Job-age: Let's share our techniques

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NetMapel

Guilty White Male Mods Gave Me This Tag
Hey so I noticed every now and then, there will be some GAFers asking about job advices and all. It's great that we have a good number of helpful and experienced members here providing valuable tips for the less fortunate. I figured it'd be nice if we have this one big thread where we post our job-hunting techniques so GAFers can all have job and buy our fantasy GAF island... yada yada... etc. Here I'll go first.

- I always personally deliver a thank-you card to the company (receptionist or the actual recruiter) on the day or the day after the interview. Usually it's a day after... but anyways, this has received some really good responses from my interviewers.

- Bring a pen, printed resume, cover letter, references, and transcript to the interview. 99% of the time the company will probably have most of those documents printed out, but I always just bring a copy just in case (especially the reference list which I don't always give out along with my original applications.) Lay our the pen and those documents at the start of the interview to look prepared.

- Bring business cards if you have it and wait for an opportunity to give the card out if/when appropriate.

- When waiting to be called in for the interview at the company's lounge/lobby, grab an appropriate magazine to read so you look good when the interviewer comes to get you. For example, there will probably be some business-related magazines at an accounting firm, grab it and read it.

These techniques are more or less for professional jobs and not retail jobs, but I know a lot of GAFers here are professionals in their fields. Ok, now it's your turn :)
 
Dont trust recruiters when they give you job postings. Chances are they've modified those job postings when they sent them to you. Else you'll look like an ass at your interview. :lol

man, what a waste of a day.
 
I know it should go without saying, but show an interest in what you're interviewing for. I was in an interview around 14 months ago and they kept asking me questions about things and techniques that I had never even heard of before. Without even realizing it, instead of telling them I had no idea what they were talking about, I was asking curious questions about it, "Ah! So it's used to ___ then? That's amazing! Is this similar to ___?". I was going all school girl over what they were talking about and kind of stopped myself when I realized what I was doing :lol But they somehow loved it and offered me an amazing job (where I learned a loooooot).
 
Don't neglect the end part of the interview. I think everyone basically gives the same half dodge half canned answers to the standard behavioral crap. That just shows you've done a little homework and are baseline competent. Where I think you can really shine is in intelligent, natural conversation about the job and industry after the interviewer has exhausted their question list.
 
If you don't know the answer say "I don't know." I'll intentionally ask all candidates something I know they have no clue about and put them on the spot about it to see how they handle pressure. I can't count the number of interviewees that were rejected simply because they thought they could bs or didn't handle it well.

Be confident but not cocky.

Be honest.

If they ask you what your biggest weakness is, say "Kryptonite." Always worked for me.

Don't just tell. Show. If I ask, "Do you know how to x." Don't just say yes, say, "Yeah I did it here and these are the results I got."

Be sure to use the interviewer's name in a few answers. It's an easy way to gain an "inside"
 
ronito said:
I'll intentionally ask all candidates something I know they have no clue about and put them on the spot about it to see how they handle pressure

Heh, someone pulled that on me once (and admitted to it later); it just happened that I know an inordinate amount about the Ruby interpreter scene. Backfire! :P

When I interview candidates, I usually drill down with questions to probe the experience they've stated on their resume from the perspective of how they handle themselves on a project. For free, you see how well they can defend and back up their own experience.

Sticking to their experience for content is the best way to see how they handle themselves with what they know. I don't really care to see how well they respond in 30 seconds when I totally blindside them with something unrelated, because if that happens on the job, it's probably the fault of whoever is managing them. Learning how someone handles stress & panic isn't something you can do accurately in a short interview, I don't believe.
 
I like pulling out and shooting my load on my partners face. Sometimes, its scripted but sometimes I just do it to surprise the girl(s) and the director.
 
I tend to do really well in interviews, just by being confident and honest. The problem I've found is that while interviewers tend to value honesty, getting through to the interview stage at companies large enough to have HR departments that do candidate filtering is really difficult without exaggerating your knowledge. I tend to write (as an example) "exposure to Java and C++" on my resume, even though I haven't written either since uni. Resumes will get filtered on those keywords even if the position doesn't require actual knowledge of those specific technologies, and I will at the earliest opportunity explain the depth (or lack thereof, heh!) of my knowledge; but it still feels like a terrible compromise. How do you guys recommend getting around this?
 
