Why Me?
So you might be wondering why someone who focuses so mush on cooking thinks they can help you with your interview right?
Well let me explain. I work in social services, specifically with adults with developmental disabilities and mental illness. This is the population with the highest unemployment rate bar none. To put it in perspective President Ford's average unemployment rate was 7.8%. That's the highest average unemployment rate in American history. The unemployment rate for adults in the population I work with is 75%! You read that right...75%. One of the programs I ran was a supported employment program and my job was to help people get and keep jobs. I taught a ton of classes on interviewing and I've coached a lot of people on the subject. I am also an active supervisor and a large part of my job includes interviewing and hiring prospective candidates so I see a lot of mistakes. I figured I should share the wealth.
Fear
I think one of the biggest problems people have with interviews is that they are scared to death of them. Don't worry you're not alone. According to Anxiety.org a recent study revealed that almost 92% of Americans have expressed some kind of interview anxiety. In fact some people will stay in a low paying job or worse a job they hate just to avoid an interview. The root of the fear lies in the possibility of rejection. People are terrified of being rejected but just think if you get turned down for a job you are no worse off then you were before the interview. However if you land the job you're leaps ahead. So the first step to a solid interview is actually going to it. I think that's half the battle.
Be Prepared or Beware
One of the things I taught my clients was to always be prepared for an interview; even if you're not actively looking for a job. You never know when things may change. You may get laid off, you may suddenly want something new, or hey better yet you might be head hunted. So always be ready. So how does one get prepared? Well the first part of preparation is to get a proper interview outfit. Now you need to regularly update this outfit (I would say annually) to ensure that it fits, that its appropriate for the job you're interviewing for (always dress one step above the dress code for the job), and that it isn't 20 years out of date. Remember interviewing is like dating. you wouldn't wear a 10 year old outfit to go out on a date. Don't wear this outfit for anything other than interviews; last thing you want is to spill something on your interview clothes.
Last but not least this outfit must ALWAYS be ready for action. It will do you no good to have interview clothes if they are balled up on the floor in a corner of your room. They need to be clean, pressed, and hung in the closet always ready for use. This takes away that giant stressor of, "what am I going to wear?!"
The reality is that sometimes you flip through Indeed like you flip through Tinder and click on everything and anything that looks good because you just need something now.
The second part of being prepared comes in knowing what you're interviewing for. I can't tell you how many people I interviewed that didn't even know what the job was. In fact when I would ask some of these candidates why they wanted to work at said company they would say things like, "I need a job," or "I need money." Now remember interviewing is like dating. Would you want to go out on a date with someone that would date anybody and was just looking for a free meal? I don't think so. The reality is that sometimes yes you flip through Indeed like you flip through Tinder and click on everything and anything that looks good because you just need something now. But please! I beg you! Do no let the person interviewing you know that! You need to make them feel special. You need to make them feel like they're the only one and that you're destiny is to work at said company. Now this comes a lot easier if its true so I implore you to look for a job that you're passionate about. The best way to make this happen is to know what you're interviewing for. This is really easy with the internet. When you get a call from one of these numerous places make sure to not only jot down the date and time of the interview but make sure you know the name of the company. Immediately after you get off the phone do some research. Go to the company's website and (hopefully you already know what they do) look up their mission statement.
This will answer most of your interview questions for you so get familiar with it. Memorize it if you can. Also if the mission statement doesn't sit well with you or it sounds like something you couldn't get comfortable with call back and respectfully decline the interview. You're not going to change the company and if you feel you'll be unhappy there then you shouldn't go any further.
