The online racing simulator
interview advice
1
(28 posts, started )
#1 - CSU1
interview advice
I've never been in front of a board of HR interviewers as the last jobs I've had I was given an immediate start or was drafted straight from company to company. I'm really nervous as my interview is in the morning and I'm not shure what to expect

any advice pweeze??
Don't blow it!!!
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(CSU1) DELETED by CSU1
The best advice I can give you is BE NATURAL!
DO NOT try to impress them, they will see through that straight away, and it will go against you.
What you should do is to try to make them think that they need you a bit more than you need them; but without appearing 'blasé' about the job..(sort of, 'I don't give a s**t if I get it or not'..this is a BAD thing!)
DO NOT exaggerate your capabilities, any 'inflated' skillz that you profess to possess will come out within 5 mins of starting (if you get the job!) and they will dump you quicker than a snotty kleenex.
I have found that if you do a bit of research beforehand on the company, so that you have a good idea what they want from you, then this can be an advantage as well. Downside of this is having TOO MUCH knowledge and coming across as a smart-arse.
SHOW AN INTEREST... If you go in with the attitude that you dont care, they wont, and you wont even get as far as a handshake!

The reason I know these things is that in previous jobs _I_ have had to interview people for jobs, and these are the sort of things I look for.

In any case..try not to be nervous, and good luck!
Go in without a care to how you do at the interview. Seriously, if you go in with a "don't care" attitude, you will be less nervous. I've applied to many of the position opportunities of the current position I am in only to see those who "kiss a$$ only" get the positions. The last one I applied to, I had a complete "don't care" attitude as I figured the only way to get it was to "kiss a$$", which is normally true for 90% of in-company positions. That is the one I was hired to, the one I went to the interview and didn't care. FTR, I didn't know those whom I was interviewing with, nor did they know who the heck I was, thus, no, I did not get it by "kissing their a$$" at all. I asked him how long he's been with the company, 3-4 years? He said since the beginning, which I have been too (12 years or so now). Had no idea who this guy was, LOL.
Interviews are a piece of cake. Firstly, try not to get nervous about it. I don't now, and it's mainly because it's the same thing they ask every time.

Have a couple of predefined answers ready to whip out any time you need them. An example of when you worked as part of a team, an example of when you made an effort to improve yourself or something you wanted to do.

Remember - the facts are already on your CV, so you don't need to go over them so much. You need to get across your personality and why they should pick you over someone else.

Why are you specifically suitable for the job? Not qualifications, they can see those. What you bring to it that someone else might not.

It's all common sense really. Almost anything you've done can be twisted to fit the kind of questions they'll ask. It's all about making it fit so it shows you in a good light. You're part of an online commuinity here, so there's a socialising and networking ability, the ability to get on with others. No thought involved in that one.

The basics:
1. Be on time. Duh
2. Don't accept a drink if they offer one. If you're nervous, this is a disaster waiting to happen. You'll fidget with the cup, or you might end up dropping it or something.
3. Don't go to the toilet before the interview. You don't want them to end up waiting for you, and you certainly don't want them to see you coming out and then have to shake your hand.
4. Don't fidget in the interview. If you notice yourself doing this, clasp them in your lap. I talk a lot with my hands, so this isn't such a bad one for me, but I do have to try not to bite my nails in these situations.
5. Find out a bit about the company before the interview so you can ask them at least one question when they ask. And do not ask about pay at that point. If they don't cover pay in the info they give, ask about it on the way out the door, as if it's just crossed your mind. You don't want them thinking that's all you care about (even if it is).

Hope some of that helped. Good luck
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(CSU1) DELETED by CSU1
He'd want to know what experience? What systems? In-house or commercially available? Did you spot any faults? Could the process be improved?
You reminded him of someone he knows across the internet. He is a sim racer and was wondering if your "computer experience" was playing rFactor so they could immediately decide to rip up your interview notes upon you leaving. You told them your "computer experience" was racing LFS, didn't you?
Just refuse to say anything until your solicitor gets there. That's the best way to handle interviews.
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(CSU1) DELETED by CSU1
  1. Dress nice
  2. Be on time
  3. Dont be pushy
Believe me, if it's sales you're after, you need to have the gift of the gab, and be very quick on your feet. I'm a New Business Account Manager for the largest Managed Services firm in Europe, and believe me, it's not easy. Unless you are completely committed to working in sales, unless you're sure that's what you want to do, you'll be eaten alive.

Oh, and you need to have a high-standard of grammar etc. for Tenders and RFPs.
Quote from creativesurgeon :Believe me, if it's sales you're after, you need to have the gift of the gab,

He has got that without a shadow of a doubt...He's Irish!!!
Be confident
Be yourself
Be pro-active
Be enthusiastic
Don't worry about nerves, interviewers can see it in a positive light, far better than to come across all arrogant and don't-give-a-damn.
Quote from al heeley :far better than to come across all arrogant and don't-give-a-damn.

