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Interview Tips & Advice
by dramaxxqueenxx05
I have been to a couple of interviews in my life for jobs and I only have temporary ones.
1. You got offered a job - well done! You will either receive a phone call, e-mail or letter giving you details of where your interview will take place, what day and what time. If you cannot attend the day or time of interview ... ring up the manager straight away and arrange another day or time.
2. Make sure you arrive early - arriving late isn't showing a good impression! So you need to find a easy way to travel whether it's walking, car, getting a lift or taking a bus or train, and don't miss the bus or train.
3. Men : wear a black suit, wear a tie make sure it is a plain one, nothing with bright colors or anything eye catching, white or blue shirt and black shoes.
Women : wear something that does not show clevage or underwear showing, also don't wear brand new heels as tripping over won't make as good impression, also don't wear loads of make-up and don't wear a strong perfume.
Women can wear anything from black dresses or black and white - but make sure the black and white dress is formal, white shirt and black trousers or pencil skirt (knee length) and a black blazer or smart jacket if you wish. Shoes can be anything from black pumps, boots, it's best to wear small high heeled shoes, no sky-scrapers!
Nail varnish either don't wear it or have a good manicure.
For men and girls don't wear trainers and don't wear jeans. too casual and these aren't the sort of things you would wear for an office, manager job etc.
4. You may become nervous - which is very likely and you may begin to sweat especially on your hands and this can be bad news as you will need to shake hands with the manager, just try and relax, take deep breaths and drink water. If your hands do sweat wash your hands, and make sure you dry them.
5. Go to the toilet before interview, cause moving around a lot or having a wet patch on your outfit won't look great. Also while you are in the toilet don't forget to check if your hair and make-up looks OK, you can already re-touch before you go to the interview.
6. Make sure there is no dirt, pet hair on outfit keep tidy as possible.
7. Don't chew gum during the interview, do this before you get there or brush your teeth.
8. Keep polite and formal as possible, and answer the questions in full detail as possible rather than giving short answers or just saying yes and no.
Also don't tell lies either cause you could get caught out.
9. If you have any questions, ASK! It's better to know than never, and if you get the job don't wait till the first day to ask the question/s.
10. Good luck and wish you all the best!
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Interview Tips & Advice
by tongueoftruth
Unemployment is booming right now - about the only thing that is, eh? - so competition for those jobs is high. I know lots of people are getting frustrated with their inability to get interviews, or if they get interviews, to get the job. So I thought I'd share a few of my tips from the other side of the interview table. I run a small ... company (10 staff) with my other half and organise all the recruitment, so here's my advice from my personal point of view, in three sections.
1) Why do companies....? (all about the things you think recruiters do to torment you)
2) It would be jolly good if you....(how to get an interview/job)
3) It's best if you don't....(how not to get an interview/job). Of course...you don't do these, do you?.
1) Why do companies....?
a) not get back to me quickly? Sorry about that. Sometimes it takes me a long time to get through all the CVs. It may take a while for us to find a date when all the people involved in interviewing can get together. Sometimes I just get really busy - HR is only a tiny part of my job - and can't get to you any quicker. I'm not deliberately torturing you. Honest. At least I will get back to you, even if just by email to say no thanks. If you are getting annoyed at companies who don't reply at all, bear in mind it may be some little bod already working 70 hour weeks and with a pile of 200 CV glaring at them, and it just can't get done. Nothing personal.
b) not give me a chance? The old 'can't get a job till I get experience and can't get experience till I get a job' blinder. If this is your problem all I can advise is the same old same old - do work experience, do voluntary work, do anything you can to get a bit of experience under your belt. And think laterally here - it doesn't have to be the exact job you are hoping to do. Is there something similar? Something else using part of the skills? A completely different role but in related company/industry type? Just get your toe in the door somewhere, work hard, make an impression, get a good reference, and it WILL help you towards finding a job.
