Need tips on interviewing for jobs

I got a interview next week for IT desktop support, pretty much what I do now. The pluses are the pay range is much better, the potential job's starting pay is what I make now. Benefits are better and traveling to this place would be 30 mins roundtrip daily instead of 2-2 1/2 hrs round trip.
 
[quote name='dmaul1114']Yeah, never use a work email for job search stuff. Work emails aren't private and you're screwing ourself if someone is monitoring your email and see you're looking for another job.[/QUOTE]

I just have no idea what would possess someone to use their work email for a job search. It just makes no sense considering you can get email accounts for free within seconds.
 
even if you are using a company email I would find it hard to believe that they don't have a setup that allow you to check email outside of office.
 
[quote name='v1et r1ce']Okay I need help with an interview question. I have an interview in a few days for a intern/coop position. My school has a system set up where you're allowed to request a certain amount of interviews and then after a few weeks, any company that is interested in you will offer you an interview. Problem is, for this round, I was only offered ONE interview (I would say most students in my major average around 4-6). I believe I am qualified for the position but I myself am a very quiet person and have trouble "selling myself" in interviews.

That being said, the question I am dreading is "how many interviews do you have this round?". I'm afraid that when I tell them my only interview is with them, they will immediately mark me as a no for the position. Is there any way I should answer that question to make it sound as positive as possible?[/QUOTE]

Be honest. Worst thing that can happen is if they found out you lied.
 
[quote name='v1et r1ce']
That being said, the question I am dreading is "how many interviews do you have this round?". I'm afraid that when I tell them my only interview is with them, they will immediately mark me as a no for the position. Is there any way I should answer that question to make it sound as positive as possible?[/QUOTE]

They actually ask how many interviews you have? Maybe just say "this is my first interview".
 
[quote name='62t']even if you are using a company email I would find it hard to believe that they don't have a setup that allow you to check email outside of office.[/QUOTE]Unless you are a manager with a Blackberry, we cannot check our emails unless we are logged in at work. Keep in mind this is for a government contractor (security is very tight).
 
[quote name='The Mana Knight']Unless you are a manager with a Blackberry, we cannot check our emails unless we are logged in at work. Keep in mind this is for a government contractor (security is very tight).[/QUOTE]

But you didn't answer WHY you are using your work email for your job search! WRYYYYYYYY
 
TMK just seems to lack basic common sense. Sorry to be harsh on the dude, but that's been readily apparent over the years throughout his posts.

He's posted that his parents were uber-controlling, so maybe he was just too sheltered and is now having to figure out things and learn common sense the hard way now that he's out on his own.
 
[quote name='Dead of Knight']But you didn't answer WHY you are using your work email for your job search! WRYYYYYYYY[/QUOTE]My bad. For jobs internal to my company (or one that's linked to my company in some way like formally being a part of my company), my work email was automatically assigned to the career site. I just leave it that way. For any external jobs, I use a different email I have. The company I've been interviewing for use to be a part of my company, until we spun it off. But since the career sites are still liked, that's why my current work email is still being used. I wish I could split it up the emails, but can't because my email needs to be linked for the internal interviews (since they automatically set it up to my calendar).

My work email isn't listed anywhere on my resume for external positions I apply for.
[quote name='dmaul1114']TMK just seems to lack basic common sense. Sorry to be harsh on the dude, but that's been readily apparent over the years throughout his posts.

He's posted that his parents were uber-controlling, so maybe he was just too sheltered and is now having to figure out things and learn common sense the hard way now that he's out on his own.[/QUOTE]

Naw, I have many common senses and do quite well getting interviews.

The only thing I lack is knowledge on sexual topics, but that's a whole different story. :lol:

Keep in mind that I came to your previous area just as you left. :p
 
Internal jobs/promotions are a different story and ok to use work e-mail.

I'd change it in the future for outside companies--doesn't matter that they used to be part of your company. They're a competitor now and you're higher ups seeing you're applying for jobs with the competition is a sure fire way to get passed up for promotions and raises, and to be at the top of the list if a round of layoffs comes up.
 
[quote name='dmaul1114']Internal jobs/promotions are a different story and ok to use work e-mail.

I'd change it in the future for outside companies--doesn't matter that they used to be part of your company. They're a competitor now and you're higher ups seeing you're applying for jobs with the competition is a sure fire way to get passed up for promotions and raises, and to be at the top of the list if a round of layoffs comes up.[/QUOTE]
Naw, the career sites are still together and not separate yet. Anything I update on one gets changed on the other. They still have all of our emails/contact info linked together on MS outlook and the phonebook. All charges and stuff still had my current company's name on it.