Not in sales. Why would you want a nervous candidate in front of a client? Would you buy something from a salesperson who appeared nervous?
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(CSU1) DELETED by CSU1
Quote from CSU1 :
I didn't really know what to say when he asked if I had experience with pc systems and stock management, it is on my CV that I obviousley do because my last job is very similar to this opening....

Everything depends on the person you'll face during the interview and on the needs of the firm. If they want someone experienced, expect a tough interview.

I can tell you how I conducted interviews in the past, but don't take it as a general rule since I work for a small firm where everything is informal and where initially attitude counts more than knowledge.

First I ask about previous experiences. I try to understand the attitude of the person in front of me, looking for contradictions. Some of them are blatant: for instance if a candidate says Microsoft is shit and Linux rules while wearing an Xbox t-shirt (it really happened) the interview ends there, although I may give a second possibility. Technical opinions are welcome, but they have to be expressed in a sensible way and have a solid basis. Sometimes I ask such opinions just to understand - from them - if the person knows what he's saying. I've heard too many people bragging about their Linux or Windows skills.

Then I try to understand if the person in front of me is really up to his CV. This is the funniest part because it's extremely simple to do but sometimes embarassing for the candidate. All I have to do is open a remote control session on a production server, state it's a production server just to make the candidate understand he has to be careful and I ask him to describe what purposes that server has.

This hands-on approach has the advantage of showing me directly part of the skills of a person. I keep questioning the candidate while I monitor him closely.

I chose three colleagues this way. I discarded, more or less, 10 candidates after an interview. More than 100 have been discarded directly after a colleague of mine read their CV to select the most honest ones. The selected Cvs then passed on my desk where I selected the best ones for the interviews.

So far I am happy about the people I chose.
Quote from CSU1 :is "leasing" right? lee-azeing...oh darn...I can't even spell now

No, you mean "liasing". Calm down
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(CSU1) DELETED by CSU1
Quote from CSU1 :is "leasing" right? lee-azeing...oh darn...I can't even spell now

I bet the spell-checker did that. I once got an email from a client that ended with the sentence "I am happy to lease with you if you are unshorn". That got a hearty "WTF" out of me.

I also once wrote an email to a client explaining some techy stuff in layman's terms, and I tried to sign off with "Regards,", but due to the close proximity of the 'T' key to the 'G' key I made a killer typo!
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(CSU1) DELETED by CSU1
Man, Kev you should write a book, and a sequel with Hankstar. You'd be rolling in money in no time.
Inbetween working two jobs, typing bullshit in forums and occasionally finding time for driving cars badly in LFS, I am working on two plays. They're not coming together very quickly, though.
For the love of everything that is holy in the world......



Don't go in naked.
Don't go take any type of stimulate before the interview (tea, coffee, Urn-Boru 32)
Don't immediately call you're boss an a**hole, leave that for a couple of weeks.
Don't insult the bosses football team (I actually did that, he had a Cally Badge on his key ring, me being a County fan soon after our 5-1 victory decided to have a wee pop shot. Didn't go down well)
Quote from creativesurgeon :Not in sales. Why would you want a nervous candidate in front of a client? Would you buy something from a salesperson who appeared nervous?

Salespeople who are pushy and arrogant are also an immediate turn-off for me. I would excuse a few interview nerves as long as the candidate seems confident and competent. Sales is not all about closing the sale on a double-glazing deal, it's about building long term relationships with clients who gain value from the services you offer.
Quote from Mackie The Staggie : Don't insulate the bosses football team (I actually did that, he had a Cally Badge on his key ring, me being a County fan soon after our 5-1 victory decided to have a wee pop shot. Didn't go down well)

The fibreglass lagging would probably slow the players down...

How you approach your interview depends entirely on the type of company you're going for. My company is a small place (only about 10 of us in my office) so the directors need to know that they're actually going to enjoy working with someone for 8 hours a day. Obviously technical skills are required but in a small place personalities are important too.
If it's some huge multinational company then they probably want someone who is 'career focused' or 'customer oriented' or some other such nonsense.
Quote from StewartFisher :The fibreglass lagging would probably slow the players down...

Damn spell-checker, didn't really read it properly though so I will take some of the blame for that.
If it's for sales take a lighter. Tell him you could sell him anything, even a glass of water, then set fire to him or his desk. Accept £5 or more.
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(CSU1) DELETED by CSU1
Quote : edit: I'd better not leave it behind me when I leave

Funniest thing I've read all day!
1

interview advice
(28 posts, started )
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