The third part of preparation is knowing what you're going to say. Now I know what you're thinking, "how do I know what they're going to ask?" Well that's pretty easy. All interviews are basically the same questions asked in different ways. Its just like going on a blind date. If you've gone on a lot of dates you know that its pretty much the same script right? They ask you questions and you ask them questions to determine if you're a good fit. The purpose is to see if there's a good foundation to grow a solid relationship. Well the same is true for a job interview. You both need to figure out if this will be a good employee employer relationship. Sometimes you can do everything right and this still isn't the case that's why I don't want you to get too hung up on getting rejected. So the questions are a lot like date questions. Who are you? What are you about? Why do you want to be in a relationship with me? What are your lifelong goals? Are you smart? Are you loyal? Can I trust you? This is basically what interviewers are trying to get out of you by asking you these questions. Now I'm going to make a list of typical questions and give you some answers but DON'T memorize these. In fact don't memorize any answers or you will sound like a robot when you interview, or even worse you'll forget your line and freeze up into a silent nightmare. Just have a general idea of these questions and what you would think of if someone asked you. Keep these things in your head and think about them regularly so that they become very organic. Also not only are interviews like dates, they're also like an interrogation with the police. Don't offer up information they didn't ask for if its not going to make out look good! To quote one of my favorite movies, don't fall into the "word vomit" trap. I like to do little mock interviews with myself during my commute to work daily. This keeps me fresh and ready to go. Now for the questions:
Sometimes there will be one person interviewing you and sometimes you will be in a panel interview, meaning that there will be multiple people asking you questions. Don't let this scare you. Their goal here is not to intimidate the shit out of you I promise. Most of the time you will be in a panel interview if multiple departments are trying to fill the same position. All the hiring managers will sit in to stream line the process. Another reason is that there may be multiple people that are going to make the decision, and sometimes people are in there to learn how to conduct an interview. Try to see this as an advantage for you. Now instead of being on a date with one person and relying solely on their impression of you, you get the chance to convince others as well. So maybe if one of them doesn't like you then one of the others might. Just make sure you make eye contact with all of them.
There might be written portions. Some places will require you to write a report in that second language you said you spoke (so don't lie about things like that). There might be a computer skills test. There may be some short answer scenario questions. Don't panic! Its better to take your time and do well on these things then to rush and do terribly. If they give you an option to do the written after the interview take it! That way the stress of the interview will be off and your work will look better.
The third part of preparation is knowing what you're going to say. Now I know what you're thinking, "how do I know what they're going to ask?" Well that's pretty easy. All interviews are basically the same questions asked in different ways. Its just like going on a blind date. If you've gone on a lot of dates you know that its pretty much the same script right? They ask you questions and you ask them questions to determine if you're a good fit. The purpose is to see if there's a good foundation to grow a solid relationship. Well the same is true for a job interview. You both need to figure out if this will be a good employee employer relationship. Sometimes you can do everything right and this still isn't the case that's why I don't want you to get too hung up on getting rejected. So the questions are a lot like date questions. Who are you? What are you about? Why do you want to be in a relationship with me? What are your lifelong goals? Are you smart? Are you loyal? Can I trust you? This is basically what interviewers are trying to get out of you by asking you these questions. Now I'm going to make a list of typical questions and give you some answers but DON'T memorize these. In fact don't memorize any answers or you will sound like a robot when you interview, or even worse you'll forget your line and freeze up into a silent nightmare. Just have a general idea of these questions and what you would think of if someone asked you. Keep these things in your head and think about them regularly so that they become very organic. Also not only are interviews like dates, they're also like an interrogation with the police. Don't offer up information they didn't ask for if its not going to make out look good! To quote one of my favorite movies, don't fall into the "word vomit" trap. I like to do little mock interviews with myself during my commute to work daily. This keeps me fresh and ready to go. Now for the questions:
As Carrie Fisher once said, “Stay afraid, but do it anyway. What’s important is the action. You don’t have to wait to be confident. Just do it and eventually the confidence will follow.”
- Tell me a little bit about yourself?
- This question always stumps everyone which is funny because if you don't overthink it its really easy. The interviewer just wants a little bio. Now they don't care about where you went on your summer vacation or how many dogs you have. They want to know things that are relevant to them. Like what is your level of education? What is your experience? What are you passionate about? What are you currently doing for work? Etc. Don't tell them how old you are, if you're married or not, or if you have children (this is none of their business and they can't ask you).
- What is your greatest weakness?
- Don't tell them that you oversleep or that you procrastinate it wont help your cause! Try to find something that can be considered both a weakness and a strength. Like perfectionism (perfectionism can be seen as a negative or a positive in certain contexts but its always a positive in the work context), extreme loyalty, or being a workaholic.
- What is your greatest strength?
