Qotd: How do you prepare for a job interview? (10/12)
 

I have a job test later today. I applied for a job within the organisation I work for. At first, I wasn't going to prepare myself and just see how things go, but it didn't feel right. So I started browsing through our website to see if there were things I didn't know about this new job that could come handy during the test. And I read about some past projects they did.
I don't expect to be chosen for the job because there are lots of people applying, but who knows.
I know I will do my best and I feel confident now that I've prepared myself.

How about you? Do you prepare for a job interview or test? Or not at all and just go with the flow?

I googled 'preparing for job interview' and found lots of really great tips. They had the kinds of questions interviewers like to ask, and suggestions of how best to answer, and what the boss is really looking for when he asks that question. I didn't know all that, so it was very helpful for me to ponder/consider those questions ahead of time so I wasn't blindsided in the interview. And in my interview they did actually ask a few of those hard-to-answer questions, but I was prepared, so did ok.

Google is your friend. It helped me get the job I have today.

That's a great tip! I did that when I applied for my current job as well. It helped me feeling less stressed and more confident. They didn't ask any of those questions, but it didn't matter to me. I got the job anyway.

I prepare. prepare, prepare!! I have been job hunting for a year now solidly so for me it starts right from the time I see the job advertised cause if I really want the job it has to show in the application. I will research the organization and job prior to applying then if I am shortlisted and have names of the people interviewing me I will do some research on those people plus prepare responses to questions. If I am not successful after an interview I will try and ask for feedback - so far only one person has given me feedback that will hopefully help me. By having feedback I was able to take that to the careers advisor at my last university where I can get help for up to 3 years post graduation (til early 2019) on how to fix any glaring errors and answer questions better in the future.

I have had the same position for 28 years, have changed schools and went from elementary to secondary so no interviews.

I honestly wouldn't know what to do in an interview, my resume is at least 15 years old o_O. My little summer weekend job I got by knowing the people who run the place so was hired on the spot.

Good luck Sara!

I think it can't hurt to be as prepared as you can be, if only to bolster your own confidence. Good luck, Sarah! I hope you get the job!

This is a sore spot for me considering I've applied for hundreds of jobs over the last 10 years, had dozens of interviews, and only been hired for 2 (and then been let go from & moved away from). :cursing:

I do a lot of the same things Jennifer does: researching the company prior to applying, reaching out to people within the organization if I know them or someone I know knows them, rewriting my resume & cover letter to highlight the experience they're looking for, following up via email on my application. If I'm able to get an interview, I do research on anyone who might be interviewing me, Google to see if there are some standard questions the company always asks, go on Glassdoor for anonymous reviews & salary ranges, and sometimes practice aloud.

It's incredibly demoralizing & frustrating overall.

So sorry to read you've gone through so much trouble and still have no job LeeAndra. :-( I can't imagine how frustrated and disappointed you must be.

My test went great. I read the assignment and felt confident right away. They didn't ask anything of what I had prepared, but the assignment was close to what I'm currently doing at my job. So I could pull from my own experiences. I had two hours to complete and finished in time. It was a fun assignment. And even eventhough they may not pick me, I feel great about what I delivered.
The interview is on November 7th.

Sarah, I'm glad to hear everything went well yesterday!

I haven't interviewed much in the last decade since I've mostly gotten shoulder taps to take new positions within my organization, but I've conducted a lot of interviews in my career. I ALWAYS ask people what they did to prepare. For me, it's a gauge on how interested they are. I've literally gotten the full gamet on this question. Some people have told me they didn't do anything and others have really done their research. I'm never impressed when people can't answer the question.

- Look up interviewers on LinkedIn so you are familiar with their history
- If it's an internal job, talk to people on the team or informally meet with the hiring manager first
- Be prepared to ask good questions (it's a total turn off for me if the candidate doesn't have any questions)
- Ask for the job! ... if after the interview, it's a position you want ... say so!

That is super frustrating. Have the hiring managers or recruiters gave you any feedback on why you weren't hired? It's kind of awkward, but you can always ask what you could have done differently to be seen as a better candidate. Sometimes it comes down to core skills where other applicants just have more experience. Do you have a mentor or someone you can get guidance from?

Sarah glad to hear it went well!! Good luck on the last part :)

Those are great tips Sheri.
Thank you for sharing.

Sheri's tips are great!

Study the actual job posting. Many questions are formulated from the posting itself. My last interview required a presentation. Ahhh!

Good luck in November, Sarah! My last interview was almost 30 years ago.

Thank you. Great tips. I have an interview coming up Nov1st that I'm pretty prepared for since I temp'ed there for 2 months already, but I'm going to do a bit more just to make sure now.