For my current position, there are ZERO promotions, raises (only goes by your time of service, once you reach 4 years you hit the max), or anything. Doesn't make a difference whether I do lots of work or no work. We have people that work in my area that don't understand anything or just clean air filters (because they can't figure stuff out) making more money than us who actually do work. If we had promotions, I'd be doing very well right now at my position because my supervisors like me way too much (part of the reason I worry they would say bad things about me because they don't want to lose me).

But for any outside company where career sites are totally separate, than yes I do use a personal email.
 
[quote name='62t']Be honest. Worst thing that can happen is if they found out you lied.[/QUOTE]

Yeah I plan to be honest :D just wondering if there was a good way to explain why I only got 1...

[quote name='Invicta 61']They actually ask how many interviews you have? Maybe just say "this is my first interview".[/QUOTE]

I'm guessing they ask to see if other companies have as much interest in the student as they do. I would say I've been asked that question in the majority of interviews I've done through my school's program.
 
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Well, I got a call from HR 30 minutes ago. They left a voice message saying a job offer was being sent to my email and they want me to let them know what I think.

Will I take it? If I might have to work the evening for a while (which I gotta check again with the hiring manager about), there's no way I'll take it. The only way I'd consider is if the pay was much higher than what I'm making now. I expect lower pay because I'd be an entry level Engineer, compared to working as a Technician w/ 2+ years experience (where I already moved up the ladder salary wise, and our cost of living is much higher than VA).
 
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[quote name='The Mana Knight']Well, I got a call from HR 30 minutes ago. They left a voice message saying a job offer was being sent to my email and they want me to let them know what I think.

Will I take it? If I have might have to work the evening for a while (which I gotta check again with the hiring manager about), there's no way I'll take it. The only way I'd consider is if the pay was much higher than what I'm making now. I expect lower pay because I'd be an entry level Engineer, compared to working as a Technician w/ 2+ years experience (where I already moved up the ladder salary wise, and our cost of living is much higher than VA).[/QUOTE]

So is this at your current company or a new company? Regardless, congrats on getting an offer, at the very least, whether or not you take it. Should be a good boost of confidence for you! :D

Just had an interview with a company that seems it would be great to work for today. But, I think I was a little too nervous with the first of 4 people I interviewed with for some reason, and he's the hiring manager. :/ I was a LOT more comfortable with everyone else, so maybe they can at least communicate that to them. And I'm working with an external recruiter on this one, so perhaps they can help me to convince him I'm not a social failure (even though I kind of am).

However, I just got a reply back from a job I applied to over 3 weeks ago, and they want an interview this week! Yay! :D Things are definitely looking up....
 
[quote name='Dead of Knight']So is this at your current company or a new company? Regardless, congrats on getting an offer, at the very least, whether or not you take it. Should be a good boost of confidence for you! :D[/QUOTE]Different. Our career sites are still linked together since we use to be the same company. Benefits, pension, corporate discounts, 401k, etc. are pretty much the same.

Part of me just wants to take the job because it puts me in the right career situation. Even if the job may have parking issues (for that particular position), me having to switch everything from MD to VA, make mostly new friends again, etc., but I can still survive there. Just the main thing weighing my decision is whether I'll he happier working a job that doesn't satisfy my needs as long as I'm with friends and in an area I love (and just hope I eventually land a job in my area), or do I get my career on the right track (the biggest thing that bugs me) and figure everything else out?

As much as I dislike my current job, it doesn't kill me and I love where I live. But I still feel very jealous of college friends doing much better than me career wise and feel the need to do better (especially since my current experience won't lead to better jobs, I need to get the Engineering job that requires a Bachelors). I really hope I'm given a week to make a decision because I'll need it, lol.

And congrats about getting interviews. Always makes you feel good when you get them. Best of luck on all of them.
 
Somehow didn't get the job that they were supposedly gonna give me an offer for- they decided at the last minute they wanted someone with more experience. Ok..? But honestly, it was public accounting. I probably wouldn't be happy there long-term. I just see it as a sign that it's not for me. Got a couple more interviews lined up anyway.

Edit: 3 interviews scheduled for tomorrow, 2 phone, 1 in person, 2 non-profits and 1 company that makes recycled products. w00t!
 
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All right, I have another update which makes my decision very hard.

