Job Interview Tips

Hello Dopers,

My wife has an interview on Thursday for what may very well be the “dream job” – working in the town we would like to live in, helping kids/teens, using her degree/experience, and paying well. She’s freaking out (slightly and understandably) but we have been working on finding interview tips. She bought a new suit for the occasion (basically because nothing fits after being pregnant) and has started putting together a few things.

She gathered all the information she could about the organization, mostly from websites and papers they have at local schools, and has started studying a little. She put together a portfolio including reference letters, transcripts, honors certificates, resume, the cover letter she sent, and the job posting information, plus some other things.

We’ve both been through interviews before, but I won’t lie, I’m nervous for her. This is a little different than interviews I’ve had - my last one consisted of the boss of my boss walking into the interview, introducing himself, and taking me out to lunch so he could talk about what kind of scheduling would work out. I just am looking for basic interview tips - things to look for, things to mention, things not to mention, and things to be ready for. It’s been a while since she’s interviewed anywhere (at least a year or two) and I need help from you Dopers…

Brendon Small

When your potential boss asks you, “where do you see yourself in five years?” Don’t say, “doing your job.”

She needs to be ready for the ‘what are your weaknesses’ question, every interview I’ve had lately has included it.

And show an interest in the company - what makes it different to similar companies, what are its challenges in the next five years, what’s it doing to get there? Management love talking about their company so it will give a favourable impression.

I like to ask a few questions.

“what are the goals of the position in 3 months? in 6?” I try and ask this as early as possible. That way I can tailor all my answers afterward with that framework in mind.

At the end I like to ask
" Do you have any reservations about hiring me/recommending me to the hiring manager? I ask because I’d like the chance to address any that you may have."

We’ve discussed the “weakness” question, and she has some (IMO) decent answers to it. The things we know about the company are very little, but that may change on Wednesday. A family member of mine has worked with the Director of the program and is going to talk to my wife about actually working through the program and such. I trust this person because they have been there since the organization moved into the area, worked side-by-side with them for years (organization is juvenile corrections, relative worked as an admin. for the local schools).

She’s been trying to learn as much as possible about the organization, mostly for her own benefit, but also so she can discuss it in the interview.

Brendon Small

She should also be prepared for some behavioral-type questions. “Can you give me an example of a time when you had to work with a difficult client, and how you handled it…Can you give me an example of a time when you showed initiative on the job”, etc etc.

Smile, smile, smile. Everyone is more attractive if they look happy.

You don’t have to answer right away. A few minutes to think about an answer is OK. It won’t make you look stupid and may help you answer correctly.

Sometimes it is better to say: “I don’t know, but I do know how to find out” than it is to BS your way to a wrong answer.

Smile.

I can’t stress this enough but know as much about the company and the position as possible. As an interviewer, there’s no bigger turnoff than to have a candidate who appears to have no idea who we are and what we do.

Don’t bullshit any questions you don’t know. You’ll still come across as not knowing the answer, but now you’ll also appear dishonest.

  1. Turn up early; it gives a good impression and avoids you getting flustered.

  2. (As Khadajhi said) smile and be honest. If you don’t know, say so.

  3. As you’re doing, prepare some research. This shows you are genuinely interested.

  4. (As Harmonix said) Have a question or two of your own ready for the end. I like to ask what the pension plan is (it shows I want a career with the company!)

  5. It’s difficult not to get nervous when a great opportunity comes up.
    Would your wife benefit from a little practice interview? Is there a relaxation technique she could use whilst waiting to go in?

  6. Some people like to consider alternatives, so you realise this is not your last chance to get a job. Is your wife the sort who would feel more confident knowing there were other fish to fry?

Good luck!

I think the biggest turnoff is someone who comes across as a jerk. I can teach someone who comes off as flexible and intelligent. Someone who comes off as inflexible and difficult - doesn’t matter what you know.

(In the U.S. don’t ask about a pension plan unless its a government agency - defined benefit pensions are rare and you don’t want to sound like you are only looking for a job that has a pension associated with it.).

