h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

Anyone got any tips for an interview for a job that I reeelly reeelly want?

Research: Find out waht you can from company info and web pages. Apperance: Dress smart irregardless of whether you expect to have to dress smart in the job itself - the interviewer will appreciate the gesture.
Enthusiasm: Tell them that you want the job.

Good luck

Smile alot but not like a grinning loon!

Be warm and enthusiastic - make it look like you have gone to an effect appearance wise and in your research into them.

But smiling and sounding happy and confident in yourself is the key (even if you are not!)

Best of luck

Also remember, interviews cost companies time and effort so they wouldn't give you an interview if they didn't want to give you the job...so be positive and it's in the bag

The above applies even more if they agree to pay for your expenses over from say Northern Ireland or down from Scotland to a job interview in London say.

Thanks for all your tips, I'll let you know if I get the job, I won't even need to log on, it doesn't matter where you are, you'll hear me cheering!!!! (My mom always said I'd got a big mouth)

Hi ahsirtap.

What the interviewers are looking for is proof that you
a) can do the job
b) want to do the job
c) will be a nice person to work with

Listen carefully to the question. Don't hesitate to ask them to re-phrase it if you're not clear what they are asking.
Take time to think about the answer - don't rush into it. Interviewers appreciate someone who takes them and their questions seriously.
Do some research about the company and the post. Phoning and asking the receptionist is a dead easy way to do this. BUT check out your information before you base an answer on it. Try saying something like 'I understand that you are starting a new project in Outer Mongolia ...? [wait for them to nod]. In that case, you might find my intimate knowledge of ... useful'.

The key word, though, is 'proof'. Think about it ... If you asked someone if they were a talented writer and they said 'yes', you'd be less than convinced. If, on the other hand, they said 'I have a lot of experience writing articles for h2g2 and the feedback there is usually positive. A number of the articles have been approved for inclusion in the Guide'

Good luck for the interview - let us know!

I do an awful lot of interviews, (the nature of my work is short-term contracts - I've worked for 5 different companies in the last couple of months!) so I think I've got a rough idea of how to do them.

But everyone's beaten me to it with their excellent advice.

Seriously though, all the main points have been covered, but maybe I can offer one or two tips that might help you stand out from the crowd. The point about researching the company is an important one, but it will impress them more if you can show that you are interested in and knowledgeable about the field they work in (rather than just being able to demonstrate familiarity with their website). For example if you've read a magazine article or a book that is directly relevant to something discussed during the interval, ask the interviewer if they've read it too. This will demonstrate your interest (shows you read around the subject), if they haven't read it they will start to wonder if you are better informed than they are (although don't overdo it - making an interviewer feel threatened is counterproductive!), and if they have read it, they will be pleased that you have exquisite taste in reading (i.e. the same as theirs), and you also won't give the impression of simply regurgitating someone else's ideas in this case. (Of course be prepared to talk about the article - either a quick precis if they haven't read it, and an appraisal if they have; be sure of your opinion on it though - a sly interviewer might claim to have thought it was rubbish...)

Don't sell yourself short. A lot of people do this, in all sorts of ways. Sometimes when asked to evaluate how good they are at something they'll give an equivocal response; the best thing is just to tell them everything you've done up until now that you think enables you to do the thing in question well - this is the information they need (rather than a self-ranking on a scale of 1 to 5...). Make sure they know everything about your experience that might be useful to them. Above all remember that every question is an opportunity for you to convince them that you are not only appropriate for the job, but are *so* right for the job that any other candidate would be a compromise.

(Oh and of course don't lie. Unless you're *completely* sure you will never get found out, but even then try to avoid it... )

another tip (although i agree that the others are very important): even if you're nervous, try your best not to show it. comfort and confidence is key: think of it in this capacity: you have skills that they want, and that you would be very excited to share with them. they want to feel you are comfortable with the responsibility, and can also add to their environment.

but point to consider, one struck into my head from actors, who frequently are being "interviewed:" if, for some reason, they DON'T accept you as a final choice, don't be discouraged. this doesn't mean you are unsuitable for the job, or are "bad" in some way....just that your particular talents might not meet exactly what they're looking for; it only means that you need to find something else that "clicks." and if it doesn't happen, there may be a very important reason for it...maybe something better is waiting for you in the wings!

in any case, put your best face forward, and good luck! knock 'em dead!

