Current Events > Are you good at job interviews?

(+) Yeah! (+)

I am not ;(

I have had so many job interviews and zero results. I look good on paper with my credentials which get me the interview in the first place, but man I cannot stick these interviews. I have one tomorrow (I'm a teacher btw, subbing atm) and I have been practicing and watching YouTube videos since yesterday. Frankly I'm still nervous. I don't know why something that should be so natural becomes so contrived like in an interview, at least for me.

Are you good at job interviews?

If it's for a networking job, then I'm pretty good at it
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i get offers about 80% of the time i get an interview but lately I've been having big issues getting interviews in Washington state (but I am getting all the interviews I want in Idaho and Montana).
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i used to get really nervous when i started out but now they dont really phase me anymore. you kind of get used to it tbh
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Pretty dang decent imo.
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In person interviews, yeah

I can't never get comfortable with phone interviews though for whatever reason
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The main two things are simply do your preparation (know things about the company, the type of work, answers to those generic psychology questions like "Tell me about a time you've had to deal with conflicting deadlines and how you resolved it") and just be friendly and likeable.

They're just other humans at their day job, be someone they would want to have as a colleague. You wouldn't want a nervous, stuttering guy who avoids eye contact. You'd want a chill, affable person.

I am stunningly good. Have never failed to get the job.
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as a software engineer

absolutely horrible at technical interviews
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I have no clue.

I've attended workshops to improve my interview skills and told there's nothing wrong with them. Yet I get refused for almost every job I've interviewed for.
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I guess so.

I've never interviewed and not gotten the job.

The hard part is getting the interview, considering nobody will hire anyone without 4ish years of experience.

And of course it has to be the same kind of experience. 4 years of .net experience won't get you and engineering job. Hell, it won't even get you a Java job.

Employment is such a screwed up market.
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I tend to do alright but I tend say something kinda dumb once and then have to backtrack a bit. Ive done some internship interviews, I didnt feel too nervous, but I didnt get any of them. I was also quite under qualified compared to other candidates, so I didnt feel too bad. I did an interview for a fast food place years ago, got the job fine, but it felt sorta arbitrary, all I had to do was not be dumb.
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Well actually that's not true.

I didn't get the job the time I went to the interview without any shoes on and had to ask the interviewer what his company does.
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I had like ten interviews at the end of last year and I think I varied wildly. Feel like I kinda had the best technique down by the last 3 or so, 2 of which led to me getting my current job
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Fuck no, I'm awkward with strangers and freeze up a lot. Luckily I have natural charm and a good resume.
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Tupacrulez posted...

I am stunningly good. Have never failed to get the job.

This. Only jobs I've interviewed for and not got are ones that I realized I didn't want halfway through. Both times were basically bait and switch positions.
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No idea.

Only had this one job and I didn't get interviewed for it
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DevsBro posted...

Well actually that's not true.

I didn't get the job the time I went to the interview without any shoes on and had to ask the interviewer what his company does.

lol

3 for 3 so far.
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Securing an interview is really difficult for me.

Actually interviewing is extremely easy.
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I've never failed at interview.

Have failed to get one many times though.
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Cocytus posted...

DevsBro posted...

Well actually that's not true.

I didn't get the job the time I went to the interview without any shoes on and had to ask the interviewer what his company does.

lol

I didn't realize until I got there that I forgot to bring dress shoes to go with my suit. Trying to decide whether to wear my worn out New Balance tennis shoes or my black socks was one of the most difficult decisions of my life. I figured the socks might at least go unnoticed.
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Generally if I get to the interview portion, I'm likely already a shoe-in.
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Well, I just finished the interview. I guess it went ok, except there was one question that went over my head and couldn't answer. They asked me about PLC's and I had no idea what the fuck they were talking about. Then when I looked it up after it turns out I did know about them, but they had a different name to me. So, I don't know. I think I did good, but I doubt I'll get the job. Who knows. But there's a job fair next week so I guess I'll go fishing over there.

Im terrible, but it worked the last 2 times. Mostly because I knew people tho.
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Now that I'm a little more developed in my career and actually have good experience to talk about, I'm decent enough.

Plus I've been on the other side as an interviewer within my field too.
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Fuck no.

Thinking back on every interview I've been for, and totting up my successes and failures, I've only had about a 35% success rate. So many failed interviews. Pretty much every interview was for retail, often a Christmas job.

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CloneTheHero posted...

my last one went horribly lmao. i couldnt answer half the questions i was totally spacing out the whole time... i remember asking the guy to repeat the question a few times and he looked at me like i was nuts. lmao. the sinking feeling that you s*** the bed set in pretty quickly.

lol, man I know the feeling there big time.