Don’t underestimate your in with your family member. Make sure the family member mentions to the Director how excited you wife is with the opportunity to interview.

An addition on the behavioral questions, don’t be afraid to work your specific examples into answers for more general questions. If they say “How would you resolve a conflict between two clients?” an answer like “I’d blah blah blah. For example, when I was a camp counselor for teens blah blah blah.” It adds credibility to your response if you’ve actually done it, not just read about what to do.

I would leave all questions about pay and benefits until after they make you an offer. Devote the interview 100% to convincing them to make you an offer. Then ask any questions still lingering to clear up whether you take the job. This also includes questions about schedule flexibility and time off.

However, consider how to respond to the salary question if it is asked. It is really not in your best interest to name a figure, but you don’t want to be flustered. If you can get them to name a range and you say that you’d be fine with something in that range, that’s probably a good thing to shoot for. Or to say “I’ve seen similar positions advertised in the range of $X to Y. That’s about what I’m looking for.” Government positions often have a set range. It’s also possible they will say they have to hire at the bottom of the range. That’s often in fact the case, either because of their budget or because they can only go above that if the candidate was already doing the same job for more pay.

Fun fact. Be excruciatingly clean, but don’t wear perfume or cologne. There have actually done studies where scent has only a negative effect on interview outcomes. Something in the interviewer’s primordial lizard brain doesn’t like it.

I just went through a series of interviews after having the same job for 10 years, most of which I feel I choked on, so I’m probably the last person who should be offering advice on what to say. Despite my deer in the headlights Psycho violin music interviewing experiences I managed to get a couple of job offers.

These are interviews where I had 5 to 8 interviews over most of the day. Give me enough rope…

I had questions like “suppose a co-worker came into your office and saw a picture and told you that she was offended by it. What would you do?”

“So, What are looking for?”

“What accomplishment are you most proud of?”

“How do you deal with a difficult co-worker/someone you had a personality conflict with/someone who’s messing up your deadline” is an old chestnut.

One guy pretty much spent the interview at a small table smiling at me. Ok, I guess I need to start asking questions.

“So, you seem like a…‘nice guy’”. Is that good? Bad? Is this part of the test?

“If I asked your former supervisor, what would she say were your uh…areas where you needed improvement?”

“What makes you stand out from other candidates?”

Questions about how I handle conflicting projects and setting priorities always came up.

Questions about how I got to where I am came up. Not only why am I no longer working at my previous job but how did I get from what I did in college to what I’m doing now.

Most questions seem pretty easy until it’s hour five into the interview and diving out the window seems like it would be a hoot especially if I landed on that table down there where those people are eating. I could be a legend!

One thing that stressed me out was when an HR guy interviewed me in his cubicle which was much less private than the conference rooms and offices I was accustomed to. Especially because HR asks alot of the behavioral questions the answers to which I don’t like broadcasting to whoever might be within earshot.

Best of luck to your wife.

But don’t raise it in the interview unless they bring it up first. A lot of managers don’t like feeling like they are only interview you because you are someone’s son/sister/cousin. I had one candidate who kept dropping another directors name until finally I’m like “enough all ready”.

See I always like knowing what position and salary range I’ll be interviewing for. I don’t want take time off from work and spend hours interviewing only to find out the job is for $30K less than my current salary. If they can’t tell you that before you go to the interview, they are likely a “churn & burn” outfit that hires all levels of people constantly because they burn through them in 18 months (which actually might be fine at junior levels if its a big name firm). It’s not like they are going to suprise you by paying twice the market wage.

I wouldn’t do this. You’re there to find out what they want and if you would fit in doing it, not what benefits you’ll get. That’s for the second interview when you are hammering out those details.

Definitely have some follow-up questions, especially ones that expand on what you have been talking about since it shows you have been engaged in the conversation. I usually take in a notebook and take notes, and in the notebook I list a few follow-up questions ahead of time. Some of them may get answered along the way but there’s usually a couple left over.