2) It would be jolly good if you....
a) send exactly what is asked for with your application. If a cover letter is required, then an email stating 'Please find my CV attached' isn't it. If I've asked for it to be hand-delivered from the back of an elephant, do it. Otherwise you've shown me you can't follow simple instructions and I don't want you.
b) turn up on time for the interview. If you can't, make sure it's for a good reason (water main leak closed down all the roads) and not a dumb one (didn't bother to look at a map and work out where to park in advance), and have the courtesy to call and let us know what's happening.
c) remember we are human. Do the 'imagine your interviewer naked' if you must, but don't blame me if you are off for food for a couple of days. We hate interviewing. It is a pain in the butt. It takes so much time. It's hard to choose the right person. When you come in to the office we have been praying to Buddha, Krishna, Jesus and Elvis that you will be the person we need. We are SO on your side.
d) don't let nerves ruin your chances. Easier said than done, but remember item c). Take a deep breath. Think before you answer. Pause. It's fine to ask us for the question again, or ask us to re-phrase it. We know you aren't stupid, you are just nervous, and we'll give you every chance we can. You have to tell us the information, we can't guess that you spent 2 years running a playgroup's finances, or that you did a marketing campaign at college, or that you supervised three people, or any of the things you should be bragging about. Please tell us.
e) make a good first impression. Dressed smartly, give us a smile, shake our hands. Sit up reasonable straight (one young man literally lay across the desk in a state of teenage enui collapse, not impressive). Wear a bra (seriously). Smell good, in a soap and water way, rather than stinky perfume or aftershave. Use soap. And plenty of deoderant. Your clothes don't need to be new or trendy, just clean, pressed and appropriate.
3) It's best if you don't...
a) send us anything in text speak. Emails saying 'pls find CV attchd, thks' are even worse than the one mentioned before.
b) lie too much in your CV or at interview. Fair play, we all tweak it a bit to make ourselves look better. We know the game. But outright lies will be found out and you've just wasted our time. If you need a visa, make sure you have it. If you say you are competent in using a certain software, you'd better be. If you say you can type, two finger stabbing at a snail's pace isn't what we are expecting.
c) behave badly before the interview. As well as the usual advice to mind your manners with the receptionist (I have known someone not get a job because of rudeness here) be careful outside the office. One interview morning I was walking along the street near our offices, when a man on a bench did a massive *snort snort hawk* and spat a huge lump of phlem on the pavement in front of me. I had to screech to a halt and swerve round it to avoid treading in it. Guess who came in for an interview. Guess who didn't get the job.
d) harrass me. I know you want to know how your application is going. Did we get it? Are you getting an interview? Have we shortlisted yet? Did you get the job? One polite query on whether we received your application is ok. Keep ringing me and leaving messages and emailing me and just getting on my nerves and expecting me to drop everything to pander to you, out of all 50 applicants, will get you the nickname of 'that bloody woman' (as in, 'that bloody woman' is on the phone again) and get you put in the 'no' pile.
e) Have any errors in your CV. If you can't be bothered to get that right, you won't bother to get your work right. Spell check. Grammar check. Make sure your dates make sense. Don't use funny fonts/colours or layouts, it doesn't make you look creative, it makes you look unprofessional. Don't declare that since the age of 10 you've had a burning ambition to be a TV presenter if you are applying for a job as an accountant. Really basic stuff like that.
Summary
It's hard right now. But some people shoot themselves in the foot in their applications. Be professional in your approach - even if it's for one shift a week at McDonalds.
We regularly get over 50 applicants for every job. Of those, at least two thirds are immediately discarded for the reasons above. That leaves us to select for interview on your skills and experience. So make sure your application mentions the skills and experience we've asked for, as far as possible. If we say 'must have excellent IT skills' then tell us what you've used and can do. We can't assume anything. Then if we interview 8 people, about 4 are usually serious contenders. The other 4 do the silly mistakes I've spoken about above.
So the odds seem terrible. 4 possibles out of 50 applicants. But with some care and attention, as long as you are applying for the right sort of role, there's no reason that anyone shouldn't be in that final four. Those that don't make it, have counted themselves out. So, be prepared, do your best, give us interviewers the chance to see how wonderful you are, and believe in yourself.
Good luck!
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