Besides having the right skillset for the job; Don't act cocky. I know this is sometimes contrary to what you usually hear, but be modest about your accomplishments, and play them up as learning experiences rather than successes. Interviewers are unimpressed by bigmouths, and would much rather see someone enthusiastic for the job that they feel like they can learn and grow in. Plus, psychologically, nobody likes a gloater. What it says on the paper resume should represent what you've done to the extent of playing yourself up. The interview is a game of psychology - if they are impressed with what it says on the paper, and you treat the accomplishments in a modest way - they'll assume you're capable of much more.

I know there are many that would disagree, though.
 
I have a few basic rules and techniques that I use when I'm interviewing for a job. They go something like this:

- Do my homework on the company so I have questions about their history/work.
- I dress professionally.
- Bring a few copies of my resume to the interview.
- Use a firm handshake and make eye contact.
- Let them talk, but don't be afraid to speak up.
- Be confident but not cocky.

And the one that's a little unethical but works in my field (IT):

- Lie about my current salary... Usually 15-25% more than it actually is. By law, they can't verify what I actually make.
 
I know the answers of getting a proper answer to this is slim (lol, girlgaf), but do female interviewers expect other women to have firm handshakes? I don't think I've EVER shaken a hand with one who had a firm handshake, so I'm always conflicted on what to do. (Course if it's a guy, there's no doubt :P)

Another question, what's the best way to justify applying for a job that's a "step down" from previous work? Is it even possible to convince the interviewer that it doesn't matter to you?

Hmm... my contribution... if you have a break in your employment history for whatever reason, be sure to prepare a good defense for it.
 
bumpkin said:
I have a few basic rules and techniques that I use when I'm interviewing for a job. They go something like this:

- Do my homework on the company so I have questions about their history/work.
- I dress professionally.
- Bring a few copies of my resume to the interview.
- Use a firm handshake and make eye contact.
- Let them talk, but don't be afraid to speak up.
- Be confident but not cocky.

And the one that's a little unethical but works in my field (IT):

- Lie about my current salary... Usually 15-25% more than it actually is. By law, they can't verify what I actually make.
That's awesome! :lol
 
Zoe said:
I know the answers of getting a proper answer to this is slim (lol, girlgaf), but do female interviewers expect other women to have firm handshakes? I don't think I've EVER shaken a hand with one who had a firm handshake, so I'm always conflicted on what to do. (Course if it's a guy, there's no doubt :P)

Another question, what's the best way to justify applying for a job that's a "step down" from previous work? Is it even possible to convince the interviewer that it doesn't matter to you?

Hmm... my contribution... if you have a break in your employment history for whatever reason, be sure to prepare a good defense for it.
That's a tough one... how about that you are pursuing your interest if this new jobs is in a somewhat different field than your previous work ?
 
When asked about your previously salary, do you guys include bonuses in the figure or tell them the bonus figure separately?
 
Juice said:
Heh, someone pulled that on me once (and admitted to it later); it just happened that I know an inordinate amount about the Ruby interpreter scene. Backfire! :P
Yes, that's why it's very important to know the answer before ask the question. I remember one guy got all pissed and said, "You know all this stuff because it's on a paper in front of you." To which I replied, "Try me. Ask me anything." He tried to stump me. He didn't. He also didn't get the job. Which leads to another pointer.

Don't give an answer unless it's defensible. In other words don't give an answer you're not ready to defend or take to it's logical conclusion.

Another great little tip for technical interviews. If you get a hard question repeat it back saying "So you want <insert reworded question here>" This is great in that it not only buys you time to think, but it also shows that you care to verify before you start. Bonus points all around.

Zenbot said:
Resumes will get filtered on those keywords even if the position doesn't require actual knowledge of those specific technologies, and I will at the earliest opportunity explain the depth (or lack thereof, heh!) of my knowledge; but it still feels like a terrible compromise. How do you guys recommend getting around this?

