Need tips on interviewing for jobs

Been two months and I have had at least 10 interviews and serveral call backs, but couldn't close the deal on the offers. Seems like most employers are really tight with the budget or really slow with the process of hiring IT.

Now sure what the majority of you are all entering, but us developers, programmers and engineers must be sick of this "slow" process...
 
[quote name='binici']Been two months and I have had at least 10 interviews and serveral call backs, but couldn't close the deal on the offers. Seems like most employers are really tight with the budget or really slow with the process of hiring IT.

Now sure what the majority of you are all entering, but us developers, programmers and engineers must be sick of this "slow" process...[/QUOTE]

I would imagine the developer, programmer, and engineer field is very specific

they need to know you CAN create ____ with no direction

"interview lying" your way into a job in that field i would think to be impossible
 
I'll give an update as well. On my third week at my new job. Really enjoying it just like TMK. The work is whatever, it's accounting, not the most exciting thing in the world, but you can't beat the work environment. The commute is also a lot less than what I quoted in this topic. Takes under a half hour to get there in the morning, around 40 minutes to get home. Not bad at all.
 
[quote name='Tony Stark']I would imagine the developer, programmer, and engineer field is very specific

they need to know you CAN create ____ with no direction

"interview lying" your way into a job in that field i would think to be impossible[/QUOTE]

I always know what I am getting myself into. If I read a job description that doesn't suit my skills then I avoid that position, but if the right description catches my eye, well I review my skill sets and layout on the table during the interview...

[quote name='Tony Stark']Any good questions to have ready for the prospective employer?[/QUOTE]

Depends... during your interview, you should have a good indication of what the employer is looking for and counter with some questions. I like to ask the person I am interviewing about the typical work duties and goals of the company. Their background and motivations for staying with the company as well as the environment you will be working in.

Good luck!
 
Personally one thing I ask most every interviewer is why they like their job and the company. It gets them talking about themselves, and everyone likes talking about themselves, and it gives you an idea about the kind of person they are as well as what people like about the company.
 
Just make sure you don't ask about benefits/holiday/other stuff during the actual interview. You should call HR rep and ask them at a later time.
 
[quote name='62t']just make sure you don't ask about benefits/holiday/other stuff during the actual interview. You should call hr rep and ask them at a later time.[/quote]

this
 
[quote name='Dead of Knight']I'll give an update as well. On my third week at my new job. Really enjoying it just like TMK. The work is whatever, it's accounting, not the most exciting thing in the world, but you can't beat the work environment. The commute is also a lot less than what I quoted in this topic. Takes under a half hour to get there in the morning, around 40 minutes to get home. Not bad at all.[/QUOTE]
I thought my 22 minute commute to work, and 22-30 minute commute back home was long. Sort of my fault for choosing a place 19 miles away from work, but I really wanted a large place in a decent area (at a good price).
 
I had a 2 on 1 interview two weeks ago with the head of the department and an AVP who I assume was his right hand man. I thought it went fairly well but haven't heard anything since.

Today I got a call from HR where they wanted to schedule a second round. I asked who I would be interviewing with and their titles and they said they weren't the hiring managers I interviewed with last time but individuals I would be working with. I looked up their names on LinkedIn and both are AVPs as well so they still seem to be pretty far up.

What can I expect for the second round? Is this considered more of a personality fit or is it just another way to weed out the best candidate? Should I treat this as a way to get to know if we would mesh or would this be considered an even more in-depth interview where I would get into the actual nitty-gritty of my qualifications and experience? I find it odd that I'm going down a level of hierarchy as opposed to going up a level to an even more senior manager. This is also the first time where I had an actual second round because my other jobs only took one interview.

[quote name='Dead of Knight']Personally one thing I ask most every interviewer is why they like their job and the company. It gets them talking about themselves, and everyone likes talking about themselves, and it gives you an idea about the kind of person they are as well as what people like about the company.[/QUOTE]


Great advice. Will definitely use this one.
 
My husband had an in-person interview on Thursday for a new job, after 2 phone interviews. He is pretty secure in his current job, been there over 4 years, but the company is going down the tubes and they make him do a lot of bullshit work. I hope he gets it. It's sure to be a pay raise and it's with a much better company.
 
I need advice.

My job search is going nowhere. It's been four years since I last held a good, skilled job. I have to get some sort of school going if I want to get back in the game. I have a degree already, so I'm thinking more vocational/technical training.

Networking and IT related stuff seems practical and most importantly, it interests me. The creative side of me wants to do web design and marketing stuff. Some fusion of the two would be ideal.

If crawling through ceilings running CAT-5 is the only way I can escape working retail, I'll do it. So installation with extensive travel is go. I have no family commitments or anything like that.

Without posting my resume, I worked for an internet company for six years, doing everything from video production to running a booth at trade shows. So I'm familiar with pretty much everything small business related.

What sort of technical training would you guys recommend? I'm taking a workshop at the end of March on Web Design to see if it's a good fit but I have to question how practical it is. I like knowing when and where my next paycheck is coming from.
 
