Big Interview... I'm nervous!

[DerekNewland]

Hello,

Next week I have an interview with a company. This will be my second interview and I've been told I'll be meeting with at least one owner of the business. I'm very nervous already.

The position is for Linux server / network management. I have a bit of experience with these. However, I am very nervous about this interview. The main reasons are that I'm relatively young, I do not have a college degree, nor do I have any certifications. I do have experience, however. And I feel pretty confident about the work I do.

Do you guys have any good pointers when it comes to an important interview? Especially tips for my situation? ANY advice would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks a lot.

[Dani]

Dress well.

Before you go into the interview, spend a few minutes visualising yourself doing well in the interview. This will help calm you and give you confidence.

If you made it to the interview, then they probably already think you are capable of doing the job. The interview will mainly be to see what sort of person you are.

So you want to show them that you are a friendly, confident, likable person who will fit well in their team.

A company will hire a good team member with acceptable technical skills over a loner with excellent skills every time. You can teach people tech skills, but not personal skills.

Compliment something about at least one of the people interviewing you. But make sure you do it at different times. 'I love your tie where did you buy it?' 'Those are great glasses.' 'Are those shoes Italian?' things like that will endear you to them immedaitely.

Also compliment the company, again don't overdo it,merly aknowlege things that you genuinly like about the place. Or at least ask about it. 'How do you find working here?' 'Do you enjoy your job?' etc.

Whenever I go to an interview I spend more time being their friend than being an interviewee.

The result - I have never failed to get a job offer from over 25 interviews, even when I was up against more experienced, qualified and skilled people.

Most of all - relax. You won't die if you fail. But you will fail if you stress and worry about it too much.

[Scott]

Originally Posted by Dani

The result - I have never failed to get a job offer from over 25 interviews, even when I was up against more experienced, qualified and skilled people.

Wow! So either you've turned down a lot of good job offers, or you've changed jobs a lot.

I echo most of Dani's advice, but one major tip I can give you from personal experience is to learn as much about the company, the position, and the interviewers as possible. The more information you have, the more well-informed questions you can ask and the more you will impress your prospective employers. Also, find out a bit about the interview itself - is it a behavioral interview or a stress interview? I've been through one stress interview in my life, and I was absolutely not prepared for it. (Needless to say, I didn't get that position.) Preparation is key!

... Of course, I could just give the typical Pavlina answer and ask why you want a job in the first place.

[Dani]

Originally Posted by Scott

Wow! So either you've turned down a lot of good job offers, or you've changed jobs a lot.

A bit of both. I was an IT contractor for a while so changed jobs 1-2 times a year.

Originally Posted by Scott

I echo most of Dani's advice, but one major tip I can give you from personal experience is to learn as much about the company, the position, and the interviewers as possible. The more information you have, the more well-informed questions you can ask and the more you will impress your prospective employers. Also, find out a bit about the interview itself - is it a behavioral interview or a stress interview? I've been through one stress interview in my life, and I was absolutely not prepared for it. (Needless to say, I didn't get that position.) Preparation is key!

... Of course, I could just give the typical Pavlina answer and ask why you want a job in the first place.

I also echo this advice! I should have mentioned about research. The more knowlege you have the more comfortable you will feel also.

[Ellesse]

Having been on the other side of the fence (i.e. an interviewer), some of the basic things I take note (other than some of Dani & Scott's great pointers) are :


a) Punctuality :
- If you're late, it shows how much of "interest" you have in the job.
- Suppose you've very valid reasons, please make it a point to apologize and do a brief explanation.


b) Eye Contact & Body Language :
- Do make it a point to have eye contact with the interviewer. I usually associate drifty eyes as a sign of low attention span and lack of interest.
- When questions are being posed on you and you find it ambiguous, please ask the interviewer to repeat the question nicely and do not sound "irritated". Some questions are asked to test your situational awareness and if you sound irritated or so, it goes to imply a low level of EQ and a lack of patience.


c) Ask the Right Questions
- Feel free to clarify the scope of the job, remumeration matters etc during the interview but do avoid asking questions that
(i) has already been asked. Gosh, it gives the interviewer the impression that you were not paying attention to what was being mentioned previously
(ii) are irrelevant such as how many candidates they are interviewing etc.


