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Post Your Best Interview Advice/Tips

OnlyPantherFaninMaine

By OnlyPantherFaninMaine,
in Huddle Lounge

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SOJA Veteran

SOJA

Posted
Posted

LIE AND EMBELLISH YOUR SKILLS.  Fake it till you make it.  It's so competitive nowadays you have to puff yourself up to get noticed.

 

 

 

you'd be pretty damn confident in that lie. a buddy of mine got a job interview and on the application he said he was fluent in Spanish. Now he was pretty good at Spanish for a non-native speaker, but fluent was definitely a stretch.

 

His interviewer was a native fluent speaker.

 

 

The interviewer straight up called him out on it instantly. 

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hepcat Grand Master

hepcat

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you'd be pretty damn confident in that lie. a buddy of mine got a job interview and on the application he said he was fluent in Spanish. Now he was pretty good at Spanish for a non-native speaker, but fluent was definitely a stretch.

 

His interviewer was a native fluent speaker.

 

 

The interviewer straight up called him out on it instantly. 

 

Well that's not something I'd lie about...haha.  I'm talking about, if someone asked you on a scale of 1-10, how proficient are you at Microsoft Excel, I'd say 9, even though I might be 6.  

 

As for lies, I'll make an example.  I'm in the audio business on the side.  I lie about what programs I'm proficient in.  I'm an expert at Pro Tools but not that familiar with Logic or Ableton or others like them.  But, when someone asks me my skills in those programs, I also say expert.  It's not hard to watch a Youtube video and learn those skills.  As for learning Spanish...that's not something you can fake!!

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Chimera Collaborator

Chimera

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Confidence is key.

Don't be afraid to treat it as if you're also interviewing the manager about the company.

Treat the receptionist like a queen (or king).

My biggest weakness.... remember names (it helps to use it in conversation)

Ditto showing you've done your homework about the company. Find something unique to the company and use it in your interview. If anything, it breaks the monotony for the interviewer and helps you stand out after all the interviews are over.

Managers like cold, hard, verifiable numbers... you improved XX by 33%, etc.

 

While others have mentioned looking sharp, it is important to keep the focus on you / your face.... don't go wearing a suit that draws any attention away from your face.

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Scrumtrilescent Rookie

Scrumtrilescent

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^^^OMG THIS^^^

 

I wanted my interviewees there 5 to 10 minutes early.  It was a big plus.

 

 

A few I would add:

Its better to say "I don't know but I'm sure I can find the answer" than to guess.

Keep both feet flat on the ground.

Do not accept the drink (water/soda) on the first interview.

Look like this is the only interview you have today and you got dressed just for this.  Even if this is the third interview of the day don't let your clothes reflect a day of in and out of the car. Wrinkled jacket/shirt etc...

Shave.  Don't show up with some stylish 2 day fuzz even if that's the way you're going to grow it after you get the gig.

 

 

QFT.  This is what I harp on most to the interns, grad students, and entry levels who swing through.  If you have an answer to every single question I ask, my BS meter goes off very quickly.

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Hotsauce Explorer

Hotsauce

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A lot of what I would recommend is already been said....

I interview 10+ people weekly and have been hiring/interviewing for the last 3 years.

Make sure you have a nice pen, not a clicker or plastic free bic that you got at a holiday inn.

Smile and make eye contact

Know your resume and your credentials! You should be able to explain numbers and accomplishments backwards and forwards.

You should have some stories prepared about how you were successful and how you failed at something and what you learned from the experience.

Ask for the job.

Ask if there are any reasons why you would not be moving forward. Or if there are any red flags. If he gives you a reason, ADDRESS IT! Make sure there is no reason why you would not be moving forward.

Ask what is the next step. Set yourself a follow up call or meeting with the interviewer. Don't leave without knowing where you stand!

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OnlyPantherFaninMaine Community Regular

OnlyPantherFaninMaine

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Interview with each of the three employees went very smoothly. I left the office building and my initial/gut feeling was that it could not have gone any smoother. I had the HR director and Security Analyst laughing and just went over specifics about the job and they asked about my master's thesis. It was farily laid back and I did not get grilled with too many of the standard interview questions. Maybe just 3-4 that I handled well. I had some great questions prepared that were specific to the job and the industry as a whole that made the whole morning feel like more of a casual converation. Suit and tie game was on point and I smiled often with good posture and eye contact. After the interview, the final employee that interviewed me took me down the hall to introduce me to the CSO and top dog in the whole building as far as my department would be concerned. Really nice guy and was interested in what I told him about myself and said a lot of what I said resonated with him and that he could relate personally.

 

Overall I did the best I could and things are looking up. My contact in HR said things should move quickly as they want to fill the position ASAP. Thanks for the advice everyone! I will let you know what happens when I know.

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