Here's my suggestion. Take it off the resume if you have enough skills to still be considered. If they ask you if you have exposure to something and it's not on your resume and you do, it looks good. If they ask you about something on your resume and you've barely any experience in it, it looks bad. I had this happen with someone I interviewed today. Don't put something on your resume unless you can talk to it in detail.
 
NetMapel said:
- Bring a pen, printed resume, cover letter, references, and transcript to the interview. 99% of the time the company will probably have most of those documents printed out, but I always just bring a copy just in case (especially the reference list which I don't always give out along with my original applications.) Lay our the pen and those documents at the start of the interview to look prepared.
Good start and I use to think that's enough but I got some really good advice from an older friend who I hardly see these days cuz he's such a workaholic. Bring a portfolio of a few of the major projects you've done at school or work and present it when it's your turn to speak of your experience. The few times I've brought out a paper on a project I've done, the interviewers were always really interested. Turn to a picture to help you give them a brief summary of the report, emphasize how your past project relates to the new position and/or how the project brought out your personal strengths even if the report has little to do with the new position. Keep it brief and ask them if they would like you to go into further detail on any of your projects to be sure you're not just boring them. Don't worry if all your projects are from school, they already expected that from your resume and still asked to interview you. Good luck.
 
oh and another tip for technical interviews. If you get asked something you don't know after the interview go look it up. Practice it be able to talk about it. Chances are someone else will ask you the same thing later.
 
I'm doing a science degree and just want some part-time work in the city, i've been looking for a few weeks now, mostly retails jobs, office assistant etc.

I can handle the interview questions but i'm not sure on what i should be wearing, my girlfriends suggestions seem stupid. What are your thoughts gaf?
 
Fix The Scientist said:
I'm doing a science degree and just want some part-time work in the city, i've been looking for a few weeks now, mostly retails jobs, office assistant etc.

I can handle the interview questions but i'm not sure on what i should be wearing, my girlfriends suggestions seem stupid. What are your thoughts gaf?

Dress smart. Not too formal.
 
Fix The Scientist said:
I'm doing a science degree and just want some part-time work in the city, i've been looking for a few weeks now, mostly retails jobs, office assistant etc.

I can handle the interview questions but i'm not sure on what i should be wearing, my girlfriends suggestions seem stupid. What are your thoughts gaf?
I'd say business casual. Basically, business pants + collar top or something nice.
 
Jamesfrom818 said:
I like pulling out and shooting my load on my partners face. Sometimes, its scripted but sometimes I just do it to surprise the girl(s) and the director.
.............................. what? oh god you are a porn star.


:lol
 
Don't bring references with you. Tell them they're available upon request. If you give them three right off the bat, they may want three more later.
 
Phobophile said:
Don't bring references with you. Tell them they're available upon request. If you give them three right off the bat, they may want three more later.
Really ? I find that employers generally appreciate that I proactively supply them with my reference list.
 
Well 1st big interview I had in May was for a summer marketing/sales/advertising internship for my university contracted out of a big company in Chicago.

Basically, I had 3 hour long phone interviews, in which they tried to gauge your conversational skills, interest in the job, and how well you could perform under pressure.

They would spit out their company's info to me (of which I took notes), then pretend they were a business owner, and see if I could sell myself, and their product. Also my knowledge of the market, how to close, how to follow up, account management, etc.

I had a pen and paper ready, tried to be on my feet with my guard up, yet still personable and calm, took a ton of notes, gave a great practice pitch, explained why I wanted the job (80% experience, 20% for some dough), and when asked my weaknesses, I was honest (getting up early). When asked how long it would take to gather references, I said 'No more than 15 minutes'. (They were looking for that)

Out of (what I was told) 100's of applicants from my university, myself and another gal were chosen.

So I guess:

1. Be prepared.
2. Be HONEST.
3. Being cocky worked for me, but not overly cocky, just more on the confident side.
 
Boogie said:
NetMapel, I assume this thread means that your Western degree hasn't gotten you steadily employed yet? ;P
BOOGIE, I should have known you are lurking around :P Of course I'm employed and am doing the whole CA designation thing. How goes your mountie's training ? :P
 
NetMapel said:
BOOGIE, I should have known you are lurking around :P Of course I'm employed and am doing the whole CA designation thing. How goes your mountie's training ? :P

Good to hear. :)

Mountie training is long over. I've been on the job for 5 months now, and am having a blast.
 
