My interview

[dulaney0330]

I've been out of work for almost 3 months and I finally have a promising lead, an interview, next week at a rehabilitation facility for those with serious mental illness.

I have attempted to pursue a career with this facility in January and March, but I have only met dead ends. After some emotional and mental breakthroughs and prayer, I received a call for an interview.

Although thrilled, the pressure is on and I already have a good feeling about the position and the people who work there (I have visited the site in earlier months).

I have overviewed company information and their mission statement. I have printed off common questions asked during an interview.

I am in conflict between doubt, insecurity, excitement and the need to be perfect during this interview. I do not doubt I am capable of the job. I doubt I will impress!

What are some of the most helpful tips and advice you have experienced? What "oops!" have you learned from?

Any creative analogies to use when thinking of an interview setting?

[SatvikBeri]

Practice. Practice, practice, practice.

The most important question is the "Tell me a bit about yourself question" where you give a 5-minute summary of your background and why you're a great fit for the position. You should know every one of the points you'll give in your answer to this question by heart.

Prepare the other talking points that you want to get across during the interview. These should basically be stories of your past successes spun in a way that's related to the field. You can use these stories to answer questions like "What's your experience with <blank>", "Why are you the best candidate?", etc.

Remember, an interview is an opportunity for you to sell yourself-so pick the points that you're going to sell and make sure you know them well.

As for practice, interview with a friend if you can, or a career office if you have access to one. Try not to do it with your partner as that can actually screw you up.

Also practice in front of a mirror. Don't memorize the answers you'll give to questions word for word, but make sure you can deliver those answers well. Practice the answer to the "who are you question" at least a few times each day, and practice the answers to other questions as well.

Look up some really weird/hard questions and practice answering. Your interviewers probably won't ask you anything weird like "What color are you?", but having that sort of practice will give you more confidence at the interview.

If you're into visualization, imagine yourself giving a perfect interview a few times. Imagine the interviewers asking some questions, you giving the perfect answers, the interviewer being really impressed. This will condition you to be in the right frame of mind during the actual interview.

Good luck!

[dulaney0330]

Originally Posted by SatvikBeri

Practice. Practice, practice, practice.

The most important question is the "Tell me a bit about yourself question" where you give a 5-minute summary of your background and why you're a great fit for the position. You should know every one of the points you'll give in your answer to this question by heart.

Prepare the other talking points that you want to get across during the interview. These should basically be stories of your past successes spun in a way that's related to the field. You can use these stories to answer questions like "What's your experience with <blank>", "Why are you the best candidate?", etc.

Remember, an interview is an opportunity for you to sell yourself-so pick the points that you're going to sell and make sure you know them well.

As for practice, interview with a friend if you can, or a career office if you have access to one. Try not to do it with your partner as that can actually screw you up.

Also practice in front of a mirror. Don't memorize the answers you'll give to questions word for word, but make sure you can deliver those answers well. Practice the answer to the "who are you question" at least a few times each day, and practice the answers to other questions as well.

Look up some really weird/hard questions and practice answering. Your interviewers probably won't ask you anything weird like "What color are you?", but having that sort of practice will give you more confidence at the interview.

If you're into visualization, imagine yourself giving a perfect interview a few times. Imagine the interviewers asking some questions, you giving the perfect answers, the interviewer being really impressed. This will condition you to be in the right frame of mind during the actual interview.

Good luck!

Thanks for the post. Helpful, especially the visualization part which tends to be my weakness.

What is the best response for "tell me about yourself?" Would it be helpful to start in college? Where I was born?

It seems there are a variety of opinions on this and I am still in the process of determining which answer most suits me.

[SatvikBeri]

Originally Posted by dulaney0330

Thanks for the post. Helpful, especially the visualization part which tends to be my weakness.

What is the best response for "tell me about yourself?" Would it be helpful to start in college? Where I was born?

It seems there are a variety of opinions on this and I am still in the process of determining which answer most suits me.

Remember, you're selling yourself. So you basically want to frame your response in a way that positions you for the job. That may mean starting from your birth or from your work experience. My first job was at an Apparel company that cared a lot about global fashion, so I mentioned that I was born in India, have been to several countries, and have moved around quite a bit. Normally I start around college though.

