pauraque's pro tips for job interviews
Jan. 6th, 2011 05:02 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
pauraque_bkAs is so often the case, many people I know are applying for jobs. It seems like people are always asking the internet/universe for advice on job interviews, and frequently I weigh in because I used to conduct job interviews!
So here be mah tips:
1) Be yourself. Put your best foot forward, yes, but don't try to seem like someone you're not. Often HR people have that job because they're good at reading people, and they will see through phoneyness. I did a lot of interviews with people who were trying WAY too hard to seem confident and awesome, and it doesn't work, it's just off-putting. If you're a little reserved, that's okay. Non-outgoing people get jobs too.
2) It's not what you say, it's how you say it. The questions are mostly just an excuse to get you talking and get a sense of whether you'll be a good fit for the workplace. In a highly technical field, experience may matter more, but in a garden-variety office or retail job, they care more about your personality. It is easier to teach job skills to a nice newbie than to teach an experienced jerk to be nice.
3) No sob stories. Even if they are true. Even if it seems relevant. Nobody wants to hear about how you've been out of work for 3 years because your wife left you and your dog got sick and your parents stopped sending you money and OMG. As far as an interviewer needs to know, you were out of work for 3 years because you were handling "family issues" or "health issues" but now it's all resolved and you're ready to work again. Anything else will come off like you're fishing for pity and make you look like someone who could quit in two weeks when drama rears its head again.
4) If you don't have a lot of relevant experience, think creatively about how your experience could apply to this job. Again, unless it's a technical field, most jobs require the same basic abilities, like problem-solving, handling responsibility, and dealing with people.
5) If you've done something unusual or interesting, you can include it in your resume even if it's not that relevant. I once interviewed someone who'd worked at a camel stable in Israel. The job had nothing to do with animals, but I asked about it, and it was fun for me to hear about and made the candidate more memorable. (We might have hired her anyway, but the camels helped.)
6) If your last job ended badly, be tactful about it. Do not say your boss was a crazy idiot, even if they were. If you were fired, do not say you don't know why! Give a straight answer that emphasizes you learned from the experience. The worst thing you can do is sound like you're bitter and will just make the same mistakes at your next job.
7) If they ask if you have any questions, ask what the interviewer likes about working there (unless it's an outside HR person who doesn't actually work there). Most people like talking about themselves, and it makes you seem interested in the job. The way they answer may also be revealing about what kind of workplace it is, and raise a red flag if it seems that they don't like it.
8) Don't bring things that weren't requested. Do not offer the interviewer your band's demo CD if the job isn't making music, nor your art portfolio if the job isn't making art, nor your writing portfolio if the job isn't writing. Don't bring cookies. I like cookies, but gifts aren't appropriate; they seem like kissing up.
9) Unless it's a job related to politics, do not bring up your politics or assume that you know anything about the interviewer's. This has led to more than one facepalm.
10) Do not draw a picture of yourself and attach it to your resume. Especially do not do this if you are really, really bad at drawing. (True story.)
So here be mah tips:
1) Be yourself. Put your best foot forward, yes, but don't try to seem like someone you're not. Often HR people have that job because they're good at reading people, and they will see through phoneyness. I did a lot of interviews with people who were trying WAY too hard to seem confident and awesome, and it doesn't work, it's just off-putting. If you're a little reserved, that's okay. Non-outgoing people get jobs too.
2) It's not what you say, it's how you say it. The questions are mostly just an excuse to get you talking and get a sense of whether you'll be a good fit for the workplace. In a highly technical field, experience may matter more, but in a garden-variety office or retail job, they care more about your personality. It is easier to teach job skills to a nice newbie than to teach an experienced jerk to be nice.
3) No sob stories. Even if they are true. Even if it seems relevant. Nobody wants to hear about how you've been out of work for 3 years because your wife left you and your dog got sick and your parents stopped sending you money and OMG. As far as an interviewer needs to know, you were out of work for 3 years because you were handling "family issues" or "health issues" but now it's all resolved and you're ready to work again. Anything else will come off like you're fishing for pity and make you look like someone who could quit in two weeks when drama rears its head again.
4) If you don't have a lot of relevant experience, think creatively about how your experience could apply to this job. Again, unless it's a technical field, most jobs require the same basic abilities, like problem-solving, handling responsibility, and dealing with people.