Im great at low skill shit pay job interviews like retail or delivery driving. If I get an interview I get the job.

The $50k plus jobs Ive applied to..... not as much if going by success rate. Usually I run into a stupid af question because the interviewer sucks or I do great but lose the job to a fine girl or someone with 5+ years of experience who jumped laterally. That said my current job I had the interviewer said hed already read my resume and knew what he needed to know. Pretty much told me how they like to run things and told me to show up in 2 weeks lol.
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I've always been able to talk my way into jobs I'm not qualified for, so I'd say my interview skills are much higher than my actual working skills
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If I can get the interview, I've already got the job. That being said, actually getting to the interview step seems to take forever.
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pinky0926 posted...

I've always been able to talk my way into jobs I'm not qualified for, so I'd say my interview skills are much higher than my actual working skills

Lol nice. Im curious though, what do you put on your resume to get a call for an interview?

Thats always the hardest part.... if only because you cant really speak to them and influence it.
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EdgeMaster posted...

pinky0926 posted...

I've always been able to talk my way into jobs I'm not qualified for, so I'd say my interview skills are much higher than my actual working skills

Lol nice. Im curious though, what do you put on your resume to get a call for an interview?

Thats always the hardest part.... if only because you cant really speak to them and influence it.

I had a month-long contract job for a company that was soon to close all American branches and move to another country. Since there was no one to contact regarding proof of that job, but the address and website still existed, I've been lying about it being a full year ever since it ended.

Maybe if you can find something like that to say you worked at.
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Not particularly, unfortunately.

But I have a job so Im content for the time being.
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Yes. They say a good, firm handshake shows a lot about your character so I always initiate it and then never let go until the interview is over.
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job interviews are dumb. Some people have terrible social skills, but are great workers. Or some people have good social skills, but they aren't good at

EdgeMaster posted...

pinky0926 posted...

I've always been able to talk my way into jobs I'm not qualified for, so I'd say my interview skills are much higher than my actual working skills

Lol nice. Im curious though, what do you put on your resume to get a call for an interview?

Thats always the hardest part.... if only because you cant really speak to them and influence it.

Emphasise the clients I've worked with, no matter how tenuous the link. So for example if our company attended a charity convention hosted by a super massive impressive company for an important event, I'd list that company as a client I've done project work for.

Stress skills I've had some experience in but probably have no business listing as a core skill.

I go through the company's linked in, find people who work in similar roles for the one I'm applying for and read what their linkedin profiles say about what they do/what their skills are. This one is probably my best tip.

So no outright lies...just colourful truths. This works better with soft skill focused roles over hard skill focused roles.

I also modify my CV tone based on the tone on the company website I'm interviewing at. E.g. if it's super formal I'll write it formally, if it's cool quirky agency I'll relax it a little, etc.
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Touch posted...

Yes. They say a good, firm handshake shows a lot about your character so I always initiate it and then never let go until the interview is over.

lol

Anisoptera posted...

job interviews are dumb. Some people have terrible social skills, but are great workers. Or some people have good social skills, but they aren't good at

This is one of the few times I actually agree with you.
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Anisoptera posted...

job interviews are dumb. Some people have terrible social skills, but are great workers. Or some people have good social skills, but they aren't good at

Not if the job in question requires good social skills as a core important to being good at your job.

I know a lot of good programmers who are terrible at their job because they have poor social skills.
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StickFigures720 posted...

Anisoptera posted...

job interviews are dumb. Some people have terrible social skills, but are great workers. Or some people have good social skills, but they aren't good at

This is one of the few times I actually agree with you.

I agree too.

Showing a willingness to give even 3/5 of a damn is more than enough for entry level jobs
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booboy posted...

Showing a willingness to give even 3/5 of a damn is more than enough for entry level jobs

yeah. Get offered promotions simply for showing up early, doing work without errors, and never complaining.

The problem I've had with interviewing is that they have absolutely nothing prepared for me. I've had people have literally 0 questions for me, and just say, "so...?"
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As a person that is generally awkward and doesn't speak well, no.
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interviews would be cool if you knew what questions they are going to ask. Not fair to do poorly because of trick questions or stuff like "what kind of music you listen to?" or "what do you and your friends usually do on a weekend night out?"

Anisoptera posted...

interviews would be cool if you knew what questions they are going to ask. Not fair to do poorly because of trick questions or stuff like "what kind of music you listen to?" or "what do you and your friends usually do on a weekend night out?"

I can predict the questions and still not get the job.