best way to impress

D!ve^Bomb!

i'm not sure if this is the right place to post this but here goes none the less..

alrite, i am unemployed and broke, but there is light at the end of the tunnel.. i have an interview on thurs and i NEED this job as the pay is good ect,
wot is the best way to impress someone in an interview type situation..
apart from the obvious like being well presented and showing confidence, looking employer in the eye and all that ****,, anythin else

thanx

Amz

There are many hints etc in the work forum haven't done too many interviews personally but from experience once you appear to be confident in your discussion with them i.e. you can put accross that you know what you're talking about, you should be ok.

Also smile, it helps to break the ice and put's you at ease at it'll release neurochemicals to help relax you

DriftingRain

Know the job yor going for!
Make sure you know whats to be expected and make sure you act like you really want it! And AMZ's linkage!


~DR~

Sarky

Don't fidget.
Don't mention money. ESPECIALLY don't ask "What does it pay?"

Oriel

newband,

Show an interest in the company that you are going to work for - read up about them and make sure you know what you're talking about. Also, have questions prepared that you can ask them. Usually at the end of the interview, they'll ask something along the lines of "Well, is there anything you'd like to ask us?". Have something that will challenge them and shows you’ve looked into the company.

I’d say, be "different", and have something that they're going to remember you for. The last interview I went for (a highly respected/popular software company, for a Uni gap year) I told them that I didn't like the products that the company made. I was just being completely honest at the time. He just asked "Why do you think this?" and I told him exactly why. I guess it showed that I knew what I was talking about, but I probably wasn't the "same" as the person they interviewed before me. He ended up saying something like "Well, it’d be interesting to have a different perspective on things".

Either way, I ended up getting the job, and got on very well when I was there.

Good luck anyways,
S.

loismustdie

people may be too formal at interviews and although formality is vital you should probably let you personality shine through and be natural becasue emloyers are looking for real people so to not be nervous is prob the most important thing, but also one of the hardest

Beruthiel

this is probably better off in the Work Forum
B

Lafortezza

1) all of the above
2) be (or appear) genuinely interested about prospects of advancement/promotion within the company. Ask questions about how the job could expand. Maybe mention skills of yours that could be applied.
3) Mention that you are considering further study (evening courses/correspondance courses) in the area the job is in. Either for making you better at the job or giving you more ability to expand the current position.

low cut top if you're female

WhiteWashMan

think about what sort of thing that would sell you a person who wanted that job.
and then turn it around and apply to your self.

know exactly what sort of things you currently do. list them in your head.

know exactly what sort of projects you have done and the reasoning behind tham and the results you got,a nd what role you played in them.

know why you want this job. what is it about this job and this company that interested you. haven answers for these things, if you arent asked them, then crowbar them in.

understand why they are looking for someone, and what sort of calibre person they are looking for.

never lie. embellish by all means, but never lie.

understand the position you are applying for. what does it entail. what experience do you have in the areas they are looking at. dont wing it. note down the things you think they will want, and tell them that you are a god at whatever that is. try to skip over the parts you have little experience in, or at least mention them in some way to show you have a knowledge. for example, if youare going for a desktop support job, never tell them you are a professional in windows 1998 (i swear someone told me that in an interview. i nearly cried with laughter). tell them that you have a working knowledge of win98.

always remember that you dont know everything. if you dont know something, thats fine. half the people in the department probably know less than you do. fact!
the ability to learn and be constructive and add to the team is always a sure winner.
tell them you are a sponge waiting to absorb all that lovely knowledge.
the ability to find information out is far more importnat than actually knowing things.


good strong handshake, no limp lettuce leaf handshakes. people wont trust you otherwise.

keep good eye contact. no need to eyeball the chap, but dont look out the window constantly.

adapt to your interviewer. if they are straight laced and professional, then keep up right and be formal. if they laugh a lot and slump in their chair, then relax and enjoy the conversation.

interviews are not tests. you dont win or lose. if you are prepared, do research, are relaxed and confident, and are reasonably qualified, there are no reasons why you cant get a job.

by the way, always a have a story on an opinion on your social life, your hobbies and your interests. a freind of mine got a job on the basis of english canal arcitecture. I shít you not! we were discussing it yesterday after talking about another thread on here. i got a job because i was a spurs supporter. go figure!

if you dont know something, say so. dont bullshít. it means you are untrustworthy, no matter how hard youa re trying to impress. try and turn your inability to answer a question into a good thing. by this, i mean, if you cant answer something, then say 'i dont know what that is exactly, but i have read something about it' go on to explain what you have read. show that you do research, if you dont know something, you can find it out, that you are 'PRO-ACTIVE'

every one loves a pro-active fúcker inthe office! makes the best tea you see

anyway, ive wasted half an hour of my time with this, so i hope it helps.
let us know how it goes on, and what you think of this advice that everyone has given you and what you found useful. it will help us to help others in future.
good luck, and remember 'fail to prepare, and you be prepared to fail'

like the boyscouts, be prepared.

D!ve^Bomb!

thanx for the replies, appreciate it;)

how will gaps inemployment help my chances, cos i've been out of work for bout six months now, its not that i haven't been lookin, i'm just picky, plus i dont have a number for my last job cos my computer got a virus and had to delete everythin, plus i was only in that job for like 2 weeks cos it was terrible with bad money, just generally so so bad,, so the interviewer wont be able to get a reference from them,,,

basically it wont look good, left after 2weeks with no reference and not worked since:dunno:

Lafortezza

Originally posted by newband

basically it wont look good, left after 2weeks with no reference and not worked since:dunno:

Send a letter addressed to "Personnel" in your old company, stating the dates that you worked there. Politely request a reference stating these dates and a contact name. The company should do this no problem once you include an address for yourself in the request.

My own employment history is fairly borked since I left college but as long as you have good reasons for moving jobs and period of unemployment and explain them well, any employer won't have a problem.

D!ve^Bomb!

well the fact that it was a telesales role and that the pay structure was based on commision only meant that if ya didn't sell then ya didn't get paid, thats why i left, but that might seem like i gave up very easily to the interviewer tomorro, but the fact is, NO ONE sold ANYTHIN!! i was one of the last few there, everybody else just never came back after the first day or two.. they take on a couple of dozen people every couple of weeks, they dont care if u have experience.. so the fact that they take on so many people means that there is NO WAY in hell they'll remember who i am.. plus there is no personel dep. i cant even remember the name of the guy who managed it at the time, that also wont look good to the interviewer..

interviewer: so wot are ur reasons for leavin last job??

me: well i couldnt sell anythin so i didn't make any money so i left after two weeks.

interviewer:who was ur previous employer??

me: Errrr:dunno:

Lafortezza

Originally posted by newband
interviewer: so wot are ur reasons for leavin last job??

"It was a temporary telesales position I took while I was looking for a more permanent and challenging role." Stress the fact that you wanted to keep busy and earning while you were looking.

Originally posted by newband
interviewer:who was ur previous employer??
me: Errrr:dunno:

Do you know the name of the company even? Just give the name and telephone number of the company and honestly say that you can't remember the name of the manager there. They surely will have records of names of the people (no matter how temporary) who worked there.
Most managers won't want to be seen as a bit dim and not remembering who worked for them, so he/she will say some basic nice things.

Lafortezza's Recruitment Services.
invoice in the post

tinkerbell

If you're jus outta college or even was in college for a while, get a reference from college or your secondary school - some places ask for those kinda references if you haven't worked anywhere before (even though you have) - but jus in case you can't get the other ref.