Good bad advice for when you start a new job : Start smoking, socially this will make all the difference.
 
Ohhh... almost forgot... bring candies to work ! Put it in some containers on top of your desk so you can share with your colleagues. Nothing buys friendship at work faster than offering snacks in the middle of work :O HIGHLY EFFECTIVE !
 
A good way of handling experienced-based interviews and questions in them is using the STARL technique. STARL provides a structured way to answer questions that are usually phrased as some variation of "Tell us about a time you had to xxxx" or "How would you handle a situation where xxxx".

S = Situation
T = Task
A = Action
R = Response
L = Learning

So, in a nutshell, you answer the question by providing the background of the situation, the task you were set out, the actions you took to resolve those tasks, the response to the actions (e.g. awards, marks, successful project, happy client) and what you learned during the experience.

The best part about STARL is answering those "How would you..." questions, as instead of just fictitiously describing how you might handle a certain situation, you can describe a time when you were actually involved in a similar situation and what you did and learned.
 
This seems like a good place to ask this. A job I really want finally got back to me today over email telling me they want to schedule a phone interview and to get back to them soon as possible. How should I answer the email? Don't wanna say the wrong thing lol :lol.
 
Keep your damn resume organized. I saw one today that was multiple pages - fine if you genuinely have a lot of experience - but the section labels were so poor I could barely tell which of the sheets was the first page without looking for the guy's name which inexplicably printed on the back.

Aeon712 said:
This seems like a good place to ask this. A job I really want finally got back to me today over email telling me they want to schedule a phone interview and to get back to them soon as possible. How should I answer the email? Don't wanna say the wrong thing lol :lol.

Um...are you joking? Is this your first job ever?
 
Aeon712 said:
This seems like a good place to ask this. A job I really want finally got back to me today over email telling me they want to schedule a phone interview and to get back to them soon as possible. How should I answer the email? Don't wanna say the wrong thing lol :lol.
you serious? Just reply with your schedule and a nice "look forward to speaking with you."
 
I need a bit of advice. I had a big interview last week. I had a phone interview On Tuesday and that led to a two hour interview and a writing test that Friday. I think I did pretty well at the inteview. It's entry level, but I have 12 months of experience through an internship, 3 months contract work and 5 years of retail experience, 4 in a management position. The retail experience is in the same industry, by the way. I asked when I should contact them at the close of the writing test and they said they would get back to me this week.

I sent out emails to the four people I interviewed with thanking them for their time and I also exchanged a few emails with the head of the process regarding compensation and benefits. That was Friday when I got home. Monday night, I sent an email to the head of the process again letting her know the resume I gave her Friday had my references and sample writings. She kind of put it aside at the interview because she said she had already spent a lot of time with my resume. I just wanted to make sure she didn't miss the supplemental information. Today, I sent an email to follow up since I saw they pulled the employment ad from the online databases and wanted to follow up.

I am concerned that I am contacting them too much at this point and run the risk of annoying them. I feel each of the emails was justified, but I don't want to run the risk of annoying them. This is the same company that cancelled my phone interview last minute and offered to reschedule later in the day. It took almost a week for them to get back to me and reschedule. And that was with me emailing and calling the head person. I was literally without communication for the week and was emailed about the new time after I gave up trying to get anything from them. Am I contacting them too much and damaging my chances?
 
ronito said:
If you don't know the answer say "I don't know." I'll intentionally ask all candidates something I know they have no clue about and put them on the spot about it to see how they handle pressure. I can't count the number of interviewees that were rejected simply because they thought they could bs or didn't handle it well.

I used this a couple of times at the last interview I had. I can't quite clearly remember what is was about (it was something techincal and not really applicable to my position) but the interviewer was impressed with my frankness and made note that some highly important person told him the best thing to do in a situation where you don't know the answer is to admit it and cut the bullshit.

I also asked open-ended questions about their experience at the company. It's a good way of developing follow-up questions as opposed to the typical interviee crap and trying too hard with some obscurly researched question.

