MEGA - Jobs, Resumes, Interviews

Sticky Green said:
Yes they do!!! Otherwise how do you know what both your client and the candidate are looking for? I know you're only looking at keywords, but if you know nothing about what I put on my resume, you have no idea how over/under qualified I would be for any given position.

Candidates get pretty angry when we get calls on a 3rd, 4th, 5th lead and the job is far less than what we are looking for.

I'm not saying that recruiters should know everything, otherwise they could be working in that field.
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Say for example I'm recruiting a Senior HR advisor position for an industrial and global oil and gas company, as I have recently.

My client tells me they want someone with at least 6-7 years experience within a similar industry. They want someone with general HR experience, and they want someone with at least 30-40% ER/IR experience. They also want someone who has experience dealing with EBA negotiations and unions, and who has been involved in 1-5 year HR planning. They want this person to have at least 10-15 years of work life left in them, as they plan for this role to be a State HR Manager role within 2 years. This person also needs to be able to travel frequently.

I can tell straight away whether you're over or under-qualified for the position, especially if you've prepared your resume adequately.

What would I look for in a candidate for this role, for example

- General HR experience 6-7 years
- Experience working for a large industrial organisation (no small players, I know this is not what my client wants)
- Some IR experience, but definitely not above 50%
- Under 40-45 years of age, preferably

If the candidate had all those things, I'd call them to clarify the other key selection criteria (EBA's, HR planning, etc.) It's not brain science, and it doesn't need to be. I most certainly don't have to be an expert on any of the jobs I recruit - I simply have to know what my clients want, and that's what I give them. How do I know these things though? I ask the line manager for the role. Not a member of the HR team, but the line manager. The person the role directly reports to!
 
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What a lot of people fail to understand is that our clients pay us to find someone who near-perfectly matches their key selection criteria.

They don't want us to throw them people they could easily find themselves. They don't generally want people who are looking for their next step up in their career. Rather, they want someone who has proven and demonstrated experience - people who are looking to take a lateral step, with maybe a few little extra perks (whether it be more money, closer location, more career advancement oportunities, etc.)
 
Job Interviews

Not sure if this is the right place for this so feel free to move if needed mods.

Basically, nerve wracking, high pressure, sell yourself on your strengths and weaknesses interviews.

Any tips on how to be good at them?

I'm a stuttering nervous wreck even though on paper i'm great and present myself well. Anxiety kills me at these things and i fear it may end up costing me some jobs i really have the skills and ability for. The jobs i have previously been offered were purely by fluking getting in there when they were desperate.

I just went to ONE interview, sucked at the typing and word test, stuttered and went bright red like a fool, sounded like a noob when i have 4 years experience :! and now i'm just so terrified to go back out there and keep applying but i have to.

Any tips to amp me up bluelighters? :)
 
Oh man I hate job interviews. Such a farce.

Obviously to kill a job interview you just have to go in there being confident; know your shit, have the qualifications, ask questions that show you've done your research and are interested in the company, dress sharp. It's all make believe anyway. Also know what type of company you are interviewing at and what they are looking for; if they are a tech company that values creativity then you want to emphasize that in the interview. If they are an accounting firm that values boring number crunching ledger balancers then emphasize how boring and dependable you are.

If you just do a google search for Job Interview Questions you can pretty quickly find a list of about 30 or 40 standard interview questions that they are likely to ask. This is a good tool because you can familiarize yourself with the questions they are going to ask and have your answers already mostly formed in your head (but of course, you don't want your answer to seem too rehearsed).

If they ask you the question, "What is your biggest weakness?" you should immediately storm out of the interview after hurling expletives at them for asking such a stupid fucking formulaic question that serves no real purpose in the interview process. If they do ask this question they probably aren't very good or seasoned at interviewing people and you should think less of them as people.

Basically I suspect your individual problem is mostly anxiety; you didn't sleep well the night before because you were overthinking the impending interview and it just blew up into a big deal in your head. It's a form of performance anxiety. You need to get over that, which can be hard. But you are attractive and smart so you just need to build up your confidence in the morning before you head out to the next interview. Try practicing saying your answers in the mirror, or with a friend or with your boyfriend and getting positive reinforcement from your social circle just prior to the interview will help boost your confidence and lower anxiety. Obviously, being well prepared will also decrease anxiety because you'll fumble less over answers and pick up momentum as you go like a spaceship.

The more interviews you go to, and the more comfortable you get with the process, the easier it will get. This is a pretty fundamental law of human behavior. So just keep at it. I'm sure you'll do fine. Good luck!
 
Big agreement with above post. If anxiety is your potential pitfall, go a tiny step further when preparing for a job interview and cull potential interview questions/topics from people who are currently working in the field.

Next, and this will help more than you know, write out your thoughts, reactions and potential answers on paper a few days before the interview(s). The knowledge will settle and your answers will come from real analysis and evaluation.

Good luck.
 
Also, just forget about what happened today. If they call, they call. If not, fuck it. Try not to dwell on whatever embarrassing things may have happened; I do that a lot and it's so counterproductive. You also might find out that what you perceived to be horribly embarrassing wasn't even a big deal to the interviewer or they didn't notice or they didn't care. When you go on your next interview the LAST thing you want to do is be afraid of another embarrassing performance, or dwelling on that fear because it will merely stoke the anxiety. Ideally you won't even be thinking about that at all; you'll be entirely focused on how you're going to kill the interview you're on.