For example, I was applying to a position recently where Mathematical modeling, building reports, and communication skills were very important. Here was my rough answer:

"I’ve always enjoyed Math and teaching. I enjoyed learning so much that I finished high school when I was 15, and graduated from UC Berkeley with Honors and 24 units of graduate courses when I was 19. During my education I’ve always been working on my teaching and communication skills-I’ve done dozens of tutoring assignments for a variety of audiences and I even joined the debate club to practice my public speaking skills. I also started working with programming and Statistical Modeling in college. I made statistical models as a Research Assistant using SAS, for a paper that was published in Nature, one of the top scientific journals.

After graduating I used those skills at an apparel company called <blank>. I built a variety of reports for different projects, including optimizing the inventory layout in our warehouse, cleaning up our receivables and collecting $850,000 that might have been lost, setting up basic risk analytics for B2B customers, and more. I really enjoyed that job and learned a lot, but had to leave when my wife started graduate school at the University of <blank> (which was 3,000 miles away).

Afterwards, I worked at..."

Note the basic traits. I start with a few of my strengths. Those happen to be points that are highly relevant to the job (Mathematical modeling and communication skills) phrased in a believable way (Math and teaching).

Then I transition into explaining how I used/developed those strengths, as well as including things that sound good and are relevant. There are other accomplishments that I could include, but those wouldn't be as relevant to the job.

I then go into my work experience, tailoring it to the job as much as possible. I also leave out the parts of my experience that don't matter. I explain why I left the job, emphasizing the fact that I did enjoy the job but had to leave due to XYZ reason.

Then I repeat a similar description for my next job.

Note that I definitely wouldn't say the above word-for-word, or even come close. I just practiced writing my answer up so that I could figure out what the most important points were. I might add or drop points depending on who I'm interviewing with and what they tell me about the job.

[jacare]

As a Consultant i've been on scores of interviews.

Always ask for the job at the end. Daon't leave them wondering.

[Lioness]

Originally Posted by jacare

Always ask for the job at the end. Daon't leave them wondering.

I've read this advice before so it must be sound. But why would they be wondering if you want the job after you've sweated through an interview? Do they think you suddenly changed your mind?

I would also say to do a couple of mock interviews with your husband or a friend. You can't prepare too much. I recently made the mistake of thinking I didn't want to sound too rehearsed and that I could mostly wing it and be spontaneously and natural. It didn't work out too well!

Also, engage the receptionist and the interviewer as real people, if the opportunity arises. As Erin explains in this article, How I Got Every Job I Ever Wanted out of all the competition, be the one they would enjoy working with and/or the one who can solve an immediate problem.

[jacare]

Asking for the job doesn't in of itself guarantee you get the job. What it does is set you apart from the rest. It proves you *really* want the job.

I've interviewed plenty of people also. And you can tell they are doing it for the money, doing it because they have to, or whatever. And they come off as wishy washy and mediocre.

I've won interviews at about 20 of the Fortune 50 companies for high paying consulting gigs, and I'm currently at one right now, a financial company.

[Angelique]

How I Got Every Job I Ever Wanted

[dulaney0330]

Originally Posted by jacare

Asking for the job doesn't in of itself guarantee you get the job. What it does is set you apart from the rest. It proves you *really* want the job.

I've interviewed plenty of people also. And you can tell they are doing it for the money, doing it because they have to, or whatever. And they come off as wishy washy and mediocre.

I've won interviews at about 20 of the Fortune 50 companies for high paying consulting gigs, and I'm currently at one right now, a financial company.

Can you describe your experiences of your best interviews and how you asked for the job?

[jacare]

Originally Posted by dulaney0330

Can you describe your experiences of your best interviews and how you asked for the job?

I've been hired by numerous Fortune 100 financial firms (Citi, JPMC, etc.), and many brand name companies (PepsiCo, McDonalds, etc.). I would say my success rate is about 90% when I interview with a VP a bit lower with mid level managers.

