job interview

lucky2b5

Looking for opinions on this:

With applying for an internal position and you have a very good track record, have loads of experience and proven ability to do the job but really mess up the interview.....does this really mater that much?.........would another candidate with less experience, skills, knowledge but gave a great interview have a better chance of getting the job??

Mrs OBumble

Depends on whether the employer has to follow strictly documented procedures or not: typically big companies and public-sector bodies do, smaller ones are a bit more lax.

In the former sort, they have to demonstrate why to hire you from your interview performance. If you didn't give 'em the goods but someone else did, their hands may be tied.

They may interpret your answers more leniently if they know you. But OTOH, they may have been willing to prompt you if they wanted to hire you.

Serafijn

They will take your previous performance into account, but the interview is still an important part of the process.

It also depends in what way it was 'messed up'. Interviewers can recognise nerves and will generally overlook things like stumbling over some words, losing track of what you were saying or other indicators which are obviously just down to nerves. If it's a case of having not prepared for the interview, that is less forgiveable as it says to the interviewers that the new job is not important enough for you to put the effort in, and if you can't put the effort in for the interview, how will you for the job itself?

The kind of job you're applying for will be considered as well. If you are a bag of nerves and can't talk straight in the interview, but are going for a job that involves customer presentations and sales pitches, then you're clearly not up to it! If it's for a back office, analytical job then this won't matter at all.

Take a look at your competition - are there other people who are at a similar level to yourself going for the job? If so the interview will be more important in narrowing down the best candidate for the position.

As JustMary said though, it will depend on the company. Some places will know who they want to promote before they even announce it and the interviews are all for show. I suspect you will know if your company is like this!

Shivers26

It does depend on the company, the job and what exactly you do to 'mess up the interview'. I do think interveiws are important though. You get half an hour to sell yourself. Practise interview questions, have some scenarios in mind if they ask you any of those competence questions (you know the 'tell us about a time when you resolved a conflict in your workplace' or similar)....it can be very difficult to think of good answers to questions like this on the spot so preparation can be helpful.

I have a friend who interviews poorly. She is so negative about herself and its always 'cant do this, can do that' no matter how many times I tell her to focus and talk up what she can do.

AARRRGH

lucky2b5 wrote: »

With applying for an internal position and you have a very good track record, have loads of experience and proven ability to do the job but really mess up the interview.....does this really mater that much?.........would another candidate with less experience, skills, knowledge but gave a great interview have a better chance of getting the job??

I would think office politics is at least as important as the items you listed. But yeah, not screwing up the interview is kind of important...

doolox

I know this sounds mad but it might be the way of the future.
In general the Irish are not good at selling their abilities at interview. We tend to be too modest and minimise our strong points.
Unfortunately other nationalities are better at this and get the jobs often with less talent and bad attitudes which are carefully hidden at interview time.
I knew a person who was very difficult to get on with, always reporting people to the boss and making life difficult and stressful for her fellow workers.
There was great joy when she left the company. I made enquiriies about joining the company, since closed down, and found out she was made supervisor........
Needless to say I didn't pursue the matter.
She must have had a great interview style and great communications and selling skills to get the job and hide her abrasive personality long enough to fool the interview panel.
My point is that interview panels tend to put people under stress to weed out candidates with undesireable personal traits.
Our job as interviewees should be to do our best to hide these undesireable traits and we can do this with practice.
Maybe joining Toastmasters, or some other public speaking club might be the answer or doing some hobby that puts us in the public eye.
Recording mock interviews with prepared answers to all those "awkward questions and looking at the results with a more experienced and knowledgable person might be the way to go.
Elocution lessons migh also be a way forward.
Whatever it takes it is an area we Irish are weak at but can improve at. After all we are great story tellers and are very sociable in informal settings