interview help needed

[tpking]

Y

 

[86ford]

alright just got a interview and the woman said its a formal interview .. does the mean polo shirt and slacks it work or what?

NO

Find/buy a dress shirt, slacks and a tie. Ideally a suit. Everything needs to be pressed and clean.

86

 

[BlackBII]

Yeah, shirt and tie. Suit if possible.

 

[97ranger4x4]

lol, a suit is perfectly manly. Personally I love wearing mine. I wear mine any chance I get. It lets me feel like a bad ass. What is the job for?

 

[rjppunk]

james bond wears a suit, the transporter wears a suit, oceans 11 12 and 13 brad pitt and george clooney wear suits. It's pretty common now to wear suits and be a badass

 

[Doofy]

It never hurts to make a good first impression. Personally, I could never work a job that required a suit,but, that's just me. Been that way since the military, can't stand anything around my neck. I can't even wear a tee shirt because they are to tight around the neck.

 

[Doofy]

Good Luck! Be positive and make good eye contact.

 

[97ranger4x4]

It never hurts to make a good first impression. Personally, I could never work a job that required a suit,but, that's just me. Been that way since the military, can't stand anything around my neck. I can't even wear a tee shirt because they are to tight around the neck.

Yeh I understand how alot of people are uncomfortable with suits. But to be honest, I have had job interview where I wore a suit to the interview, but the job itself I wore a Tshirt and jeans.

 

[BlackBII]

I am now in my first office job, been in construction my whole life.

It is very boring compared to the construction, but, you don't have to go home all dirty and tired. I now have enough energy to go to the gym after work.

I like it better, and I can sit and bs on TRS all day.

 

[97ranger4x4]

the job is for some an insurance company.. i hope i get it pay is really good and would be a cake job never had a office job most my jobs have been construction lol

So what type of job is it? Entry level or would you become an insurance agent? I interviewed for a job for Northwestern Mutual and realized it was for an actual insurance agent position (internship). I was like well it beats what I am doing now, well 6 months later I said forget this, I am not into sales. But at least I found out while I was 21 rather than 40s trying to make a career change. Just make sure to do your research before the interview. It always is impressive when you come prepared!

 

[Rico]

Dress better than your boss or manager. What's the worst that can happen? You get complimented? Remember your in a contest for money and you've got to beat the other guy for the position. Don't look like this....

 

[Legend]

One of my employees had to relocate because of his wife's job. He did well in his new job and became a supervisor. When he had to hire an employee, he asked me how I went about interviewing because he still remembered his interview with me. So I told him, I try to put the applicant into as many different situations as possible during the interview to find out:

Are they ethical?
Can they solve problems?
Will they work as a team?
Can they take criticism?
How will they react to stress?
Will they admit mistakes and learn from them?
Will they lie and bluff their way through stuff they don’t really know?
Will they accept responsibility?
Will they take the initiative?
Are they ethical?
Will they push the blame for failure on someone else?
Will they grab the credit for other’s success?
Are they leaders or followers (and what do you want)?
Are they ethical?
What do they already know?
What will you have to teach them?
Can they learn it?
Do they learn quickly?
Are they ethical?
Is this someone you will enjoy working with?
Will it be profitable for your company to hire them? i.e., are you positive you can sell their services for more than you have to pay them, including fringes, training, etc.?
Are they ethical?
Why are they wanting to work for you? Can’t find a job elsewhere for some reason? Why? Are you paying above market? The only game in town? Do they perceive opportunity? If so, can you continue to provide it so they don’t absorb all you can teach them and then leave?
What does it take to offend them? And then how do they react?
Do they like diversity and challenge?
Are they “productive” individuals?
Are they ethical?
What is important to them?
What doesn’t matter much to them?
Then urge them to tell you all about themselves. During this phase you can do things like interrupt their story and try to drag them off on a rabbit trail and see if they deal with it and then come back to where they were or get lost?
They will likely blurt out something that you actually know in much greater detail than they actually do. Keep probing at that area and see how they react when their expertise is stretched or even impugned?
Tell then you don’t believe something they said and see how they react?
Give them a problem to solve and see what they do with it. Follow their logic and problem solving technique. Resist the urge to guide them - just let them go and see where they wind up.

I think if you are lucky enough to run into someone with some interviewing skills, you will probably be confronted with questions and comments that will expose all or most of your weaknesses and strengths. But you should at a minimum, be prepared to answer questions about all of the above.