I called HR asking about the other interviews. One of them (the one I liked the most out of all three) is interviewing 8 people. They have 4 open positions. I have a 50/50 chance of getting it. However, I'd have to decline my current offer and wait two weeks when they finish their decision. Also, if I made up my decision on not renewing my apartment lease and keeping my current job in the mean time, I would run into the problem of no place to live if I didn't get an offer, and I wouldn't be able to save someone's job at my current company (because they are deciding whether they are laying off people of my occupation, going from the bottom to top (I'm 26 from the bottom so I would be save, but me leaving saves someone's job below me who may want to stay)).

Honestly, it's all a tough decision. I can eventually switch over to the other position down the road at least. I will add that the one who gave me an offer right away sent me an email after the thank you letter saying he really liked me and he only had one more interview left. The other people didn't send me a single email back. Normally when they don't email back means they are not interested, but you never know.

After I told like two people at work today about the offer, word got around quick about it. Let's just say everyone I work with BADLY wants me to take it because they feel the opportunity is WAY better than what I'm doing now with a higher salary ceiling and given much more freedom/choices.
 
[quote name='kube00']Id say take it TMK! Better pay, lower cost of living.

I've got a interview tomorrow, wish me luck.[/QUOTE]

Good luck motherfucker! ;)

I thought TMK said that the job that was offered has a lower cost of living area, but the initial pay is less. However, he has a lot more room for advancement both career and salary wise. But he won't be near his friends. He still has a lot of thinking to do.
 
[quote name='Dead of Knight']
I thought TMK said that the job that was offered has a lower cost of living area, but the initial pay is less. However, he has a lot more room for advancement both career and salary wise. But he won't be near his friends. He still has a lot of thinking to do.[/QUOTE]Pay is barely much less. But keep in mind that I started out at my current position at over $10000 less. It's not just cost of living as to why I'd be making less, but I'm starting out at the very entry level of Engineering. My current experience doesn't count for a position. Even if I had an entry level Engineering job in MD, there's a chance I'd be making less anyway or exactly the same (no more).
 
:whee: Congratulations! From what you have said, I think it is the right move for your career.

Had a great in-person interview today at a non-profit. The guy said they got over 50 resumes and that they picked 5 to interview. That right there is pretty awesome. They really seemed to like me. I'm just a bit worried though because he mentioned that there is a current temp who is also interviewing for the position- I'm scared they might just go with the temp. However, he mentioned that there are 2 other positions they are looking to fill, so maybe they will go with me for one of those even if the temp gets it.

Also just had a phone interview that was pretty standard with HR. And in like 12 minutes I have another phone interview. Things are really looking up. I really hope I get the job I interviewed for today though- they have a second round next week (which I hope I'll be on) and then they'll make a decision.
 
How are you all going about even finding places that are hiring and getting those interviews? I swear I've been through Monster.com and a few other job sites a million times and have found nothing related to my career. I really don't wanna end up at some retail place again :(
 
I'm an accountant and it's still a pretty hot field despite the economy. What I've been doing so far in my search is looking daily at LinkedIn, Craigslist, and a specialty site for non-profit jobs and applying for things that interest me and fit my qualifications. I also publicly posted my resume on CareerBuilder and Monster and have had recruiters contact me through there. Honestly if you are in a low demand field I am not sure what to tell you.

2nd phone interview went well other than a couple things. First off I called him at the appointed time and it went to answering machine. Not cool. He called me back like 7 minutes later though. Also, the salary is shit. It's a nice company and interesting position, but the salary is a joke. It's half of what I was previously making. I said I would still be interested in meeting in person, but it's going to have to be a literally perfect fit or else I'm not doing it. The place I interviewed for in-person today actually had a salary higher than I expected (I didn't ask, they volunteered; I NEVER ask about salary). I REALLY hope I get that position. The 1st phone interview place also had a decent salary, though not as good as the in-person place.
 
Dunno if it's just my area (Central IL), but, I was getting many calls/emails/interviews off of Craigslist...way more than any other website back when I was "on the job hunt".
 
Yeah I'm surprised at how much Craigslist has to offer. This is the first time I've used it in a job search and it's how I found out about the in-person interview place I had today. On the accounting/finance subsection they post a fuckton of jobs a day. Usually I can find at least something daily that I'm qualified for, whether or not I apply.
 
Monster isnt that great
I use Simpyhired, work source, craiglist, dice.com (tech jobs), careerbuilder.com

My interview went well, so hopefully I get a call back next week for another interview
 
[quote name='Dead of Knight']

I'm just a bit worried though because he mentioned that there is a current temp who is also interviewing for the position- I'm scared they might just go with the temp.[/QUOTE]



You may have an advantage over the temp. I think that if a company hires a temp as an actual employee, they have to pay some type of finders fee to the temp company. I think it's a pretty substantial amount too, relative to the salary of the position.
 
