring out the window, this obviously isn't 100% true!

09:40 / 14.12.05

Here you go Nina:

For the weakness question, I say that I don't like being in a situation where I don't know how to do something or what I should be doing next. And I deal with that by asking a lot of questions about what I need to do, taking lots of notes which I keep handy and keeping my Outlook calendar extremely accurate so that I never forget anything. That shows that I'm organised and probably do a good job.

For the "work of which I'm proud", I give a rather exaggerated version of something I once did, when I worked for a training company and had to put together a new course even though I knew nothing about it. SO I had to call people to find out what should be on the course, then speak to a number of potential trainers and ascertain whether they would be able to run it, then book the presenter, venue and catering, then advertise the course, take bookings and run it. The real version was a lot simpler than that, but it shows that I can take on a project that I know nothing about and do the research and necessary work to pull it off.

I'm sure you can think of a task you were asked to do and had to use some initiative to be able to do it. You just need to exaggerate it a bit. And, as has been said, the most important thing is to get some of your personality across, so you just need a basic story to tell, and if you relate it in an easygoing manner as if you were telling your friends in the pub, make a bit of a joke about how at first you were stressed and don't know why your boss dumped the job on you, but you came through in the end, then it should sound fine.

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