Interview help

D. Murphy

Hey, I've a job interview tomorrow and its the first real interview I've had in years for a job.

I'm just wondering what the proper etiquette is for the interviews, I know that I will be asked a bunch of questions but what questions should I ask?

Should I dive in and ask about salary and benefits and such or is that jumping the gun.

Any help at all which will help me get a job outa this interview in our declining economy will be greatly apreciated!

Thanks for any help

snellers

Take a couple of copies of your CV with you (in case they need another copy and you have one yourself....when under pressure in an interview it is handy having a copy of the CV in front to refer to )

If possible do some research into the company - all depends on what level/type of job it is but I would personally see how the business operates via internet typically (who owns it, how many offices, etc etc) so if asked any basic questions like 'what do you know about us or why do you want to work here' you have a bit of factual info to supplement your answer

I personally wouldn;t ask salary but if they ask you I have found a good answer is along the lines of 'I don't have any pre-determined salary expectations but you will have salaray ranges/structure for the position advertised and I would be obviously looking to be within that pay scale in line with my colleagues

. ....once again all depends on the type of job applying for and the level (and whether the pay scale is advertised with the job!....in which case you may be in a position to propose salary expectation)

all that comment really says is don't try and offer me 10k below anyone else as I will find out and not be happy!

as for benefits, IMO that generally would be discussed at a 2nd interview or even at contract negotiation after they provisionally offer you the job (unless of course it is a major factor in potentially taking the job)

Final tip is to read your CV a couple of times - read it carefully and think about things you may be asked. If you have someone that can fire questions to you in advance of the interview the night before that is a good practice.....if they use the job spec of advertised job and ask you how you relate to that would be a good idea too!

Finally dress smart and present yourself well (no excuses!!!)

Best of luck !!!!!!!

D. Murphy

Thanks for the tips Snellers,

To be honest I'm not sure what to expect as it is a new company and its in an industry I've never worked in before. Been job searching for the past month or so and there the only ones that replied to my cv with an interview.

I'll give it a go and if all comes to all and I muck it up at least I'll know what to expect at the next interview for the next company!

When you say dress well I know i cant go in wearing a track suit but what would be considered acceptable, Shirt and jeans and a pair of shoes? Or woyuld it be overkill to go in wearing a suit for a job that isnt such high scale that people working there would be weraing suits everyday. I wana make a good impretion but also not make myself look like a tool.

The job is for a marketing / promotions company and there looking for outgoing chirpy people. Not suit wearing people. I just dunno what to wear!

snellers

as the saying goes with interviews it is better to go over, than under dressed

if not a suit then I would at least wear a decent pair of trousers, clean shoes and a smart shirt with a tie (optional tie depending on the rest of the workplace attire)....I don't know enough about the industry as to whether would be the acceptable norm to wear jeans but if unsure I would always play safe with trousers.

at the very worst case they might make a light hearted comment about you dressing up and no need to but you could just say you wanted to make the right impression!

bottom line is no decent potential employer will mark against you for being 'overly' smart. I would only dress down if told to do so or if I had inside information advising it is ok to do so.

Best of luck with the interview......a little tip :

listen very carefully to the questions.....and answer them clearly (seems a silly thing to say but you will be surprised the amount of people that don't listen carefully and get confused with their answers and don't come across very well)

PurpleBerry

Spot on advice there from Snellers. It's always better to be a little over dressed than a little under dressed for an interview, it shows that you are taking it seriously.

Don't forget to come back to let us know how you got on.

Good luck

D. Murphy

Trousers eh? Might be a problem since I haven't had a pair of trousers since I was in school haha. Jean's will have to do!

Also I've got kind of a goetee thing going on here, Would it be better to shave it off? I'd rather not as I have spent some time growing it haha.

Thanks for the posts guys and Ofcourse I'll post here as soon as I get back.

Also I was rang about the itnerview today and its tommorow at 10 am, Would it be acceptable to let them know I did not have any "smart" clothes ready to wear in such a short time?

allybhoy

Good advice so far.
The main advice I would give to you is relax, dont look at this interview as the be all and end all, because if you get nervous you will clam up,sweat etc and you will find yourself struggling to remember even the simplest of things. Dont look at this as an interview, more as a friendly, if allbeit formal conversation.

I would also advise not to try and bull**** or wing any questions that you dont know. The interviewer may be trying to throw you by asking ridicolous or badly phrased questions, so if you honestly dont know the answer, dont be afraid to ask them to rephrase the question etc.

If they ask questions specific to you like "do you feel you work well in a team?" Try and have examples to back that up. Like rather than just saying yes you could say something like "Well when I was employed with xxxx I had to work on a large project that involved numerous members of staff etc..."
Try and get a member of family to fire questions such as "do you work well under pressure, can you adhere to strict schedules, can you work off your own inititiave" If you can reel all off answers to these confidently and with an example rather than having to think of them on the spot it will really help you out on the day.

At the end of the interview if they ask the generic "so have you got any questions for us" Its always best to ask them one or two, like how many employees have you got here, is there a social scene etc. Just makes you look a little more interested IMO.

Good luck! Oh and be early, at least 5-10 mins

snellers

wear what you can no need to ring them - turn up and do your best

be as presentable as you can (clean, tidy, smell nice) - doesn't mean you have to shave off the goatee though :-)

as you said before this will be a learning experience for you and if a job comes of it that will be fantastic - take the advice (or at least some of it!) above and you will be fine

BEST OF LUCK ONCE AGAIN!!!! :-)

Eoin

I personally don't think jeans would be suitable for any interview. To me it would come across as not caring and not making an effort. Some people may consider that an outdated opinion, but you can be sure it's not an uncommon one.

You must have time to go out and buy a pair of slacks or something?

eth0_

D. Murphy wrote: »

Trousers eh? Might be a problem since I haven't had a pair of trousers since I was in school haha. Jean's will have to do!

Come on now, jeans will look really bad! It would make a bad impression on most interviewers if someone showed up in jeans.

You can go to Penneys or Dunnes and get a pair of smart trousers, surely.

D. Murphy

Well as for the slacks it didnt seem to matter to the interviewer!

I got called back for a second interview which he told me basically means I got the job

He did tell me I'd have to get a suit tho as I will be a rep and he needs his reps to be professional, thats not problem tho.

Thanks for the help everyone!

snellers

great stuff, well done!

gotta say you got lucky though! - any future interviews at least get a pair of trousers! :-)

hope the job goes well for you!!!!!!!