[quote name='DOMINATOR912']How are you all going about even finding places that are hiring and getting those interviews? I swear I've been through Monster.com and a few other job sites a million times and have found nothing related to my career. I really don't wanna end up at some retail place again :([/QUOTE]Monster.com sucks. I stopped using it long ago. Many people use monster and too many of its jobs are temp ones. IMO, you have a better chance of getting struck by lightning than finding a job there.

I use career builder (which isn't bad) or indeed.com. Indeed.com is very good where a bunch have called me from there.

[quote name='Dead of Knight']Yeah I'm surprised at how much Craigslist has to offer. This is the first time I've used it in a job search and it's how I found out about the in-person interview place I had today. On the accounting/finance subsection they post a fuckton of jobs a day. Usually I can find at least something daily that I'm qualified for, whether or not I apply.[/QUOTE]I never really tried Craigslist after they didn't have what I was looking for a while ago.

I have the luxury of knowing all my company's competition and applying on their sites. I just found one that had interests in me, so I kept on applying.
 
[quote name='bradr']You may have an advantage over the temp. I think that if a company hires a temp as an actual employee, they have to pay some type of finders fee to the temp company. I think it's a pretty substantial amount too, relative to the salary of the position.[/QUOTE]

Shit, forgot about that. That makes me feel a bit better. I guess it just depends on how they look at it; don't have any control over it, we'll just see what happens.

[quote name='DOMINATOR912']Guess I never used craigslist over the fear of getting murdered. I should probably look into it.[/QUOTE]

It's pretty obvious what the shady postings are. I guess it would depend on your field, but pretty much all the postings I see on my field look legit. The ones that are shady-looking I just avoid. I pretty much only apply to openings that have an actual company listed as well- it's much more likely to be legit. Make sure you research the company before you apply too- some actual companies are MLMs.
 
[quote name='DOMINATOR912']Guess I never used craigslist over the fear of getting murdered. I should probably look into it.[/QUOTE]

Listing job on craiglist cost actual money for major cities, way more legit than buying things. I found my last 3 jobs there.
 
Previous posters hit all the high points but on the subject of Craigslist, I absolutely love looking for work there.

It can get frustrating shuffling through all the scams but you're gonna find the weirdest shit. What you find might not be career material - but for me personally, doing something unique is more important than salary.

My favorite find was an office assistant/promoter position for Midget Wrestling. I live in Oklahoma and I guess these guys do shows at casinos and whatnot. It was the real deal too, I started seeing their commercials just a few weeks later. Of course, I haven't seen any since - but I don't watch a lot of TV. Still, to be able to say you did that - even if it was for just a few months. It's hilariously awesome.

Also, one thing I started doing early on is hitting the corporate websites and official websites directly. Job finder sites are great - but I try to ask myself: "Who do I want to work for? What do I want to do?" instead of "I need a new job. Anything is better than what I've got". The grass is always greener. I also try to think of the last few minutes of Office Space. Those guys just went right back to programming and they were still miserable. Still, if your only options are a life of crime and Walmart than Walmart is preferable (by a small margin).

It's far too easy to get discouraged if you're looking into a seemingly vast ocean of opportunities at jobsearchengine.com home of 200,000 job listings and still not getting interviews.

I find I'm in a far more positive mood if I have a few apps out at interesting places than if I applied to 12 different faceless companies that I had to research first to make sure they were legit.

Source: Job hunting since '08. This could also be a reason to discount my advice. :lol:
 
Landed a second interview already with the place that I had the in-person interview at yesterday! :D

Edit: Interview is Tuesday afternoon. Let's do this!
 
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Good Luck Dead of Knight. No call back for a 2nd interview yet. And I did email the department head thanking them for the email
 
[quote name='Dead of Knight']Ugh, they said they'd let me know "by the end of the week." Are they gonna wait until it's 4:59 or, even worse, wait until Monday?! :whee:[/QUOTE]I was told that before and didn't hear back for a few weeks......

I went in for a Physical, signed paperwork, and got my badge picture taken. I hope this all works out because I just signed a new lease.
 
Got a rather lengthy reply this morning... ultimately they decided to go with someone with more experience specific to the role, but that they really liked me and were trying to find a way for me to fit elsewhere in the organization, but they couldn't. I'm really crushed. Oh well, everything happens for a reason, is all I can tell myself. Got another interview Tuesday...
 
