Job Interview Tips

Hi,

I have a job interview for a very good oppertunity next week.

I have done a couple of interviews in the past year none of which have been successful. I will admit a couple were to do with the fact that i dont speak French (only English and Dutch) but a couple of these jobs only required NL and EN and i did not get them.

I honeslty cannot understand what I am doing wrong. Any tips out there?

Not feeling confident :(

Merci d'avance :D

:)

DD

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Deckydee

Not feeling confident :(

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Get confident stupid! :)

Seriously if you're not confident in yourself then you're never gonna impress anyone, maybe apply for jobs you don't really want, and turn them down if you get offered them to build your confidence in yourself up? I'm a dab hand at interviews, mostly because I don't really want to work anywhere I have worked and hence don't really care if the interview goes well or not, it's a kind of replacement confidence if you will.....

I've been no help whatsoever have I? :)

Give us more info - for example -

what do you do to prepare for an interview?

Do you manage to mention in the interview all the positive points you wanted to mention beforehand?

Do you field difficult questions well?

Are you able to predict all the important questions you will be asked?

Make sure you
(1) Arrive on time
(2) Make Eye contact throughout
(3) Firm handshake

(4)Dress appropriately,,a study from harvard(no bullshiiiting) stated that a candidate who wore a dark suit, a white shirt and a red tie..have more of a chance in interviews...
something to do with the subconcious interpretation of those particular colours..

(5) Ask about the salary, only at the end

(6) Always ask what opportunities exist in the company to progress.

(7) Wear a watch, even if you dont own one.

(8) Thank everyone after the interview


Do all that and the job is yours

What do you do to prepare for an interview?

Usually I download and print some information from the company like any takeovers or the annual report for example. I usually practice what I am going to say when I am driving home in the evening from work.


Do you manage to mention in the interview all the positive points you wanted to mention beforehand?

Yes, I usually have a 'speel' where I mention different IT projects I have worked on and the effect that I had on these projects. I also mention the problems that I had originally and how my time on different jobs has helped me to get rid of these problems. I feel this shows that I don’t think that I am 'it' and it shows that I am human

Do you field difficult questions well?

Sorry I don’t understand

Are you able to predict all the important questions you will be asked?

I honestly don think anyone could do that


I have been confident in the past but at this stage I have been shot down so many times I am starting to give up. Did I ever mention about the time that I went to an interview and I was not that good originally? The company said that they saw quality in me nonetheless and asked me to go back and look over my books and come back in 2 months and they will ask me the same questions again. I said this is very fair and for 2 months I broke my backside preparing for the interview. I prepared night and day as it was a very good company and I needed a break. The day of the interview came. I had bought a complete new wardrobe for the meeting, new suit, stocks, shoes, boxers, tie etc. Arrived there 15 minuets early, and spit out the third piece of gum that I had chewed in an hour and went in the building. The guys who had to meet me never even turned up……..Took me about a month to get over it. But its typical of where I live

Confidence shot to bits

Quote:

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Originally Posted by citizenerased

Make sure you
(1) Arrive on time
(2) Make Eye contact throughout
(3) Firm handshake

(4)Dress appropriately,,a study from harvard(no bullshiiiting) stated that a candidate who wore a dark suit, a white shirt and a red tie..have more of a chance in interviews...
something to do with the subconcious interpretation of those particular colours..

(5) Ask about the salary, only at the end

(6) Always ask what opportunities exist in the company to progress.

(7) Wear a watch, even if you dont own one.

(8) Thank everyone after the interview


Do all that and the job is yours

---

Yes I do all of those, interested about the black suit/white shirt/Red tie and watch thing though

Quote:

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Originally Posted by citizenerased

Make sure you
(1) Arrive on time
(2) Make Eye contact throughout
(3) Firm handshake

(4)Dress appropriately,,a study from harvard(no bullshiiiting) stated that a candidate who wore a dark suit, a white shirt and a red tie..have more of a chance in interviews...
something to do with the subconcious interpretation of those particular colours..

(5) Ask about the salary, only at the end

(6) Always ask what opportunities exist in the company to progress.

(7) Wear a watch, even if you dont own one.

(8) Thank everyone after the interview


Do all that and the job is yours

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(9) Snort a wheelbarrow load of coke. Does wonders for the confidence, apparently.

Talk in a relaxed casual way about specific, detailed businessy things is my very comprehensive advice.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Deckydee

What do you do to prepare for an interview?