An interview at its root is a sales call. You are selling your services. Sales techniques apply, because they work. So at the end of every interview I *always* say "This sounds like a great job, I hope you decide to hire me, because I want this job" or some variation of that which sounds natural to you.

I'm not saying it works 100% or is the deciding factor, but all things being equal it will stand out in their mind when they are deciding between you and another candidate. You are there to close a sale, not to be coy. Don't assume they know your agenda. You want the job, they have the job, you are asking them for it.

Other things are to mirror the interviewer, to have good strong eye contact (that is natural), to have good posture, to avoid off color humor or remarks, have impeccable grooming (appearance means a lot, people will tend to hire based on attractiveness). Those are the things you can control. You never know what their agenda is, so you can't control all factors, but the ones you can control - you do.

They will ask you if you have any questions for them, you have to prepare for that in case your mind goes blank. Ask them questions specific to their company to show you did a little research. Ask them questions about what features they are looking for in this candidate, and why they were putting out the job offer (find out their need, then address it)

The other main thing is sales is to not necessary obsess over a single opportunity. You must generate more interviews and more opportunities. What this does is allow you to me more natural and relaxed because you have other options. While this may not really be the case, convince yourself it is before you go. That's the mental prep side of things. Get into a positive, confident mental state before you leave, and make sure the words running through your brain are positive and empowering.

That's what I know, hope it helps! Good Luck!

[danthony]

You are doing everything right imo, just make sure to not get too excited in the interview. Stay confident, yet calm. Let them know what you can do for their business, come up with some clear benefits that can really make a difference in the interview. Just my two cents

[dulaney0330]

Thanks to both posters.

Well, I doubt I got the job with Arundel Lodge since I haven't heard anything.

The good news is that the interview I went to at a Montassouri school went really well. I am going back on Wednesday for an observation of the children and I hope that they hire me!

One of the most important things at a job is the people who work there. They are so compassionate, soft spoken, respectful. I love it!

They liked that I had a psychology degree and I am interested in child psychology. I can't think of a more fulfilling job than this one.

Unlike the last interview, I am pretty sure I am going to get this job. It's a matter of hoping they like me above all the other people being interviewed.

[dulaney0330]

I feel like the only sure way for me to get a job is to know someone. Most of my friends who have great jobs knew someone. It wasn't about the interview, what they did or didn't say, but rather something outside themselves.

And I think back to Erin's blog about getting every job she had wanted and I feel so lowly compared to her. I feel like theres nothing special in me to get these jobs.

[LostMyMap]

Originally Posted by dulaney0330

I feel like theres nothing special in me to get these jobs.

Not true. Well unless you keep thinking that. Remember we are still not out of the recession. I heard this morning that employment numbers are not moving. Better than going down, but still, who knows how many people apply for the same jobs? I'm just saying, cut yourself a little slack in this area.

Like I said before, people hire people, not resumes. And as you see, there reasons are very subjective, and not usually shown. You are the exact right person for some job out there, it's just a numbers game at this point, how many interviews can you get going.

I forget, did you say you got someone to do mock interviews with you, or was that someone else?

[dulaney0330]

Originally Posted by LostMyMap

Not true. Well unless you keep thinking that. Remember we are still not out of the recession. I heard this morning that employment numbers are not moving. Better than going down, but still, who knows how many people apply for the same jobs? I'm just saying, cut yourself a little slack in this area.

Like I said before, people hire people, not resumes. And as you see, there reasons are very subjective, and not usually shown. You are the exact right person for some job out there, it's just a numbers game at this point, how many interviews can you get going.

I forget, did you say you got someone to do mock interviews with you, or was that someone else?

Thanks for your post. It's true that thinking this is not effective but it so dang hard to turn that off.

When I didn't get the Arundel Lodge job, I didn't take it personally. I was a bit relieved not to get it because I wanted to do something different. But this last interview, I really wanted the job. The people who worked there were so kind.

I did practice the interview with my husband. However, my anxiety levels are so high during an interview, it's difficult to appear composed and calm. The pressure to get a job increases each day and the stress of it is taking its toll.

My last option would be working at a Christian daycare center with my mother in law. It's almost a guarantee job but I've been putting it to the side because of the low pay, no benefits, and is no way a step up with my career.