**UPDATE**

Had a successful second interview with a company that I have pursing for over a month. They had me fill-out an application this time and I interviewed with the VP of IT and meet with HR (has to be good, right?).
I was suppose to meet and greet with the CFO, but he was not available, so I have a feeling there may be a 3rd interview?
Anyhow, I sent thank you letters to everyone I meet yesterday and hoping to hear something soon!
 
My husband ended up getting the job. The pay is only $3k more a year, but there is bonus potential of up to 10% and he gets restricted stock in the company. The health insurance is fucking fantastic AND cheap and way better than what we have now, so I'm excited about that because his current employer's health insurance got even worse recently. I'm really happy for him, he only applied at a few places leisurely and this was the first place he interviewed at. :D
 
Has anyone ever applied for a job and during the interview they basically lied on their "Ad" just to get you to sit down to talk about it, and offer you a job that a high school student could do?

In my case, I applied for an Admin Assistant (was over qualified by a small margin per their qualifications), at a big supermarket, the job was at their not corporate offices but at a regional HQ

I go to the interview, my first hint should have been the other "applicants" for other jobs were in jeans and normal clothes, then they basically show me my application (a print out of it), and across the top is says the position I applied for, and they proceeded to attempt to get me to be a baker or cashier at one of their supermarket locations

has this ever happend to someone? where you applied for a position but got offered a position no where near the one you applied for?
 
As a person who's done the interviewing, what i always look for in a possible candidate is CONFIDENCE. Sell yourself, make a powerful impression.

Pretend that 10 people will be interviewing for the same position after you, expand on why you are the one. Be the Alpha. Never answer question with just one sentence. Always throw in extra details.

When i interview for a position, out of the 10 people i meet, only 1 or 2 come in and overwhelm me and impress me and really stand out amongst the rest.

Use phrases like "I am confident in my ability's and experience to be the person for this position" - "I am self determined and self motivated to get the job done"

It always starts with presentation for me. The person who seems like they want it the most always make the first cut, then i look at credentials and experience second.
 
[quote name='viol8tor']as a person who's done the interviewing, what i always look for in a possible candidate is confidence. sell yourself, make a powerful impression.

Pretend that 10 people will be interviewing for the same position after you, expand on why you are the one. Be the alpha. Never answer question with just one sentence. Always throw in extra details.

When i interview for a position, out of the 10 people i meet, only 1 or 2 come in and overwhelm me and impress me and really stand out amongst the rest.

Use phrases like "i am confident in my ability's and experience to be the person for this position" - "i am self determined and self motivated to get the job done"

it always starts with presentation for me. The person who seems like they want it the most always make the first cut, then i look at credentials and experience second.[/quote]

this
 
Wow, this thread is still going????

Anyway, I definitely got an update for you all. The job I interviewed for in late December last year (and accepted an offer for in early Jan.), ended up being the WORST job I ever had. Just how could a job be so bad......let me put it this way:

-While I take a good portion of the blame, I had a disagreement with a co-worker (which led to a shout, nothing beyond that) which led to me going to HR getting yelled at (6 weeks after I was there, the whole situation was blown out of proportion by my old manager).

-They decided to have us new people rotate shifts to get to know people temporarily. I started off working 3rd shift, and then they decided they wanted to continue rotating us for over a year every two weeks. We asked to lock-on shifts longer, but we could not get them to do it.

-They finally let us lock onto a shift and no longer rotate, but they then decided to have us work up to 12 hour shifts for 6 days a week (weekends were pretty much mandatory, on top of working everyday during the week). If we wanted to work 7 days a week, we were welcome to. It sucked because we'd spend all day doing nothing, then they'd throw something at us later in the day so we'd have to stay 12-13 hours until backshift arrives.

-Whenever we tried taking off work (we had more than enough hours), they gave us a hard time making the process complicated, or would not let us take off. I got yelled at for asking to take off after working 11 days straight on 3rd shift, and we had NOTHING going on the next day.

-The work conditions were just awful. Hearing grinding/constructions noises all day, lots of dangerous things going on in the background, and I'd get super dirty everyday after work (so I had to wear old clothes).

-The job was just a really bad fit for me. I am an EE who specializes in certain areas, yet I was doing mostly ME and doing the part of EE I hate most (Motors and Power).

-There are many other things I hated or had issues with, but I rather not get into describing the job too much.

Outside of meeting some people I liked being around, I hated everything about the job, and did not care much for the way things were there. After working there for 2 months, I greatly regretted leaving my other job because at least I didn't mind going into work everyday there. Some might think I should have known what I was getting into because of the interview; however, lets say I wasn't told a lot about what the job actually was (it's a job that has problems keeping people with a very high turnover rate), and they completely changed the structure of the job from what I interviewed for. The only good thing about the job was the money. Where I was living, the job market was no where near as good as where I was last living in Maryland, and I greatly missed all my old friends/events/relatives/etc. back in MD.