Just my 2cents In any case, derek, all the best and do let us know if you get the job!

[DerekNewland]

Great advice guys =)

How about if they ask how much I would expect to be paid? This is a contracted position. Should I aim low or higher (sense it's contracted) or something near what I've been paid before?

I'm almost positive I'm the only person being interviewed for the position.

[CoachChar]

Originally Posted by DerekNewland

...However, I am very nervous about this interview. The main reasons are that I'm relatively young, I do not have a college degree, nor do I have any certifications. I do have experience, however. And I feel pretty confident about the work I do.

Derek,
In 2000 I interviewed for a testing position at "the world's largest software company". I was so nervous about it that I did not eat or sleep normally for more than a week prior. I literally trembled when I thought about the interview. Like you, I was without a degree and certifications at the time. However, I had a good track record and excellent references from within the organization.

I felt like I wasn't good enough to be at that company and my lack of a degree and certs felt like huge liabilities. In order to get the job (which I did), I shifted my focus away from my perceived weaknesses to my assets. I prepared as well as I could for the interview, as others have suggested you do too. The more I prepared, the stronger my confidence and enthusiasm grew. I chose to stop thinking about what I lacked. Heck, Bill Gates himself never completed his BA, so clearly having one is not the sole determinant or predictor of success. With that in mind, I went into those meetings and showed those people:

• how much I wanted the position
• how willing I was to learn whatever I needed to know
• what kind of communicator and problem solver I was
• that I'm someone who is pleasant to be around.

Remember to have some interesting and relevant questions if you are given an opportunity to ask them. Truly, good talent who fits with a company's culture can be hard to find. So, just as they are interviewing you, you are interviewing them.

Lastly, go into the interview with the goal of learning something (about yourself, human nature, job interviews in general, the industry, etc). Yes, you have your reasons for wanting this particular job. However, life is about more than the job you have. It's about learning and evolving as a spiritual being through your human experience. Things always work out in the end even if we don't know how. Therefore, trust yourself and be optimistic that you'll be fine no matter the outcome of this particular interview. Stay present, pay attention, be yourself and enjoy the experience.

Best wishes!
Char

[Dan.Linehan]

Originally Posted by DerekNewland

Great advice guys =)

How about if they ask how much I would expect to be paid? This is a contracted position. Should I aim low or higher (sense it's contracted) or something near what I've been paid before?

I'm almost positive I'm the only person being interviewed for the position.

Go for the higher end of the salary range for the position. You can ask him what the range might be and that will give you a good idea.

Sometimes good experience is worth more than high pay though. I'd try not to get overly hung up with salary at first because you can always get promoted quickly within any IT company.

Whaaa? You just learned Cold Fusion? Ok, here's 80k...

[DerekNewland]

Okay, the interview is tomorrow morning. I'm not nearly as nervous anymore. Now I'm pretty excited about the interview. I'm prepared to go in there, kick but, and take names.

I'll update this post tomorrow sometime. Thanks guys =)

[DerekNewland]

Well guys, the interview went great. A few hours after the the interview I was offered the job. Thank you so much for all the awesome advice. One thing I could have done better is got some sleep. I had huge rings underneath my eyes, but they cleared up a bit before the meeting. Thanks again!

[CoachChar]

Wishing you tons of success and fulfillment,
Char

[zpivat]

CONGRATULATIONS Derek! This will be a great milestone for you, and may you like this new job and advance quickly!
Thanks too for starting this thread; the people who answered you wrote some amazingly brilliant advice . *bookmarking this thread*

Cheers!

[andrew]

Congratulations!

[Gerald]

Great job! You deserve it!

[sameer]

wow...good stuff. congrats!

sameer

[hindweb]

Congrats Derek... anyways this thead has been a good resource for anyone going to face an Interview.