Thermopyle

hey, got a major fucking important interview comming up in january. It's for a job in holland as a trainee for ESA for one year. the interview is supposed to be only one hour long so it doesnt seem to be that formal. But anyway, if somebody with a bunch of experience feel like sharing tips I'm grateful.

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Live life like you're gonna die, beacause you're gonna!

- William Shatner.

f6twister

Most importantly, be yourself. Otherwise, tell the truth, talk yourself up (this is a good time to brag), show interest in the person talking to you and appear relaxed. You be so nervous that you want to vomit but act cool. Also, don't be afraid to laugh. You are supposed to have a personality. Good luck. Let us know how it goes.

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A little rudeness and disrespect can elevate a meaningless interaction to a battle of wills and add drama to an otherwise dull day. Calvin

OFKU0

Understand the position you are interviewing for, emphasize the need to be proactive, creative and what your vision will be if the position becomes yours.

This is the 50/50 solution. They will either love you or hate you. Never sacrifice your individuality to conform to their standards. If they want sheep, they'll hire sheep. If they want more, you'll leave an impression and be one up on the next guy..

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" In Canada, you can tell the most blatant lie in a calm voice, and people will believe you over someone who's a little passionate about the truth." David Warren, Western Standard.

maleficent

This thread will give you lots of valuable information:
http://www.tfproject.org/tfp/showthread.php?t=55663

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Psycho Dad

Take a resume even if you have already submitted one. If that fat fuck in HR doesn't stop setting up interviews with people who don't even have a resume... But I digress... Don't put anything in your resume that you can't back up. You don't want to be caught in a lie where you should be making good impressions. And don't take in something that looks like you just ran off a Microsoft Word template with your name on it. At least for the love of all that is holy change the damn fonts.

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Don't always trust the opinions of experts.

roderickpsu

Google "interview tips" or things like that. There is a wealth of information on the internet. It sucks that you have to do so much traveling and only have one hour to impress them. Most jobs in the US have interviews that last much longer than this if you have any sort of an advanced degree.

maleficent

The biggest thing -- and if you do some searching here, to give you some pointers is ask questions -- and not about salary and benefits. Ask questions about the job, potential for advancement, why the last person left. SHOW INTEREST in the position. Write down the questions before you go in, you will probably be nervous, so not remembering them is normal, but having notes to refer to shows preparation.

Know what the company does. Check their website, go to the library and research them a little bit. You will make yourself stand out.

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welshbyte

Just be yourself and try be friendly with them. In both of my job interviews there was some laughter and smiles involved and i kinda enjoyed them after worrying about them for ages beforehand. I got both of the jobs too.

People like to employ people that they would enjoy working with and not just because they know a lot about the job. Thats what training is for. Make them know that you're keen to learn anything that you dont already know about the job. Before the interview, think about the questions that they'll definitely ask you and consider how you'll answer them. Don't write a script to follow because you'll come over as an actor rather than an interviewee. Spontaneity is good.

If you choke in the interview or feel nervous and don't know what to say, let them know that. They'll apreciate the openness. In fact, on my first interview i totally choked, panicked a bit and my face was red. I mentioned that i was nervous and apologised for hesitating and they smiled and offered me a glass of water, which helped. After i knew that they knew i was nervous and were ok with it, it kinda seemed easier to get through and less formal.

Dress smart but not too smart, be humble and make sure you're ready for when they say "is there anything you would like to ask us?".

Good luck!

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There are only two industries that refer to their customers as "users". - Edward Tufte

flstf

Ask questions about and show some interest in their business. Without being too forward, they should know that you are interviewing them as well.

When the job offer comes, ask for more than you are willing to accept and negotiate down if necessary. Personel folks like to think they are getting a high priced person at a lower price. Makes them feel like they are doing their job to get a bargain.
If you are serious about accepting the position make sure you get enough going in the door. Promises made now will mean very little in a year or so.

Faygo

Walk in to the interview like the job is already yours.

Thermopyle

thanks for all valuable tips, I'm gonna let you know how it went.

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Live life like you're gonna die, beacause you're gonna!

- William Shatner.

Fearless_Hyena

I remember that this site and the links off of it helped me a lot:
http://careerplanning.about.com/od/j..._interview.htm

Thermopyle

Well, that was it. It went ok but I was disapointed of my answers to some questions. But the good news is that they only called for 4 persons for the interview. A 25% chance for me

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Live life like you're gonna die, beacause you're gonna!

- William Shatner.

dnd

imho i would say smile and wear a suit, ironed shirt and good polished shoes. Also prepare, think about questions to ask them which are relevant, not about gym membership, but opportunities to advance etc...

good luck!

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"Never underestimate a dumb question"-- Brandon Boyd

Chupes

Use good English. Don't use "you know," you know? :P Um.. and try not to fidget.

irseg

Unless he's from up north, doonchanoo?

Anyway, I've interviewed people for jobs before. Here's what I'd suggest:

-Dress well. This doesn't necessarily mean a suit and tie, but demonstrate that the interview is something you consider a special event where you want to look nice and make a good impression.

-Don't be afraid to talk yourself up. If you came up with a creative solution to a problem that nobody else did, talk about it. If you took the initiative to bring up company problems to the management, led other people on a project, etc., speak up! Pretty much everyone has 4 years of college and some past experience in a similar field, so mention some things that make you stand out even if it means being somewhat immodest.

-However, don't overdo it and don't bullshit. If you were a cashier, don't say something like "I played a crucial role in customer satisfaction and financial management of the company". You'll just get laughed at. And don't say you're qualified for a given job if you aren't. Even if you're lucky enough to get a stupid interviewer who doesn't know how to verify your credentials and you get hired, it won't be long before you're looking for another job.

-Welshbyte mentioned being nervous. While it's certainly okay to be open and expressive and show some degree of nervousness (you're human and this is a job interview after all!), try not to spaz out, especially if the job in question involves some stress. I interviewed one woman for a receptionist position who was polite and fairly well qualified, but very very nervous. I figured that if she couldn't handle a fairly lax job interview, she'd probably break down in tears and take the next 3 days off if she ever took a call from an angry customer who bitched her out. A similarly qualified but thicker skinned person got that job.

Leo

HR folks are always impressed when candidates have researched the organisation, make relevant comments and ask insightful questions when it's their turn to ask a few. Therefore, make sure you've done your research and have a few questions prepared for them as well - it's a two way street and you want to make sure that you want to work for them. All the best.