I’ve helped execute a few job interviews for work this last week and I wanted to pass along a few tips for my readers here who for some reason may not have heard these tips:
- Only be yourself if that’s good advice. If you’re really a jerk, don’t be yourself. Everyone else: don’t be fake.
- If the end of each of the answers you have to any number of questions concludes with something like, “…and that’s why I think I’m perfect for this job,” then you’re more than likely not perfect for the job. That is of course unless they ask you over and over why you’re perfect for the job. If they are asking that one question over and over you probably have found a job that is not perfect.
- If someone asks you to tell them about yourself, tell them briefly about yourself. Do not tell them almost about yourself, about what your department does, your sex life, or anything else that is either far too explicit or not actually about yourself.
- If someone asks you when was the last time you were dishonest at work the correct answer is always one of two things: 1) I am always honest or 2) When I didn’t tell them I was coming to interview for another position.
- If you are asked about your career aspirations give something concrete. We don’t care if you want to be the first person to discover a unicorn’s remains in the mid-layers of the earth’s crust, but we do care that you have a solid, clear answer. Dancing around the answer to the question because you’re not sure is way worse than saying you’re not sure.
- Use Google to determine even more about the company you’re applying at. In our case knowing roughly what our company produces (besides a tremendous amount of awesome) will get your far with almost all the leadership. If there’s a product you can touch, find it to touch if at all possible. If it’s software, install it. If it is anything you can look at or experience in a safe, legal way – get it and look at it and experience it!
- Be ready to give feedback about the product or products you interacted with. Be nice, though. A lot of blood sweat and tears goes into different products so ripping into them is worse than just canceling the interview 🙂
- Know the key, broader principles that you operate by so that you can address issues you’re less specific with as specifically and effectively as possible. Example: I know that there are a tremendous number of programming languages that are available today but I’m competent in a few of them and the principles behind good, clean software development apply to all of them. If I get asked about C# (which I’ve only tinkered with) I can at least tell the person I’m familiar with Java and would be willing to learn C# if the job required it.
- Be punctual – don’t be late, but don’t be 30 minutes early
- Come prepared with questions for the interviewers. They’re going to interview you, but return the favor. Think of a past job that stank because you didn’t have a great relationship with a manager, or you hated a certain process. Avoid repeat situations by asking questions about specific details that you either are very familiar with or are able to speak to knowledgeably. This is probably better than a 2 page resume (with too much information on it) for revealing your competency.
What are your tips, readers?
1) Don’t smell. This includes gross amounts of body odor **AND** gross amounts of perfume. Also lunch. Don’t smell like garlic or curry, but peanut butter is ok.
2) Speak the same language as your interviewer. Just because you passed your English class at Polynesian Politech doesn’t mean you can speak English in an interview. If your interviewer has to ask you to repeat yourself more than once, you have a problem.
3) Know what to do with your hands. (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QqhkdHlCHLk&t=20)
I haven’t had to interview lately, but I will have to take these into account if the opportunity comes up. It was great to have coffee with you! Thank you, as always for your time, care and wisdom! You are a rock star.