[quote name='Dead of Knight']Got a rather lengthy reply this morning... ultimately they decided to go with someone with more experience specific to the role, but that they really liked me and were trying to find a way for me to fit elsewhere in the organization, but they couldn't. I'm really crushed. Oh well, everything happens for a reason, is all I can tell myself. Got another interview Tuesday...[/QUOTE]

Ugh that sucks. I had an interview that went well a couple months ago and they told me two weeks and then on the very last day of the second week, she tells me she hopes to get me an answer by the weekend. This drags out to nearly 1.5 months before I finally get the rejection.

My sister went through something similar and she actually interviewed out of state and was basically told by management that she had the job(it was within the same company transfer and she would have been transferring to a role that fit her graduate studies specialty). They delayed and delayed and then said they didn't have a position for her WTF. Now she's facing a possible lay off this week after 5+ years of working at this top tier engineering company.

I'm currently waiting on a response from one interview and hoping I get a interview with my #1 choice. By all accounts I'm overqualified(I recently received my MS), as these are internships(one of which is unpaid), and they're both in different parts of the country in which I have to cover my own relocation...I'm STILL not optimistic.
 
I guess it is my time to join this thread now! Submitted my resume and info and using Dice.com only. Received many emails and calls about opportunities, but I am very picky and looking for the right positions + company.

An employer found my resume and asked me to interview this coming Thursday. I did thorough research about the company from their website plus looked in-depth about the technologies they use.

I am very interested about this opportunity, but you all have to remember that companies want to be impressed by you.

It makes it a bit easier if you are currently employeed, but remember, you have to sell yourself within the first 60 seconds. Be yourself and have questions ready for the end of the interview, such as: "Is this a new position or am I replacing a valuable member?", "What are the companies goals for the next five years?", "How is the culture within the organization?", "Where does the company stand when it comes to competition?"

What do you all take during interviews? A portfolio, pen, resume, etc.? BTW, I have the meeting, but it will be with a CPA. Kinda strange, but perhaps this will be a multi-interview type procedure?

Anyhow, I'll keep you all updated soon.
 
I need help on analyzing a situation:

So, around 4am I apply online for a job, all I do is send my first, last name in a form and upload a resume

Not 4 hours later at 8am-ish I get 8 emails from this company about scheduling an interview
(normally when someone says a number its exaggerated, but I kid you not 8 emails, but all were different)

Then I get woken up to a perky womans phone call claiming to be an HR person, she then sends me 2x emails while on the phone with me as reminders for our "interview time" then tells me she will send an email and text me the morning of our interview

So at this point I have 10x emails from this company, with a promised 1x more and a text

Further research points out that the "company" only has 2x people in it, and their website, wow their website could have been made better if you gave a teenager 15minutes on blogger to create better

Additional info: I found the company on a career job site and this happend like a year ago

Due to the super shadyness of this "business", I never showed up for my interview, because no company needs someone that bad, something was up, I just couldnt put my finger on what it was, the perky HR girl even said people were not showing up for interviews and she didnt no why

So has anyone had any crazy situations like this?
 
[quote name='Tony Stark']I need help on analyzing a situation:

So, around 4am I apply online for a job, all I do is send my first, last name in a form and upload a resume

Not 4 hours later at 8am-ish I get 8 emails from this company about scheduling an interview
(normally when someone says a number its exaggerated, but I kid you not 8 emails, but all were different)

Then I get woken up to a perky womans phone call claiming to be an HR person, she then sends me 2x emails while on the phone with me as reminders for our "interview time" then tells me she will send an email and text me the morning of our interview

So at this point I have 10x emails from this company, with a promised 1x more and a text

Further research points out that the "company" only has 2x people in it, and their website, wow their website could have been made better if you gave a teenager 15minutes on blogger to create better

Additional info: I found the company on a career job site and this happend like a year ago

Due to the super shadyness of this "business", I never showed up for my interview, because no company needs someone that bad, something was up, I just couldnt put my finger on what it was, the perky HR girl even said people were not showing up for interviews and she didnt no why

So has anyone had any crazy situations like this?[/QUOTE]

You did your research and homework and felt that your time was not worth it, which is normal.

Many people who submit their resume just do it in bulk, but you and I seem to be picky and won't settle for just anything.

Some companies are that desperate though and their turnover ratio is laughable. Everyone should do some investigation and figure out if the position is "new" or "open" because someone said "**** this".
 
I honestly think it was what I call a "fake interview" I have had one before

Where the job description is a entry-level management position, then I went to the interview I shit you not they wanted me to sell knives on commission, I laughed and said "thank you for your time"

and many of these entry-level positions are fake to get college kids to do lacky work
 
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