Perhaps you should rethink the interview genre itself. Personally, I have
always found it useful to conceptualise the interview in reverse...so that
you are interviewing *them* to see if they are suitable for *you*.

Naturally, you have to be subtle, but *thinking* this while being interviewed
can help break down the pressure, and also empower you a bit. After all...if you think
they are crap...you really don't wanna work for em unless you have to....

These are really good tips, all of them, and I plan on using them in my current job search. I agree with 143981's reverse-interview theory. Remember, the person who is interviewing you knows all about you from reading your resume and your cover letter and seeing samples of your work (if you supplied them). So the interview is also a very real chance for you to find out what this company is like and what they are doing and what expectations they have for you or for anyone in the post. You shouldn't forget to ask what happened to the last person who had the job, and where that person went, or where people in general move from that position. You could ask the interviewer about the person you will be reporting to and to describe that person (if he or she is not the one interviewing you). You could ask the interviewer what he or she likes most/likes least about the company. You should definitely ask about benefits, especially vacation time and pension plan.

Just remember, if you don't ask these questions at the interview, and the firm likes you, they will ask you to take a test or to come in for a second interview, and then they will ask you if you want the job. So when are you supposed to ask the questions that will help you decide if you do want the job, like "is my boss scum," or "did the last person to hold this job quit in frustration and go suicidal," or "do I get paid vacation?" At the job interview, of course.

Good luck, and wish me luck on the job-hunt, too, please!

Good luck.

Best of luck, jqr.

One caveat. Subtlety IS the key when interviewing the interviewers. I was taught that an interview is a fair and equal exchange of information. But, just as we interviewees can be economical with the truth, put our best foot forward, make a good impression, etc. and, just as we would be insulted to be cross-examined about our relationship with our last boss/have our motives for leaving our last job doubted, so the interviewers are not likely to tell the whole truth, either!

The local beauty shop is advertising a complimentary make-over for a job interview or a graduation party. Might be worth finding out if someone is offering something similar at your uni (This presupposes that you are a recent or about to be graduate. If not, please ignore this post)

You may well have already had the interview, but here goes anyway:

They may ask the dreaded question "Tell us something about yourself"
- anticipate this by preapring and rehearsing a short speech. No oddball abbreviations, keep it short but cover as much as possible.

Talk to the interviewers, not at them. Make eye contact etc.

Don't undersell yourself.

Don't tell porkies or otherwise bull**** - there will be someone on the panel who can catch you out. If you don't know the answer to a technical question, let them know.

Smile.

(some/all of these points are covered in other replies.)

Best of luck.

Q. Where do you see yourself in x. years time?
A. On the other side of this desk commending this place to more potential employees.

Q. What does "Option Explicit" do?
A. It forces explicit declaration of every variable by triggering a compile time error if an undeclared variable is encountered.

OK, so the second question only comes up in interviews for Visual Basic contracts but it illustrates one final point...know what you've written down on your CV and be prepared to have any technical skill tested.

<>====uuu====<

So that's the option explicit business that's at the top of every VB script!!! thanks so much DJ for clearing that up; now I can go on to fame and fortune...

Many thanks to all of you who have taken the trouble to reply to my call for interview tips. For all those who haven't heard the shouting from the direction of Manchester England, I GOT THE JOB!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Thanks once again & I hope that all of you who are still looking are as sucessful.

luv'n'kisses to you all

Congratulations! We'll all be looking for your comments now in the forum on How Do I Make It Look Like I'm Working While Not Doing Anything.

If you don't mind, and it's not a national-security secret or anything, what exactly will you be doing, ahsirtap?

Serious congrats!

Don't forget the golden rule - always leave a jacket or bag slung over the back of your chair, especially when you are taking a long lunch.