ALSO, I just remembered something in terms of the question asking strategy in a job interview. Let me cite an example. My cousin was interviewing for a summer internship at a hotel in Alaska. Now, in Alaska during the summer there are about 24 hours of continuous sunlight. So he asked the interviewer what they do during the 4th of July. In the rest of the country we typically set off fireworks; but obviously that wouldn't work in Alaska because on July 4th the sun never goes down. I thought that was a pretty brilliant question to ask because it showed he was thinking seriously and perceptively about the internship and about life in Alaska from a pragmatic standpoint. He got the job and got to live in Alaska for 3 months for fucking free!
 
meditate a little before hand, spend a lot of time actively listening, and always take a second or two to think before you speak. If they ask you if you have any questions at the end of the interview it's best to ask them something.

Believe you're the best cat for the job, that tends to help.
 
wizekrak said:
...spend a lot of time actively listening, and always take a second or two to think before you speak.
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this is simple yet extremely important advice. it's sometimes better to ask for a second to compose a good answer to a question than to just open your mouth and start talking.

further, if they ask you a question and you answer it very briefly, they may wait for you to add more. if you have nothing to add to an answer, resist the temptation to start rambling just to fill the silence.

alasdair
 
^Yes!

I've never been through a job interview, but I've given them, and here are some very basic tips:

Be honest. Imagine that everyone (your former colleagues, your mum, etc.) is listening to your interview. Usually people can smell oversellers, or will eventually find them out. There is nothing that annoys me more than a lying overseller.

Before your interview, identify some cliches of job interviews, and make sure not to use them if you get the urge to go into some "automatic" and socially conditioned answers. I find that people sometimes use these to fill the silence. I figure that they spend too much time researching on how to pass interviews than actually doing substantive work to prepare them for the job.

Do you really want the job? Are you ready to be a driving force in the company? Or will you be just another worker? I personally watch out for those who look like they can look at the company critically and make it evolve in a positive manner.

Don't ask me basic questions about the company. Know your stuff! But don't do it in a forced way. Just tackle it to the point that you know more than the usual person does about the company, and that you know what you're asking for.

On the whole, just keep your cool. Chances are, if you're confident in your work experience and think that you can do a good job, things will work out okay.
 
I am grateful that I have a career where the employer has to sell their employment opportunity to me.
You will get better with practice. I hope you get the job you are looking for.
 
I hate when they ask what do you consider you strong points. I always say my weaknesses. Then explain that I find my weakness and focus on mastering it. Let then know every thing else is cake.
Another thing I do is treat the interviewer like an equal or if the situation is right (80 percent of the time) act superior but not arrogant. This has gotten me not only hired but let me almost write my own pay check.
Good luck. Give them hell and they'll treat you like heaven.
 
inkfreak74x9 said:
I hate when they ask what do you consider you strong points. I always say my weaknesses. Then explain that I find my weakness and focus on mastering it. Let then know every thing else is cake.
Another thing I do is treat the interviewer like an equal or if the situation is right (80 percent of the time) act superior but not arrogant. This has gotten me not only hired but let me almost write my own pay check.
Good luck. Give them hell and they'll treat you like heaven.
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Maybe you should write a book about success at job interviews. A good title for your book is "Successful Job Interview Skills: Would you like the Supersize Combo?"
 
I hate job interviews too. I get so nervous I can't think of answers to simple questions and walk out angry at myself because I know the answer!

I have forced myself to be very perky and sociable. My field is dominated by men, so I do play on that a little. LOL I always research the company before hand too. That has helped a lot!

Also, get a good night's sleep and walk in there with confidence. I am very honest if I don't know too. I'm not afraid to admit it. This has been sometimes good and sometimes a bad thing.

I always tell myself that if I didn't get the job then it's probably not a job I want :D
I base this off of the fact that I am very much "me" in an interview and if they don't like my personality then I probably wouldn't get along with my peers
 
Lysis said:
I hate job interviews too. I get so nervous I can't think of answers to simple questions...
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have you analysed why this is?

how well do you prepare for interviews? there's some advice above about not rushing answers in the interview itself. it's always ok to say "i need a moment" before giving an answer. you may find that simply settling yourself allows the answers to come more easily?

alasdair
 
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^ I think this is my main problem, i will blurt everything out in one breathe and sound like a fool.

Thank you so much for your thought out replies <3 Benefit, Thank you especially for giving me more confidence in my abilities. As i read your post i was still running over in my head Mondays interview, i need to forget that and start fresh.

I have another one tomorrow. Almost had a panic attack tonight thinking about it8) . I just wish i was one of those confident speakers then i would be okay.. I'm a hard worker, i have been in a law firm for 4 years - i'm just going to be honest. Not think about "selling myself" or being scared to say the wrong thing.

I know i can do the job i'm going for with ease, i just have to get over my anxiety in these situations to get there. It's so much easier to say that than do it though, i guess anyone with anxiety would understand.

It is so frustrating, cheers again for your support guys though it has helped me keep going :)
 
the main thing i've learned about interviews is this-

every interview, even a bad one, is an opportunity to learn something for the next time. don't dwell on a bad intervew. instead, think about what specifically went wrong and figure out how to fix this for the next time.

try not to stress TOO much (although i know it's hard!) just keep in mind- if this one doesn't work out, you'll get another one soon enough.

i kind of think it's good to show some nerves on an interview. you can't stroll in there all relaxed- i think they want to see that you care a lot and this is really important to you and you're taking it seriously.
 
alasdairm said:
have you analysed why this is?

how well do you prepare for interviews? there's some advice above about not rushing answers in the interview itself. it's always ok to say "i need a moment" before givgin an answer. you may find that simply settling yourself allows the answers to come more easily?

alasdair
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I have analyzed it and it is purely nerves. My mind just goes blank. Plus I am usually interviewed by 3-4 people in a room. This is because I am a software developer with a wide range of experience so there are a lot of people watching for me to slip up in their little niche of the IT world. :-/
 
^^ panel interview are the worst! i'm a teacher, and i've been on several panel interviews which included 9+ interviewers. yikes!
 
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