After things got bad at my job, I updated my resume and started putting it out there. I applied to a few jobs at company websites (like where I last worked) and Career Builder. While at work, I got a few phone calls. One phone call I could barely hear and initially called back the wrong number. Eventually I found out the right number reaching HR. Lets say that company ended up doing a phone interview with me, brought me in three time for in-person interview (meeting with Engineering team, VP, and lastly the customer). Ended up getting an offer (4 1/2 months after I started the job I disliked) so I took it. Funny because while I thought my manager didn't appreciate me much, he really tried to talk me into staying, but I already made up my mind time take the offer as soon as I got it (it was more money too without having to work OT).

The new job I got is definitely challenging (I'm surprised I got hired since it isn't entry level), but it fits what I know/did in college very well. I get to do the area of EE that interests me most, work days vary doing many different things, and I'm even asked if I could do some software (keep in mind I have a massive passion for programming, but never went for a programming job due to lack of real world work experience with it and that wasn't my major in college). The job is a great fit, just hope I can keep it for a while. While it may be harder for me there to make new friends compared to my previous two jobs, at least I already have a ton of friends in Maryland.

While it sucks I lost a lot of money in the process (owing back relocation, moving and relocating costs, paying two rents for 1 1/2 months, and paying a lease termination fee), I could not be happier living in my favorite area of the US, along with working a job that fits.
 
Glad everything finally worked out TMK... I was getting worried reading that post! My new job that I started in February is still awesome and I definitely don't regret leaving that old job now even though I was unemployed for a few months. This new job made it worth it!!
 
Here some thoughts.
With most people using some sort of smartphone...has anyone ever tried recording the interview process so that you can go back and review the questions and responses?

I have reviewed this a few times now....somewhere roughly 1O to 2O mins into the process I start getting nervous and kind of walk around answering the question for some reason. Don't know why I am doing this.

Also has anyone ever had some good references in a written letter form only for them to backstab you when an employer calls them after reading the letters they wrote and signed?
 
[quote name='ITDEFX']Here some thoughts.
With most people using some sort of smartphone...has anyone ever tried recording the interview process so that you can go back and review the questions and responses?[/QUOTE]

People should check their state laws about recording if you don't ask the interviewer for permission and get their permission to be recorded. A lot of states prohibit this practice of being recorded without the other party's permission. I can't imagine a lot of interviewers would want to be recorded anyway due to fear of liability if they say or do something incorrectly.
 
[quote name='ITDEFX']Here some thoughts.
With most people using some sort of smartphone...has anyone ever tried recording the interview process so that you can go back and review the questions and responses?

I have reviewed this a few times now....somewhere roughly 1O to 2O mins into the process I start getting nervous and kind of walk around answering the question for some reason. Don't know why I am doing this.

Also has anyone ever had some good references in a written letter form only for them to backstab you when an employer calls them after reading the letters they wrote and signed?[/QUOTE]

Do not feel bad, when I interview I mess up at the same thing every time even when I am prepared for it :booty:
 
Well a lot of interviews I have gone thru have had people trained really well to show little or no emotion during the process. I tend to start off things by having a bit of a small chit chat about things like the weather or something just to feel the other person out.

I have learned a lot of interviewers are really never prepared with questions or always on time...if they say the interview is at 12pm.......don't make someone wait around for nearly an hour when your the only one being interviewed.
 
[quote name='ITDEFX']Well a lot of interviews I have gone thru have had people trained really well to show little or no emotion during the process. I tend to start off things by having a bit of a small chit chat about things like the weather or something just to feel the other person out.

I have learned a lot of interviewers are really never prepared with questions or always on time...if they say the interview is at 12pm.......don't make someone wait around for nearly an hour when your the only one being interviewed.[/QUOTE]

I have had interviewers ask me dumb questions like what the last movie I saw in theaters was (to judge me on that some how) and if I was on a deserted island and could keep one item what would it be...those in my experience are not places you want the job anyway unless they are going to be the next-Facebook
 
[quote name='Tony Stark']I have had interviewers ask me dumb questions like what the last movie I saw in theaters was (to judge me on that some how) and if I was on a deserted island and could keep one item what would it be...those in my experience are not places you want the job anyway unless they are going to be the next-Facebook[/QUOTE]


Hah you know I read that in an article one time.

One question that was so easy was:
"If a parent of one of your students came to you and asked how the grades of someone else grades...how would you respond?"

I pretty much responded by stating that I could not answer that question due to the privacy agreement that I signed prohibiting me from talking about things outside of the school.
 
[quote name='ITDEFX']Hah you know I read that in an article one time.

One question that was so easy was:
"If a parent of one of your students came to you and asked how the grades of someone else grades...how would you respond?"

I pretty much responded by stating that I could not answer that question due to the privacy agreement that I signed prohibiting me from talking about things outside of the school.[/QUOTE]

There is always a way you can get out of questions, and some ways impress the prospective employer :cool:
 
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