Hi yall after being on disability income for years and job searching for months I finally got to step two of the job search process: a job interview.
I am wondering if anyone had any tips for the job interview process? I am very nervous.
Don’t bring your parents to the interview lol.
Seriously though, you’re interviewing the company as much as they are interviewing you. Find interview questions examples to ask during the interview. You’ll want to find out if you like the work culture, if it looks like the interviewers like their job, how frequent overtime is required, etc.
Whether they give you a job offer or not, don’t sweat it. There is a lot going on at the company outside of your control that will affect them giving a job offer or not regardless of how well you did in the interview. I recommend taking the interview as a learning experience and practice with a friend beforehand. Doing well in interviews is a skill especially for technical interviews where folks can ask a range of questions while all eyes are on you.
Good luck!
It depends on where you are and what sort of job you’re applying for as to what constitutes good advice.
If you’re nervous, are there any things that you can do which would help you feel in control? Some people meditate, some drink a bit of herbal tea, some listen to a particular type of music. Some might get a friend to take them through an interview roleplay, though you really need a friend who actually understands interviews for that to work.
The main thing to remember is that if it doesn’t go well the world won’t stop spinning … there will be other jobs, other interviews, and practice really helps!
Good luck, what’s the type of job? Interviews vary wildly depending :-)
Really depends on the Job Type/field. I have an excellent interview record, so I’m happy to give you some tips if you need them!
Congrats! Scope our the website for the company, sometimes they will ask if you’ve looked them up/made an effort to do research on them. Scoping out your interviewer on social media too, like linked in. Can make conversations flow more naturally if you know them a bit.
Finally, dress a bit nicer than normal, fresh clothes, iron them the night before so that you are ready to go. Probably goes without saying, but being showered, clean, and smelling great goes a long way in a first impression too. Finally, a firm handshake when meeting them. Good luck ^^
Be nice to everyone, from the receptionist upwards, and if you’re offered a cup of coffee/tea, offer to wash the cup yourself afterwards. Little things that show you’re thoughtful.
Great job scoring an interview! Having worked in HR plus had a couple jobs, here’s my advice:
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look at the tasks you’ll be completing if you get the job and think about any experience you have that would help demonstrate that you’re experienced and able to do that thing. Think outside the box! Your examples don’t need to come from the workplace if you use clear reasoning. Interviewers love examples.
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Pull a sample interview of common questions offline and write down how you’d respond to each question.
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Don’t take things personally if things don’t go well. There are SO many reasons that you might not get a position that have absolutely nothing to do with you. One big one is that companies often already have someone internal in mind but have to meet certain job posting requirements. Just keep trekking and the chips will fall your way eventually.
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Clean up, dress traditionally, get there extra early so you have time to familiarize yourself with the location and decompress (breathing, stretching in the parking lot, etc.), and get into the building early to wait ~10-15 minutes before your interview is set to start. Do not bad mouth ANYTHING, be optimistic and portray yourself as an obedient worker but a free thinker. Make sure you drink lots of water the day before and eat before you go, try not to overcaffeinate. You can message me if you need hyping up or more information :>
Look up popular interview questions ahead of time and think of ways to answer them, then practice giving the answers! You really can’t practice enough- the more you do it, the more confident and prepared you’ll be in the moment. Bring a copy or two of your resume, and paper to write notes on. At the top of your paper, list some of your accomplishments (to remind yourself if you blank in the moment).
When answering questions, be direct and give concrete examples whenever possible. Try not to ramble on or talk around the question.
If it’s in person, get there a little early so you’re not rushing in with sweat dripping down your brow lol. If it’s online, login 5 minutes early to make sure the technology is working. Wear something professional (what this looks like will vary by job, but generally nothing too revealing or casual, like a t shirt and sneakers).
Remember that you are there to evaluate them just as much as they are evaluating you! Show that you’re interested by looking into the company a bit beforehand, mentioning what you appreciate about their company values (or whatever), and having questions at the ready for the interviewers.
Read www.askamanager.org! SO many amazing tips on not only interviewing but lots of other work related stuff!
Good luck!
Someone on here previously advised to load the job description in chatgpt, tell it to do a job interview based on the job description. I thought that was a great idea. Be early for your interview. You don’t have to enter right away so you can be 30 minutes early but enter 10-15 minutes before your appointment, no earlier. Make sure you have a backup plan in case of traffic or transportation delays. Dress in business professional even in their dress code is business casual. Good luck!
Traffic is the main reason to be early. That way you are on time even if everything goes wrong.
I came to give some advice but I see all the bases are covered! Part of my job is career counselling a d helping with stuff like this. I see all the good tips here so it looks like you came to the right place to ask your question.
It’s perfectly fine to be nervous. Try to think of ways to break the ice. Even 30 seconds of small talk while entering the room will do a lot to comfort you. You might even say something along the lines of “Sorry if I seem a bit nervous, I’m just really excited about the job” (see point #2 below)
A job interview is really only about :
- Is this person qualified for the job
- Will this person like the job (to be engaged and stay s long time)
- Will this person fit well in the team
#1 and #2 require preparation. Read the job description thoroughly, browse around at the company’s web page, Google recent news articles, etc. and formulate good answers to common questions and write down examples that prove your point (see some of the other posts).
#3 can be a bit tricky to research, but can be done. Look at social media posts to get a feel for the culture to understand dresscode (both over dressing and under dressing can be problematic), understand industry jargon (and avoid controversial jargon/statements), etc. Understand this, but be true to yourself. Don’t wear flip flops for McKinsey interview and don’t wear a tuxedo for a handyman job.
I think what tips will be helpful depend on the job you’re interviewing for. The interviews that I’ve performed rely heavily on behavioral questions. Consider reading up on the star method to answer your questions. Remember getting nervous is normal! You got this!
https://www.indeed.com/career-advice/interviewing/how-to-use-the-star-interview-response-technique
I’m in IT, and I haven’t had to interview for a long time (knock on wood), but when I did:
My approach has always been “Your company has a need, I have a certain set of skills. Let’s talk, so that I can understand more clearly what your need is, you can understand more clearly what my skills are, and we can decide together whether I would be a good person to fill that need.” Think of yourself as a consultant going in for a first meeting with a potential long-term client.
Be confident and know your worth. Don’t accept the job without getting explicit details on the salary. Surprisingly often, jobs will try to hire people before ever actually showing them, on paper, what they are willing to pay. Or worse, they might lowball you in the interview when the job posting was for a higher wage. Don’t get exploited by a company just because they make the first offer to hire you, there are more opportunities than this one.
