I've had 5 interviews in the past year and i havent gotten the job:( Can anyone give

me any tips? I have an interview tuesday and i really want this job!! I know i look presentable so thats not the reason i am not getting the jobs:( please help

Oranage2

Well i use to believe if you had an interview you had a chance until the company i work for had external interviews though hired all its new staff from an internal part.

Its really difficult to know what to do right as different people want different things,

your cv must be good and you'd probably be able to call yourself an expert at them.

As for the interview, well if you say what the job is for people might be able to help you.



You seem confident enough anyway

Thank you!! Its for a shop that sells all kinds of everything at good price

ANXIOUS

Deleted User wrote: »

Thank you!! Its for a shop that sells all kinds of everything at good price

My tips would be,

-Be confident in your ability. Dont undersell yourself.
-Make constant eye contact.
-Always bring your experience back to how its relevant to this job.

Best of luck.

When they ask though at the end of the interview, any other questions to ask, i always have none.

What would be the best questions to ask?

ambid

There is an excellent book called "Get that job" by Terry Prone http://www.amazon.co.uk/Get-That-Job-Terry-Prone/dp/1853712353. I'd highly recommend it.

I interview a lot of people, and most are disappointing. Some key tips:

• Prepare - identify 4/5 key skills the interviewer is looking for in this job (communication skills/ adaptability/ sales/ computer skills etc) and have an example prepared to prove you have that skill. Interviewers always have 4/5 key skills in mind for any post so put yourself in their position, figure out what they want, and find examples in your background to prove you have that skill.
• When the interviewer asks you a question, take a second to work out what skill they are looking for. Then match your prepared proven skill answer to their question. It's no problem to take a few seconds to consider your answer, it's a huge problem to go on a rambling incoherent answer. Interviewers quickly lose patience if you do that.
• You must have questions for them. If you have none it looks like you haven't bothered to research the job or the business, and your employer will think you lack commitment. If an interviewee has no questions for me at the end of the interview, I have no interest in them and will not hire them. It's a very bad mistake to not have questions prepared. You absolutely should not ask questions on terms or conditions (wages or days off) in the interview - you can ask that if they offer you the job. You should ask questions about the business - do they have plans to expand, will you be working as part of a team, will you have opportunities to take on extra responsibility, what do they see as the future of this role, how do they plan to compete with their competitors. They are looking for somebody who is skilled and hungry, someone who will help them grow their business. You need to convince them you're thinking about their business and you see your future with them.

It's all about preparation. Figure out what skills they need, figure out examples of your past when you have demonstrated those skills, and ask them questions about the future of their business.

If it's a job in retail, I'd suggest they are probably looking for somebody with good skills in organisation, communication, attention to detail, and flexibility/ adaptability. I'd suggest you take a couple of hours and think about examples from you work or personal life when you've demonstrated those skills, prepare answers, and reherse regularly between now and the interview.

Finally there is a very useful interview answer tool you can use - STAR. This stands for Situation, Task, Action, Result. So if you're asked a question on to gauge a particular skill, you briefly describe a situation, the task you were asked to do, the action you took, and the result. This will briefly and clearly show how you have applied skills for a clear outcome.

Good luck.

Da Career Guy

Hi Corklass,

I would fully agree with the suggestions of "ambid", interview success can be improved with good solid preparation and understanding what interviewers are looking for, understanding your own strengths etc for the position. Also remember that the interview process is a SALES pitch you are selling yourself to the potential employer. So you need to understand and be able to demonstrate what you bring to the potential employer over other people they will meet. What are your main features and benefits, i.e. experience, qualifications, attitude, personality and potential.

When I'm working with people to get them ready for interviews I suggest that they look at the job advert closely identify the main aspects of the role what levels of skills, knowledge, qualification and experience they are looking for and then identify how you meet these requirements. Its about creating clear links between what employers are looking for and how you meet these requirements. At times you might not have the actual experience but you can get around that by talking about what you would do and your potential. Also are you applying for the right jobs and companies be realistic and review. Interview success is down to preparation, presentation, performance and luck.

I'm based in Cork myself and know that the jobs market is challenging but keep trying and I would also suggest that you should reflect back on your last few interviews and consider what went well for you, what questions or aspects do you find challenging etc and identify what you can improve on next time.

Da Career Guy

Hi Corklass,

I would fully agree with the suggestions of "ambid", interview success can be improved with good solid preparation and understanding what interviewers are looking for, understanding your own strengths etc for the position. Also remember that the interview process is a SALES pitch you are selling yourself to the potential employer. So you need to understand and be able to demonstrate what you bring to the potential employer over other people they will meet. What are your main features and benefits, i.e. experience, qualifications, attitude, personality and potential.

When I'm working with people to get them ready for interviews I suggest that they look at the job advert closely identify the main aspects of the role what levels of skills, knowledge, qualification and experience they are looking for and then identify how you meet these requirements. Its about creating clear links between what employers are looking for and how you meet these requirements. At times you might not have the actual experience but you can get around that by talking about what you would do and your potential. Also are you applying for the right jobs and companies be realistic and review. Interview success is down to preparation, presentation, performance and luck.

I'm based in Cork myself and know that the jobs market is challenging but keep trying and I would also suggest that you should reflect back on your last few interviews and consider what went well for you, what questions or aspects do you find challenging etc and identify what you can improve on next time.

SoupyNorman

My Advice:

Give examples.

Relevant examples are what interviewers crave, you may not have the exact experience required but once you have any kind of work experience under your belt you'd be surprised at how your skills can traslate across to other positions.

For instance, if the job you're going for is in a shop then it's customer facing. In such an interview, drive home how good you are with people, very approachable, helpful, confident etc.

It's hard to offer advice to an interviewee without knowing the person but in general you should be talking CONSTANTLY, when Im being interviewed I sometimes have the interviewer butting in to get to the next question...obviously when talking it should be relevant to the question

TL;DR
Be confident, talk alot and give examples.

twowheelsonly

I agree with all of the above suggestions, indeed most of them are very good.

I also interview people from time to time and what I'm always looking for is flexibility and a willingness to take on different roles. (Vital in my line of business and most others)
Don't be afraid to emphasize your flexibility using past examples such as "Yes I worked as a retail assistant in XYZ which was mainly dealing with customers but could just as easily find myself sweeping up outside the shop or changing the toilet rolls in the customer toilets". Laugh it off and make out that you were quite happy to do any of the tasks assigned to you. Just make sure that you sound genuine about it.
Research the Company as well so that you know something about what they do. Also picture all of the potential tasks involved in said job or other areas of the company and you bring it up that you're more than willing to engage any of these tasks willingly.
As it's retail, mention that you've been in their shop before and always found it a pleasant place and feel that you'd fit in there quite well.
DO NOT make out that you are superhuman and are about to rock their world with super efficiency. Smells too much of BS.
DO NOT se the words "...will I be expected to do XYZ" - Rather say something like " I presume that the job would also entail cleaning/sweeping etc as is the norm in these types of jobs."
Be Positive about it, if you're nervous don't be afraid to tell them so. Don't be cocky or tell them about their own business and how to improve it - They're the management and as far as they're concerned they're doing a great job!!
Above all SMILE and use eye contact. That's what Customer service is about and that's what they'll be looking for.

Oranage2

One more day corklassy how you getting on preparing?

Thaaaaaanks for the advice guys!! I had it today, it went okay but not great, i couldnt help but be so nervous. I will find out in the next few days if i have the job or not.


Thanks for all the replies!! So so kind