5) If you've done something unusual or interesting, you can include it in your resume even if it's not that relevant. I once interviewed someone who'd worked at a camel stable in Israel. The job had nothing to do with animals, but I asked about it, and it was fun for me to hear about and made the candidate more memorable. (We might have hired her anyway, but the camels helped.)
6) If your last job ended badly, be tactful about it. Do not say your boss was a crazy idiot, even if they were. If you were fired, do not say you don't know why! Give a straight answer that emphasizes you learned from the experience. The worst thing you can do is sound like you're bitter and will just make the same mistakes at your next job.
7) If they ask if you have any questions, ask what the interviewer likes about working there (unless it's an outside HR person who doesn't actually work there). Most people like talking about themselves, and it makes you seem interested in the job. The way they answer may also be revealing about what kind of workplace it is, and raise a red flag if it seems that they don't like it.
8) Don't bring things that weren't requested. Do not offer the interviewer your band's demo CD if the job isn't making music, nor your art portfolio if the job isn't making art, nor your writing portfolio if the job isn't writing. Don't bring cookies. I like cookies, but gifts aren't appropriate; they seem like kissing up.
9) Unless it's a job related to politics, do not bring up your politics or assume that you know anything about the interviewer's. This has led to more than one facepalm.
10) Do not draw a picture of yourself and attach it to your resume. Especially do not do this if you are really, really bad at drawing. (True story.)
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no subject
Date: 2011-01-06 11:32 pm (UTC)It is easier to teach job skills to a nice newbie than to teach an experienced jerk to be nice is something I'd love to put on a resume for a potential interviewer to find. I think that with the job market being what it is nowadays, people sometimes forget that personality is often more important than the skillz- well, as long as the pleasant, easy-to-get-along-with person is also a quickish learner, that is. :D
no subject
Date: 2011-01-07 05:57 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2011-01-07 12:09 am (UTC)I have one question related to the politics thing: if your relevant experience includes work on political campaigns, is it OK to mention who the campaign was for? Is it OK to include volunteer work for a certain candidate in that section?
no subject
Date: 2011-01-07 02:10 am (UTC)On the other hand, the more political work you do the more qualified you are to move up the campaign ladder.
no subject
Date: 2011-01-07 06:58 pm (UTC)Once you get an interview, you can be more specific because you're going to frame it in a palatable way. Obviously don't be like, "Yes I worked for Candidate X because I hate those liberal terrorists/conservative fascists she's trying to save this great nation from", *EVEN IF* it seems like the interviewer agrees with you! If the interviewer lets slip something of their own political opinions, it's tempting to jump in, but if you say something that rubs them the wrong way, there's no taking it back.
It also wouldn't hurt to say something like, "I don't bring my politics to the workplace with me, I respect co-workers whose views differ from mine", etc. Even if the boss does agree with your views, chances are they don't want the employees potentially arguing with each other.
From the other side of it, sometimes interviewers will try to get a general read on your political attitudes by asking something that sounds vague, like "Our workplace is very diverse, does that seem like something you'd be comfortable with?" Of course every candidate will say yes, but the point is to see how you say it. There may even be more than one "right answer". The person who says "Yes, that sounds just perfect for me" with a big smile, and the person who says "Yes, I'm a live-and-let-live kind of guy" and seems to genuinely mean it, may both get hired, but the implications of their answers are very different.
This is a tricky area and one I wish wasn't such a big deal, but political conflicts between co-workers can turn very ugly, so I understand the motivation to try to weed people out on that basis. It's a frustrating issue, as a (potential) employee and an employer.
no subject
Date: 2011-01-07 12:22 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2011-01-07 05:58 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2011-01-07 11:33 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2011-01-07 01:28 am (UTC)Do not draw a picture of yourself and attach it to your resume. Especially do not do this if you are really, really bad at drawing.
Lol'ing forever now.
no subject
Date: 2011-01-07 06:07 pm (UTC)Yes, exactly. You *want* to get hired someplace that you'll fit in and do well, and the employer wants that too. Any kind of deception in an interview can only work against that.
I really wish I still had the bad drawing from the guy's resume. We kept it in the HR files but I never got around to scanning it.
no subject
Date: 2011-01-07 02:13 am (UTC)Thanks for this. Appropriate timing.