Basically know the company. Know your behavioural answers (they're not that hard to learn), know your resume and have a set of 5-10 good questions ready to ask (more than you need as you want to be able to ask questions suitable to how the interview is going).
 
Syckx said:
I need a bit of advice. I had a big interview last week. I had a phone interview On Tuesday and that led to a two hour interview and a writing test that Friday. I think I did pretty well at the inteview. It's entry level, but I have 12 months of experience through an internship, 3 months contract work and 5 years of retail experience, 4 in a management position. The retail experience is in the same industry, by the way. I asked when I should contact them at the close of the writing test and they said they would get back to me this week.

I sent out emails to the four people I interviewed with thanking them for their time and I also exchanged a few emails with the head of the process regarding compensation and benefits. That was Friday when I got home. Monday night, I sent an email to the head of the process again letting her know the resume I gave her Friday had my references and sample writings. She kind of put it aside at the interview because she said she had already spent a lot of time with my resume. I just wanted to make sure she didn't miss the supplemental information. Today, I sent an email to follow up since I saw they pulled the employment ad from the online databases and wanted to follow up.

I am concerned that I am contacting them too much at this point and run the risk of annoying them. I feel each of the emails was justified, but I don't want to run the risk of annoying them. This is the same company that cancelled my phone interview last minute and offered to reschedule later in the day. It took almost a week for them to get back to me and reschedule. And that was with me emailing and calling the head person. I was literally without communication for the week and was emailed about the new time after I gave up trying to get anything from them. Am I contacting them too much and damaging my chances?
How did that go ? It's friday now, so have you heard anything back yet ? I'd say give till monday to check up on them again if you haven't heard back already.

This thread is progressing quite well. Keep it up ! Anybody here want to share their brilliant success stories in job hunting ? I'll post some of my success stories later, going to sleep now.
 
-If it's your first position in the particular field, then don't expect to be able to negotiate a salary if they offer you one in the offer letter. This goes out the door if you're an exceptional candidate and/or you have other offers of comparable nature.

-If you've interviewed elsewhere and they ask you whether you've interviewed or received any other offers, be honest. If you're a desirable candidate and you already have an offer or have already interviewed, let the hiring manager know. This will speed up the offer process. Most people at the hiring manager level are rather busy day-to-day so if you try to act sly and say you haven't, this will only delay your offer.

-On the same note as above, if you've received an offer from one company after your interview, but others haven't responded, contact the hiring manager and let them know you've received offers from other companies. This will speed up the entire process as to whether or not you'll receive another offer.

-If you're in the science field, beyond being knowledgeable about what you've already done, do some prior research as to what the company you're interviewing for is doing. Most hiring managers really enjoy talking with and interviewing people who not only know what they've done in the past, but also people who are inquisitive about the company they're working for.

-Again for the science field...find publications that the hiring manager and/or staff have published in various journals. This will give you a good idea of the caliber of people(s) you will be working for.

-If in the interview you're asked something about your prior work and you're under NDA, talk about what you've done prior to the extent that you can talk about it, then politely let the interviewer know that further details are under NDA. If you do this prematurely, then the interviewer may think that you don't know what you're talking about, but if you've presented the important aspect of your prior work, then mention the NDA in place, it will generally leave a positive note as it shows that you respect other company's IPs. This is kind of a thin line to tread.

-consider who the primary investors in the company are as well...if it's VC controlled, then don't be surprised if your company gets sold suddenly and you're laid off. While it's difficult to find out the intentions of the investors you may want to consider whether you want to work for a company with investors who are in it to make a quick return on their investment, or if they are interested in a product/results driven company willing to invest in the long-term.

-Most importantly, if you have multiple offers, be willing to accept a little less for the company that you truly want to work for. If you get too greedy and go too high, they may retract the offer. I'm making about 10% less currently than I would have at a couple of other companies, but I knew from the interview process that I would really enjoy working here, not just in regards to the actual research being done, but also with the entire R&D team. I'm sure I could have pressed for a little higher, but the freedom I was given with the job and the amazing management team I had an opportunity to work with more than made up for the difference in salary.
 
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