A question NOT about pick up. Want some pointers for a job interview I may have missed.

VasiliyZaitzev · 2015-08-14T21:11:09+00:00

It has been a long time, years actually, since I was sitting on the "candidate" side of the interview desk, but I've sat on the "Employer" side a lot, more recently, so here are my top few:

Read up on your potential employer and know something about their business so you can answer this question: "What do you know about [name of business]?" I ask that as an opener, b/c it will relax a preparted candidate, and if someone can't be bothered to know even basic info about a hiring firm, why waste time with them?
Be ready to answer this question:

"Why should I hire you?"

Have some reasons (three or four), that you can tick off. If they don't ask you this, when it is your turn to ask questions, ask this one FOR THEM as your next to last question...and then give them the reasons. I am going to ask that question and, while you don't have to blow me away (although that would be ok), you should have something to say for yourself. Which leads me to....

When the time comes for you to ask them questions, have some to ask. A couple of general ones would include the expectations for the person filling the role on, on Day 1, what the interview wishes ran better around the company, etc. You can google more appropriate ones for your situation.
My last question is usually this: "Is there anything we have discussed today that you want a fuller discussion of? Is there anything on my resume, that you perceive as a weakness that I can address for you now?" This slays b/c either they hear themselves day "No, you have no weaknesses" or, if you do have one--and if you do, be PREPARED to address it--then you get a chance to tell your side of the story.
Stay loose. You're not getting married, it's just a job interview. Abundance mentality.

Good luck!

spoetnick · 2015-08-14T22:59:06+00:00

Don't be afraid to negotiate. Where I live a lot of people are uncomfortable to talk about money and in my social circle there even are people who don't ask about the pay at all during the interview.

On every serious job that I've had I've been able to increase my salary or at least get some sort of benefit. Worst case scenario is that your interviewer can't or won't negotiate, which doesn't cost you anything.

/u/vasilyzaitzev adressed this, but abundance mentality can't be stressed enough. If the job isn't what you want or your reward is too low, don't be afraid to walk away. This state of mind calms my nerves before the interview and I know I will either get a nice job that meets my expectations or I don't get stuck with a job that I don't like or that doesn't value my time.

Good luck!

TheDarkTriad · 2015-08-15T00:07:20+00:00

One thing to keep in mind is that you can have all of the qualifications they're looking for but if the rapport between you and the interviewer isn't good then it's less likely you'll get the job.

Make small talk to the interviewer. Make it more of a conversation with each other rather than a typical interview. One great trick I discovered is if they ask the typical interview question, "Tell me about yourself". Answer the question the way you should (talk about your past work history and skills). At the end of the interview when they ask if you have any questions ask "Can you tell me a little about yourself? As they tell you about themselves ask them questions about what they're saying. Get them to elaborate. Look them in the eyes and show them you're really into what they're saying. Try to drag this conversation out to 5 minutes or so, longer if you can.

This works because people are narcissistic. Everyone loves to talk about themselves and made feel like they're special. I got the general idea of this from the book "How to Win Friends and Influence People". It's an incredibly helpful book in all aspects of life. I highly recommend everyone read it.

I used this method at a recent job interview and they loved me by the end of the interview. I got the job. Obviously this isn't some super secret trick to get any job you interview for. You have to have the skills/qualifications too. But stuff like this can really put the icing on the cake.

The takeaway here is to make sure you give the interviewer a good vibe about you. People always seem to forget that interviews are heavily based on feels, not just how well you answer questions.

moresmarterthanyou · 2015-08-15T03:49:42+00:00

I'd be happy to help you, i own the website www.polishmyresume.com and i do interview coaching. Real quick. Dress appropriately for the job interview (one level above the position your interviewing for). Firm handshake, sit up straight, do research about the company and come with a set of thoughtful questions about the position.

Title	A question NOT about pick up. Want some pointers for a job interview I may have missed.
Author	TheGoldenJ00
Upvotes	3
Comments	12
Date	August 14, 2015 8:49 PM UTC (10 years ago)
Subreddit	Posted in /r/askTRP
Original Link	https://old.reddit.com/r/asktrp/comments/3h0szf/a_question_not_about_pick_up_want_some_pointers/
Archive Link	https://theredarchive.com/r/askTRP/a-question-not-about-pick-up-want-some-pointers.152439 https://theredarchive.com/post/152439

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