I wish I just knew what I was meant to do.

[LostMyMap]

I can't say enough about doing mock interviews. Spouses may not be the best one for that because of the relationship. If you could get a friend, or maybe even the mother-in-law, someone that will be able to give you feedback objectively. Even better if the person actually interviews as an employer in real life. Plus more practice may help with the anxiety?

[jacare]

Originally Posted by dulaney0330

And I think back to Erin's blog about getting every job she had wanted and I feel so lowly compared to her. I feel like theres nothing special in me to get these jobs.

These forums are about intending, manifesting, creating something. Here's the secret, if you convince yourself of something, you can bend the world to your will. You begin to radiate it, and the external does your bidding, that's what it's all about. I do this on a routine basis. And on a global level (I'm building a global sales network and have customers in 70 countries). I made some outrageous goals at the beginning of the year. And they are coming true.

With your job situation, perhaps you are thinking too small. Maybe you need to sit down and figure out what you REALLY want to do. Then you convince yourself, which is the most important step. Once you believe it to the marrow of your bones, then you go out and you make it happen. You don't send one resume and perseverate over it. You send out 2000 resumes and generate 100 interviews. Then you play them off each other, because you demand it. I do this every time, with incredible and consistent results. This power is within us all, but so few of us actually tap into it, because they don't realize it's there.

[dulaney0330]

Originally Posted by jacare

These forums are about intending, manifesting, creating something. Here's the secret, if you convince yourself of something, you can bend the world to your will. You begin to radiate it, and the external does your bidding, that's what it's all about. I do this on a routine basis. And on a global level (I'm building a global sales network and have customers in 70 countries). I made some outrageous goals at the beginning of the year. And they are coming true.

With your job situation, perhaps you are thinking too small. Maybe you need to sit down and figure out what you REALLY want to do. Then you convince yourself, which is the most important step. Once you believe it to the marrow of your bones, then you go out and you make it happen. You don't send one resume and perseverate over it. You send out 2000 resumes and generate 100 interviews. Then you play them off each other, because you demand it. I do this every time, with incredible and consistent results. This power is within us all, but so few of us actually tap into it, because they don't realize it's there.

Thanks for your encouraging post. Part of me knows that power is there but ultimately its fear and fear of success. There's a lot of fears within me and it quite irritating. I am scared to be a failure but to be a success is scary, too. That would mean I would have it all and I would feel guilty.

It's frustrating when your fears pull you in two different directions and you end up nowhere because of the fear of risk, defeat, failure, rejection.

It's tough to have an attitude, "ok..onward!" and not allow all the rejections to stay with you. While I may move on, I have this attitude "well, they all rejected you. You're just not good enough."

Deep down, I know I can do any job. It's not that. It's that people see something in me that they are not impressed with. My first impressions stink.

I have character, integrity, good work ethic, and I am reliable and dependable. I know what I can do and I've been passionate about it. But, yet I still fall short with these people who interview me.

And a little part says, "see! I told you people didn't like you."

[jacare]

Originally Posted by dulaney0330

to be a success is scary, too. That would mean I would have it all and I would feel guilty.

My first impressions stink.

These are just beliefs. Do these beliefs serve you?

Beliefs are not facts. Beliefs are one perspective, and it can be totally false.

You can install whatever beliefs you want.

[dulaney0330]

Originally Posted by jacare

These are just beliefs. Do these beliefs serve you?

Beliefs are not facts. Beliefs are one perspective, and it can be totally false.

You can install whatever beliefs you want.

I know, I know.

If I were in your shoes, I would be sure to say the same thing. But it feels so true for me. To believe something else would merit,

"Look at the facts! They didn't like your impression! Quit trying to fool yourself!"

I may have to post something in emotional mastery about this. Nah, I don't want to whine anymore.

[SatvikBeri]

Originally Posted by dulaney0330

Thanks for your encouraging post. Part of me knows that power is there but ultimately its fear and fear of success. There's a lot of fears within me and it quite irritating. I am scared to be a failure but to be a success is scary, too. That would mean I would have it all and I would feel guilty.