Usually I download and print some information from the company like any takeovers or the annual report for example. I usually practice what I am going to say when I am driving home in the evening from work.


Do you manage to mention in the interview all the positive points you wanted to mention beforehand?

Yes, I usually have a 'speel' where I mention different IT projects I have worked on and the effect that I had on these projects. I also mention the problems that I had originally and how my time on different jobs has helped me to get rid of these problems. I feel this shows that I don’t think that I am 'it' and it shows that I am human

Do you field difficult questions well?

Sorry I don’t understand

Are you able to predict all the important questions you will be asked?

I honestly don think anyone could do that


I have been confident in the past but at this stage I have been shot down so many times I am starting to give up. Did I ever mention about the time that I went to an interview and I was not that good originally? The company said that they saw quality in me nonetheless and asked me to go back and look over my books and come back in 2 months and they will ask me the same questions again. I said this is very fair and for 2 months I broke my backside preparing for the interview. I prepared night and day as it was a very good company and I needed a break. The day of the interview came. I had bought a complete new wardrobe for the meeting, new suit, stocks, shoes, boxers, tie etc. Arrived there 15 minuets early, and spit out the third piece of gum that I had chewed in an hour and went in the building. The guys who had to meet me never even turned up……..Took me about a month to get over it. But its typical of where I live

Confidence shot to bits

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I hate interviews and always do badly in them,but if its effecting your confidence as much as you say and your blaming the area as above would it not make some sort of sense to apply for jobs away from where you live and you might have some better luck then apply for jobs in your area,its always easier to get a job when you have a job in my opnion

Quote:

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Originally Posted by gee wizz

I hate interviews and always do badly in them,but if its effecting your confidence as much as you say and your blaming the area as above would it not make some sort of sense to apply for jobs away from where you live and you might have some better luck then apply for jobs in your area,its always easier to get a job when you have a job in my opnion

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That would see me returning to Ireland though......;)

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Deckydee

That would see me returning to Ireland though......;)

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are you not allowed return to these shores is the job your looking for along the lines of a defuncted james bond type international man of mystery:D

Read this book:

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Great-Answer.../dp/0749435526

Do you have a Bebo or myspace page? if so is there anything Dodgy on it? A lot of perspective employers are checking out these sorts of site's to see what people are really like

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Originally Posted by Block G Raptor

Do you have a Bebo or myspace page? if so is there anything Dodgy on it? A lot of perspective employers are checking out these sorts of site's to see what people are really like

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smacks of big brother syndrome are you not allowed have a life these days outside of work:eek:

Quote:

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Originally Posted by gee wizz

smacks of big brother syndrome are you not allowed have a life these days outside of work:eek:

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I know. I was looking for a job recently and was going through a recruitment agency, after several knockbacks the recruitment agent told me I should "remove the political references on my Bebo page":confused:, I was shocked to discover that I was being knocked back for jobs because I have a couple of Pics of the Bogside Murals on my Bebo page:mad:

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Block G Raptor

I know. I was looking for a job recently and was going through a recruitment agency, after several knockbacks the recruitment agent told me I should "remove the political references on my Bebo page":confused:, I was shocked to discover that I was being knocked back for jobs because I have a couple of Pics of the Bogside Murals on my Bebo page:mad:

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thats a disgrace no-ones political or religous or nationality should play any part in anyone getting a job,its the same when you go for a job with an american company and they do that stupid personality test to see do you fit in with the rest of the workers load of bull:mad:

Quote:

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Originally Posted by gee wizz

thats a disgrace no-ones political or religous or nationality should play any part in anyone getting a job,its the same when you go for a job with an american company and they do that stupid personality test to see do you fit in with the rest of the workers load of bull:mad:

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I agree, the ironic thing is the Company I work for has contracts in the Oireachtas, The Gardai, the Dept of Defense and the British Ministry Of Defence and I have passed security background checks for all of these contracts, so if the prospective employers had rang for a reference instead of jumping to conclusions,mis-interpreting my interest in History and Art as something sinister there would have been no problem. Still I'm glad I stayed where I am with a decent Payrise

well its your gain and they're loss now i suppose

1. Dress nice and appropriate for the job
2. Sit up straight and don't fold your arms
3. Maintain eye contact
4. Don't fart (Kind of ruins the moment ya know)

Think of these few pointers on your next adventure, especially # 4.

Keep telling them that you're the man. Things like "I have all the skills you're looking for [list them]..."
It was the main thing I learned from a recrutiment consultant that was provided once in a redundancy