My thing is, be positive. For example, I learned through social service work that I suck at casework and am much better at administrative stuff. I would never say anything directly negative about my casework experience, but I would say I found I thrive at supporting organizations through admin work. When I did casework, the organization provided little to no support for us at the front lines. Rather than say that, I would mention that I am looking for a place where the org supports its workers at all levels.

Oftentimes my current position is dictating what I don’t want to see in the new one. Spin this into positive inquiries about the prospective employer or manager, or work it into your desires for the new gig. For example, if you hate being micromanaged, emphasize that you enjoy taking the initiative and working independently while still having resources available to give feedback on your work. Just don’t express the negative version of this.

Practical details: Ditto on no scents. It’s distracting and you never know if you’re going to get someone very sensitive to chemicals. Get there early but not crazy-early; no more than ten minutes. Have a couple of extra copies of your resume in case they call in someone else and didn’t make copies.

It sounds like she is very well-prepared and conscientious about it. Are there any specifics that are making you nervous, or just the idea that a dream job is riding on this? I can’t tell you not to be nervous because I get crazy-nervous. :o

Oh, and as far as the research you’ve done on the organization: They sometimes summarize what they’re up to in telling you about how the position fits in, and here you can add the things you have read that are most important to you. This sounds like it might be a social services job?? so being able to talk about how you identify with the mission of the organization and would like to be part of a place doing that kind of work, etc.
(“you” shorthand for Mrs. Small)

In your field of consulting I think your attitude is appropriate. Everyone involved has a pretty good idea what your skills are worth in dollar terms, a lot is negotiable, and there are lots of comparable positions. No, you don’t want to be caught in the wrong net on a fishing expedition. But I’d still say, once you know they are considering you for a position at least comparable to your current one, keep any real negotiating for after you get the offer. Preferably with at least one other competing offer :slight_smile:

But I get the feeling the OP is about an unemployed/ new grad type person, looking for a government job, and already considers the position to “pay well.” Asking pay and benefits questions is probably not the best foot to put forward for her.

She’s already done what I like to do, which is have a brand new outfit. Somehow that gives me a confident attitude. Another little mental trick I got from HoosierDaddy is to have a big wad of cash in your pocket - just to give the internal sense of “I don’t NEED this job - they need me and all my skillz”.

Social services exactly. Like I said, she is now with a decent job, we just don’t want to be in the area and she is getting a little burnt out on it (mostly because of the “We’re a non-profit, so we may not be here next week” attitude). She has a BA in Sociology and is finishing a MA in Criminal Justice. Next she is starting a Ph.D. but not for another year. She’s been working in her field (not just working in an office or whatever) for a little over a year, and done very well at that.

We want to move mostly to be near family, which means we would be planning on staying for a long time. Another thing to note is the area they are in (the average person has a HS diploma or less - I think less than 5% have a MA or MS) so the fact that she has that and wants to be in that area (even if it means making a little less) seems like it would be a positive.

Of course, this job is not something we desperately need, just a position in the area we want. I can take my work with me (I’m doing more and more freelance work and can get a part-time job at a few places back there). The preacher that married us actually talked to the director today - he hired me to design their website and had mentioned to the director that I was still looking for new projects (in web design) - the director brought up my wife as far as “how is she as a person?” questions.

AHoosierMama - she just tried the suit on again with the full outfit - looked nice. Now she’s laughing about the money thing, but it’s true - we could stay in our house now and be perfectly fine with our jobs we have now, but a move would be a fun change and they could hire her…

Brendon

When you’re finished answering the question, stop. Even if the interviewer pauses, stop. That three second pause seems a lot longer to you than it really is, and opening your mouth further may give you a place to put your foot.

Something about benefits that may be good in a first interview. If they have information about them in their webpage, you may ask about a specific one, preferably if there’s one that’s unusual (for example, it’s about the only company in the area that offers daycare onsite). It shows you’ve read the webpage.

If your face hurts from smiling, smile less. You don’t need to look like a Colgate ad by Tom Cruise; trying too hard is likely to make you look more like Cruella deVil.