 

[97ranger4x4]

One of my employees had to relocate because of his wife's job. He did well in his new job and became a supervisor. When he had to hire an employee, he asked me how I went about interviewing because he still remembered his interview with me. So I told him, I try to put the applicant into as many different situations as possible during the interview to find out:

Are they ethical?
Can they solve problems?
Will they work as a team?
Can they take criticism?
How will they react to stress?
Will they admit mistakes and learn from them?
Will they lie and bluff their way through stuff they don’t really know?
Will they accept responsibility?
Will they take the initiative?
Are they ethical?
Will they push the blame for failure on someone else?
Will they grab the credit for other’s success?
Are they leaders or followers (and what do you want)?
Are they ethical?
What do they already know?
What will you have to teach them?
Can they learn it?
Do they learn quickly?
Are they ethical?
Is this someone you will enjoy working with?
Will it be profitable for your company to hire them? i.e., are you positive you can sell their services for more than you have to pay them, including fringes, training, etc.?
Are they ethical?
Why are they wanting to work for you? Can’t find a job elsewhere for some reason? Why? Are you paying above market? The only game in town? Do they perceive opportunity? If so, can you continue to provide it so they don’t absorb all you can teach them and then leave?
What does it take to offend them? And then how do they react?
Do they like diversity and challenge?
Are they “productive” individuals?
Are they ethical?
What is important to them?
What doesn’t matter much to them?
Then urge them to tell you all about themselves. During this phase you can do things like interrupt their story and try to drag them off on a rabbit trail and see if they deal with it and then come back to where they were or get lost?
They will likely blurt out something that you actually know in much greater detail than they actually do. Keep probing at that area and see how they react when their expertise is stretched or even impugned?
Tell then you don’t believe something they said and see how they react?
Give them a problem to solve and see what they do with it. Follow their logic and problem solving technique. Resist the urge to guide them - just let them go and see where they wind up.

I think if you are lucky enough to run into someone with some interviewing skills, you will probably be confronted with questions and comments that will expose all or most of your weaknesses and strengths. But you should at a minimum, be prepared to answer questions about all of the above.

Sounds like you give one hell of an interview!
May I ask where you work and what you do? I will be graduating with a BS in business and am looking to get some interviews lined up over the next semester.

 

[Legend]

I am retired now. Worked for places like Allied Signal, Bell & Howell and had my own business for years. What an interviewer is (or at least should be) trying to accomplish is to learn all that they possibly can about you in 1 or 2 hours to determine whether you have the skills and attitude they need, what sort of work ethic you have and whether you will be a good fit with them and the other employees. That's tough to do in a couple of hours. I would generally go longer than 20 years without having to fire an employee and had very few leave. I took that to be evidence of successful interviews.

I think it is also the interviewer's responsibility to convey all that same information (and expectations) about the company, your supervisor to be and the other employees, because the average interviewee probably doesn't have the skills to dig out all the information they need to make sure they will be happy in this job.

 

[97RangerXLT]

Legend has some good advice.

Here is some more.

Get a haircut the day before, even if it is just to trim it up. make sure you are clean shaven (or your beard/mustache is neatly trimmed)

Wear matching belt and shoes. if the shoes are black, the belt must be black. (see, us guys get to accessorize too )

make sure that the shoes are cleaned and shined up. make sure your "gig line" is lined up (the strip of your button down shirt should be in line with your belt buckle and the trouser fly

ok, enough of the fashion police... and no I am not gay

Now the thing you need to do the night before the interview is research research research! get on the companies website if they have one and look at their history, who thier cutomers are. Go in with this knowledge and you will impress them. Make sure you think of some questions to ask them too. When they ask you: "Do you have any questions?" make sure you have some. this will tell the interviewers that you are interested in the company, and it will feel like a two sided interveiw instead of them doing all the questions. Plus you will learn more about the job and know if you want to accept it when they make you an offer.

Go in with several copies of your resume. they will have one, but it is nice to be able to give them an updated version and give copies to the other interviewees that might not have a copy.

Remember when you go in, that is the impression that they are going to form of you. make it a positive one. give good eye contact, be courteous to everyone, including the cleaning lady or receptionist. they might be there as the first part of your interview. how you interact with the "peons" will be noted.

During the interview, take a notebook and take notes. write down the names and positions of each person that interviews you. jot down things that you learn about the position that you might want to revisit in a second interview, or ask about later. be prepared to answer some questions that you have no clue how to handle. be honest, tell them you are not sure how to do that, but you will research it and get back with them. (and do it, they will probably ask it again in a second interview)

After the interview, be sure to thank all interviewees for their time, and send them a "thank you card" in the mail addressed to each interviewee a few days later. This will show your professionalism.

Never ever discuss wages, compensation or other benefits until they make you an offer. This again will show your professionalism.

Good luck,

AJ