Career Blog: Job Interviews

For more examples of how some candidates got the interview process completely wrong, please click on the link below.

Yahoo! Tech makes reference to a blog (TechInterview) that helps job seekers in the tech industry practice for interview riddles. The good thing about this blog is that, not only does it asks questions, it also provides answers.

"Four people need to cross a rickety rope bridge to get back to their camp at night. Unfortunately, they only have one flashlight and it only has enough light left for seventeen minutes. The bridge is too dangerous to cross without a flashlight, and it's only strong enough to support two people at any given time. Each of the campers walks at a different speed. One can cross the bridge in 1 minute, another in 2 minutes, the third in 5 minutes, and the slow poke takes 10 minutes to cross. How do the campers make it across in 17 minutes?"

I hate interviewing job candidates. I hate having openings that need to be filled. I want my company to be fully staffed at all times. When turnover results in an open position, productivity slows down. When I have to spend time looking for someone to fill an open position, productivity slows down. When I have to spend time training a new person to do a new job, productivity slows down. Do you see a pattern here?

Alex Papadimoulis wrote about the misadventure he had during an interview to join Microsoft. It was when Microsoft used to ask riddles such as this one: "Given an opaque box with three light bulbs inside and three switches outside, how would you determine which switch corresponded to which bulb if the box could be opened only once and only after all the switches were permanently set?"

So, if you can answer the above question, does that make you a more qualified candidate? How about if you can answer this question: "How would you design a bike fit for someone visually impaired?" If you want a good laughter, make sure to read the blog entry for the answer to this question.

According to a survey developed by Robert Half Finance & Accounting, despite meeting with staff-level applicants for 55 minutes and management-level candidates for 86 minutes (on average), it only takes 10 minutes for executives to form an opinion about job seekers.

The first 10 minutes set the tone for the rest of the interview and is a critical phase in terms of establishing a connection with the interviewer. The article ends with five questions often asked at the beginning of an interview and advice on how to respond.

The Globe and Mail has an article about job interviews in which it reveals that the most common mistake made by candidates is having little or no knowledge about the organization that is hiring. Employers expect candidates to know the organization's history, have a sense of the industry, know about the products/ services that are provided, etc.

Interviews are about putting our best foot forward. Yet, why do interviewers come up with questions like that? (1) Because we are all humans and all have weaknesses; (2) because they want to put us to the test and see how we respond; and (3) because they want to know how we overcome difficulties.

A big part of the job application process is about "reading between the lines" and putting the emphasis at the right place. When a recruiter asks you what your weaknesses are, you can answer by stating your weaknesses or you can answer by "qualifying" your weaknesses. In other words, it's all a matter of perspective.

The basic idea is to make your weakness look like a "past" weakness or a "minor" weakness. By the way, the capacity to move forward and improve is actually a good thing.

Candidates should not over focus on the answers they give during interviews. Instead, they should look at the big picture and try to make a good impression. What better way to make a good impression than to make a good "first" impression?

While job hunting, it is easy to lose confidence as rejections pile up and uncertainty grows day after day. No matter how wrong things go, don't let go of your authenticity as a person (that flame inside of you that keeps you going and that makes you unique).

This is especially true when attending interviews. Be yourself and try to be friendly, but don't exaggerate things or try to be someone else. In most situations, remaining true to yourself will carry you through the day, as recruiters know when someone is "faking it." Also, you will walk out of the interview feeling much better than if you pretended to be someone else.

Many articles give tips on how to have successful interviews. Most tips are based on common sense, such as "do your research" or "arrive at least 15 minutes in advance." From experience, however, many interviews are won not by the answers given (unless they are outstanding or really bad...), but rather by the human connection made with the interviewer.

In that regard, when attending an interview, remember that, from the time that you see the interviewer to the time that you shake hands before leaving, that person holds the key to your future. So here's the idea: for that period of time, that person has to be the most interesting, intelligent, and charming person you've ever met.

A study published by the National Association of Colleges and Employers (NACE) revealed the degree of importance accorded by employers on various elements of a candidate's appearance. In that regard, Marilyn Mackes, NACE executive director, stated: "Job candidates need to remember that their overall grooming and choice of interview attire project an image; they are marketing themselves to the employer as a potential employee, and part of marketing is the packaging."

Exit interviews are important as they reveal to employers information that would otherwise not be revealed because employees currently working for that employer may not want to go "all-in" on some issues. When a person departs, however, he or she will feel more at liberty to address concerns and answer questions such as critiquing what (or who) is problematic in an organization.

As such, experts recommend that employers make exit interviews one of their priorities, list a set of standard questions to ask all employees that leave, and conduct the interview before the last day of work.

By leaving on good terms, employers can gain since it is not unusual for departing employees to go and work for another employer somehow connected to the same field. For employees, this can also be beneficial as some may want to (and do) return to their old employers after realizing that the grass is not greener somewhere else.

Interviews for government positions are different from interviews in the private sector. There are no strict guidelines that recruiters in the private sector have to abide by when selecting candidates. Hence, they can decide to pick one just because of "chemistry."

The situation is slightly different with government positions as most governments have strict guidelines to evaluate candidates. Therefore, government interviews are much more substantive than interviews in the private sector. Candidates will often have, for instance, to go through many rounds of screening, including written exams. Since the process is so formal for government interviews, candidates can often also ask for specifics.

According to a survey of recruiters, speaking too much is the most common mistake made by interviewees. Other mistakes include lack of knowledge about the company, over-inflated ego, and appearing overly confident.

The College Journal addressed this issue with regard to MBAs, although the advice given is also applicable for others. The main reason why being self-confident can turn bad is that it can project the impression of being arrogant. Following are five tips to avoid falling into that trap:

Sometimes, the job that you get is not what you expected, or what you were offered. What should you do?

What if the employer said you would be supervising so many employees and you end up supervising only one person? What if you expected to play a more predominant role in the company and realize that your position was lower down the ladder?

Is it a matter of miscommunication or bad faith on the part of the employer? If you realize that it is a matter of bad faith, can you keep working there?

It comes down to how desperate you are in getting a job. But a good advice is to ask relevant questions during the interview. Too often candidates feel that the employer has the upper hand during interviews. That is not necessarily the case. Both sides need something. Enquire about the position, the organization, get a feel of your interviewer, is he or she straightforward, etc. These are a few of the things you should consider before accepting an offer.

Sometimes, Wires Get Crossed in Interview, TwinCities.com