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.
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.
A lot of companies are going towards what’s called “behavior based interviewing”, where they ask you about specific scenarios that demonstrate qualities they’re looking for. Questions like “Tell me about a time you had to deal with a difficult customer”, “Tell me about a time you had a disagreement with your manager, and how you resolved it”, etc. Think of some stories you could tell for questions like these (keep in mind a story about how you did do something will be better received than a story about how you would do something), and practice telling these to yourself in a simple and understandable way. I’ve found that having an arsenal of these stories is very helpful even with a company that does more traditional job interviews, as they can let you drive the conversation and showcase a quality that they’ll find appealing.
You can find more information about behavior based interviewing here: https://www.themuse.com/advice/behavioral-interview-questions-answers-examples
Something else to keep in mind is that they’re not just interviewing you. You are also interviewing them. Ask questions about how they run their business. Direct questions about compensation are generally frowned upon (which is some BS, but I don’t make the rules), but asking about the company culture, what the job is like on an average day, etc. are certainly fair game, and will not only help you show your interest in the job, but will also help you gain valuable information if you should be offered the job so you can decide if this is really what you want to do.
Finally, remember that there are plenty of fish in the sea. If you don’t get this job, don’t get discouraged. You will find something else soon enough if you keep looking.
Good luck!
I interview a lot of people with behavior based questions. Please spend some time before thinking of stories before. Try to have 8 ready, plan on using 5, and remembering 5 more in the interview. Do no reuse stories between interviewers even though the questions will be very similar between interviewers. If you come off bad, using a different story with the other interviewer can bring you up, but if you repeat the same story that hurts you.
Make sure this is about what you did. If you didn’t do something then it doesn’t count.
If you don’t know how to answer a question (don’t understand), feel free to ask me for a different question. I won’t count it against you, and I have 3 to choose from. (not everyone will not count it against you, but I won’t)
Don’t ask me about compensation. I am not the person hiring you and so I only have a small clue, better to ask when an offer is made (though most likely you cannot get more yearly dollars, but you can get vacation time and/or a hiring bonus). All I can tell you is we give good bonuses every year (where I work is unusual, most places a bonus never happened, or it did but it wasn’t enough to do anything with)