It's frustrating when your fears pull you in two different directions and you end up nowhere because of the fear of risk, defeat, failure, rejection.

It's tough to have an attitude, "ok..onward!" and not allow all the rejections to stay with you. While I may move on, I have this attitude "well, they all rejected you. You're just not good enough."

Deep down, I know I can do any job. It's not that. It's that people see something in me that they are not impressed with. My first impressions stink.

I have character, integrity, good work ethic, and I am reliable and dependable. I know what I can do and I've been passionate about it. But, yet I still fall short with these people who interview me.

And a little part says, "see! I told you people didn't like you."

Hi Dulaney,

Sorry my advice didn't work out for you. I've searched for a job 3 times. Each time my job search took a long time, longer than anyone I knew-in the last case, it was 6 months before I got my job. Meanwhile people who were less qualified than I was, but with better social skills (mine were terrible!), were getting jobs instantly-and sucking at them. This was really depressing for me. So I really understand how much the rejection hurts.

What really helped me get past the pain was
1. Recognizing that the pain was just a conditioned response and
2. Actively reconditioning my responses.

Logic and willpower just don't work in these situations. When your instinctive response to a job application is fear (as mine was), it's almost impossible to get anything done. I reconditioned myself by listening to Tony Robbins, repeatedly imagining all the good things that could come from a job, getting myself in a very positive emotional state and associating that with applying for jobs/doing interviews, and repeatedly visualizing everything going well.

It was too hard for me to completely break the association of applying for jobs and getting rejected, so I actually conditioned myself to feel good when I thought about rejection. That way, anytime I thought about applying for jobs/doing interviews I felt good.

If this tack interests you, consider checking out Tony Robbins' Personal Power II program (you can probably find it at a local library for free, or somewhere online).

Good luck! Not getting a job means nothing about you as a person. You are still a wonderful, loveable person who is just in a state of temporary struggle.

[dulaney0330]

Originally Posted by SatvikBeri

Hi Dulaney,

Sorry my advice didn't work out for you. I've searched for a job 3 times. Each time my job search took a long time, longer than anyone I knew-in the last case, it was 6 months before I got my job. Meanwhile people who were less qualified than I was, but with better social skills (mine were terrible!), were getting jobs instantly-and sucking at them. This was really depressing for me. So I really understand how much the rejection hurts.

What really helped me get past the pain was
1. Recognizing that the pain was just a conditioned response and
2. Actively reconditioning my responses.

Logic and willpower just don't work in these situations. When your instinctive response to a job application is fear (as mine was), it's almost impossible to get anything done. I reconditioned myself by listening to Tony Robbins, repeatedly imagining all the good things that could come from a job, getting myself in a very positive emotional state and associating that with applying for jobs/doing interviews, and repeatedly visualizing everything going well.

It was too hard for me to completely break the association of applying for jobs and getting rejected, so I actually conditioned myself to feel good when I thought about rejection. That way, anytime I thought about applying for jobs/doing interviews I felt good.

If this tack interests you, consider checking out Tony Robbins' Personal Power II program (you can probably find it at a local library for free, or somewhere online).

Good luck! Not getting a job means nothing about you as a person. You are still a wonderful, loveable person who is just in a state of temporary struggle.

Thanks a lot for your caring and thoughtful post. I always appreciate the effort put into these responses and the willingness to help out a stranger.

I studied thoroughly for this position. I researched the Montassori method, met with my mother in law to go over the interview, and I did everything websites said to do: maintain eye contact, smile, be personable, ask questions about them, look enthusastic about the job, firm handshake, what to say if they ask such and such, be passionate and interested in the job and in the people working there.

I really did all of that and I still fell short. Its understandable to shall short if you bomb an interview. But, as a human being, you expect good things if you work hard for them.

Part of me is energized by all these no's since it can be motivating. But, another part is just hanging her head low...afraid of the next rejection.

I will look into Tony Robbins. I also printed off a list of the top 50 successful people who were rejected at first. Individuals experienced hundreds of rejections until their books were accepted such as Jack London. Trying to think of it like that.

I just need one person to believe in me.