- See what I did there? Just revert back to your previous answer and explain that while it might not make you a stellar friend or mate it makes you an awesome employee!
- Why do you want to work here?
- Now is where you're going to use that mission statement. Say something like, "well when I was looking for my next job I came across your mission statement and saw that it said that your ultimate goal is to help people live as independently as possible and I knew right then that this is where I needed to be." Wow! You just blew their minds! You just told them that you can drift off into their beautiful blue eyes forever. You just did the ultimate flirting!
- Where do you see yourself in five years?
- I was doing interviews for a social worker position once and I asked the candidate to which they replied, "hopefully in the jungles of Africa!" She was a primate anthropology major and wanted to study chimps...not exactly in line with helping families and children in a not so glamorous setting. So she told me two things, 1. She is not passionate about this work and 2. she wont be here long. Its OK to have other dreams but don't tell them. Simply say, "hopefully here in the (insert name of much higher position than your applying for here)position"
- Do you have any questions for me?
- Yes! Always have questions! You wouldn't go out on a date with someone and not ask them some questions would you? It would make you seem desperate. Same rule applies here. Now don't be the A-hole that asks how many paid holidays they have or what their sick policy looks like. Ask them questions that make you look like you're ambitious and interested, like: "is there room for growth within your company?" or "what does your ideal candidate look like?"
What to Expect
Sometimes there will be one person interviewing you and sometimes you will be in a panel interview, meaning that there will be multiple people asking you questions. Don't let this scare you. Their goal here is not to intimidate the shit out of you I promise. Most of the time you will be in a panel interview if multiple departments are trying to fill the same position. All the hiring managers will sit in to stream line the process. Another reason is that there may be multiple people that are going to make the decision, and sometimes people are in there to learn how to conduct an interview. Try to see this as an advantage for you. Now instead of being on a date with one person and relying solely on their impression of you, you get the chance to convince others as well. So maybe if one of them doesn't like you then one of the others might. Just make sure you make eye contact with all of them.
There might be written portions. Some places will require you to write a report in that second language you said you spoke (so don't lie about things like that). There might be a computer skills test. There may be some short answer scenario questions. Don't panic! Its better to take your time and do well on these things then to rush and do terribly. If they give you an option to do the written after the interview take it! That way the stress of the interview will be off and your work will look better.
The Don'ts
- Don't wear a lot of cologne or perfume. Something that smells great to you might smell awful to someone else and all they will think about when they see your resume again is how bad you stunk up the room.
- If you smoke do not do it before an interview. Like it or not most people think smoking is gross and they will automatically think less of you (and no the gum and perfume does not cover the smell trust me).
- Speaking of gum, do not have any in your mouth. Its distracting and you may blow a bubble out of habit which will not be good.
- Don't put change or keys in your front pockets. Some people start jingling this stuff out or nervousness and can't stop.
- Sit up straight and make eye contact. Even if you're nervous fake it till you make it. You need to look confident! As Carrie Fisher once said, “Stay afraid, but do it anyway. What’s important is the action. You don’t have to wait to be confident. Just do it and eventually the confidence will follow.”
- Oh and don't go in there with bright green hair. Take your self expression out of the equation for a minute. Don't miss out on a great opportunity because you wanted to stick it to the man and the hell with what they think of me! Interviews are solely based on a first impression so don't let the only thing they see be your defiance. There will be time for that later. Right now you want them to see you for you.
The Scariest Interview I Ever Went To
The scariest interview I went to was an interview that I was going to mainly to get my feet wet. Sometimes I apply for jobs I know I'm not really qualified for so that I can get a feel of what they're looking for when I am qualified. I know I wont get the job but its a great opportunity to get your face out there and get some practice. So I went to this interview for the Executive Director position at a company that I thought worked with senior citizens (the companies had the same name and I had researched the wrong one). Turns out they worked with the mentally ill doing something I have wanted to do my whole life...my dream job! I was literally sitting there with these people in my dream interview just like that. Luckily I was prepared and able to adjust to the information and move forward. It turned out I wasn't qualified for the position I applied for but I gave a hell of an interview and made a great impression. So much so that they decided to give me another position in the company that I was qualified for that they hadn't opened up yet! If I hadn't gone then that never would have happened.
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