Interview tips

wrfortiscue

So I am working with my supervisor to improve my interview skills for a position that will be opening soon. I did a mock interview and still felt my subconscious taking over and making me nervous which causes me to blank out. I did however ease up and did better but there were some questions I was oblivious to. What is a better way to answer questions you do not know, and also prepare? I am researching common questions, and will study on the job description once it comes out.

networker050184

If you don't know the answer just say so. I'd much rather someone say I don't know than try to BS. Just relax, people understand you're nervous during an interview. Be confident in what you know and honest about what you don't. When I interview people I'm not worried about what they don't know for the most part. I want to see how you understand the things you claim to know. You can always teach someone something if they show the correct line of thought etc.

636-555-3226

If you don't know the answer, say that's a good and I don't know the answer. Other than Googling it, here's what I'd try to solve the issue. If nothing else it walks them through your thought/troubleshooting process/mindset and is a lot better than the last guy they interviewed or just said "sorry I don't know" and nothing else.

scaredoftests

Relax! I know that is hard during an interview. Prepare before going into interview. Bring in a notebook with you filled with questions are what you found on their website. That way you won't be that nervous.

Danielm7

636-555-3226 wrote: »

If nothing else it walks them through your thought/troubleshooting process/mindset.

This is what I want to see. If you have zero clue, be honest and say you'll have to research it. But, if you've done something even mildly related, then tell me about it. Even if you've read about it or know what it stands for, it's better than nothing sometimes.

Legacy User

I've been interviewing techs alot lately and one thing I noticed people just need to relax and show your confidence that you know your stuff! We all know that interviewing can be stressful so if you run into a question you don't know the answer to just say you are not sure. Thats much better then trying to squirm through the question because from the other side of the table we all notice when you start to squirm through a question. Please if someone asks what you know about a topic unload as much information as possible thats relevant to that topic. Interviews are your opportunity to show the person what you know and what you don't know. So make it a point to place a lot of focus on what you know and go into good detail about it. Your take away from what I said should be RELAX and stay CONFIDENT. Good luck!

wrfortiscue

Thanks for the responses guys. I have time to prepare and that is what I am doing. Even if I don't get it, this is great experience for next time.

wrfortiscue

ok so my interview is next week. I asked people who have had that interview and they said they ask if you know certain things like server stuff, programming, etc. I only have 4 years help desk experience plus my bachelors. This job is internal and it is basically the 3rd tier of support and im the first. How would I go about answering things I do not know? "I do currently do not have experience in that but it is something I look forward to learning"? Also, if I did it in college would that count? lol.

Basically I need to make this next step to gain exp they are asking for, and I am sure they are understanding as they have hired previous people with less experience around me.

ITSpectre

Interview tips.

1. Eat before you go...

2. Drink plenty of water and be hydrated

3. If you don't know then say so.... its ok that you don't know something

4. Try to incorporate what you DO know when faced with a question you DONT know... for example... I was asked a question in a interview "if you have a workstation that needed to be put on the domain how would you do that in a Linux environment..." I had no clue... But my response was "I am unfamiliar at this time how to add a workstation in a Linux enviorment, but in a windows environment this is how I added workstations to the domain."
This shows the interviewer that even though I don't know how to do it in a Linux environment I still understand HOW to do it..

5. Be confident! this shows the interviewer that you are confident in your abilities and your skills. Nothing is worse then being unsure of yourself... if you don't believe in yourself how can others?

networker050184

Just relax and be honest. If you've worked with something at home or school let them know. If you don't know anything about a subject let them know that too. The stuff you do know make sure you know well though. That will show your aptitude.

wrfortiscue

thanks for the tips.. I just hate to answer " I dont know" to most of the questions lol

UncleB

wrfortiscue wrote: »

This job is internal and it is basically the 3rd tier of support and im the first. How would I go about answering things I do not know? "I do currently do not have experience in that but it is something I look forward to learning"?

Basically I need to make this next step to gain exp they are asking for, and I am sure they are understanding as they have hired previous people with less experience around me.

This is where you need to step up your game and in your own time, learn this stuff - self study, build a lab, go to technical forums etc and grow your knowledge.

There is no reason your management would give you a job you have almost no knowledge for, so give them a reason by showing initiative to learn yourself and surprise them.

If you are expecting them to give you something (eg this promotion), give them a reason to think you will be really good to invest in - going the extra mile to learn without being given it all on a silver platter will go a long way. Don't be an entitled brat like so many permies tend to be and insist on your employer spoon feeding you everything - be a professional and take charge of your own learning plan and it will help you develop in ways you didn't expect.

Good luck with the interview.
Iain

wrfortiscue

UncleB wrote: »

This is where you need to step up your game and in your own time, learn this stuff - self study, build a lab, go to technical forums etc and grow your knowledge.

There is no reason your management would give you a job you have almost no knowledge for, so give them a reason by showing initiative to learn yourself and surprise them.

If you are expecting them to give you something (eg this promotion), give them a reason to think you will be really good to invest in - going the extra mile to learn without being given it all on a silver platter will go a long way. Don't be an entitled brat like so many permies tend to be and insist on your employer spoon feeding you everything - be a professional and take charge of your own learning plan and it will help you develop in ways you didn't expect.

Good luck with the interview.
Iain

Thanks and great advice. I am going over some stuff over the weekend with someone who actually works on that side and is more knowledgeable than me.

Yarrr

The modern interview process is a complete joke.

IF you get through a company's ATS filters and IF you're not subjected to one of these horrible phone screenings, in-person interviews now are nearly all panel-style, so that you get to be harshly judged by five people instead of one or two.

The interviews are always scheduled in 30 minutes slots, one right after the other, which is horribly inefficient because everything is rushed and it leaves little to no time for the candidates to ask their questions. Inevitably the schedule will get all screwed up, leaving nervous already-nervous candidates getting even more into their own heads in the waiting area, while the panel gets bent out of shape that their schedule is jacked.

If you opt for an early slot, everybody is tired and angry that they have to be there. If you take a late slot, they're angry at the bunch of mooks they were forced ask questions too all day long. So either way, you're surrounded by people who all are in a bad moods asking you terrible questions that they Googled, and you're nervously feeding back the same canned answers as all of the other candidates.

These practices are incredibly stupid. It's horribly inefficient and incredibly ineffective because it creates a toxic environment for both the interviewers and the interviewees. 90-95% of interviews I go to are like this and the tension in the room is always off the charts.

The best interviews are two people having a coversation-style interview with the candidates with loose time limits. Fact.

UncleB

Yarrr wrote: »

The modern interview process is a complete joke.
...
The best interviews are two people having a coversation-style interview with the candidates with loose time limits. Fact.

That is a very bitter view of the interviewing world. I have a very different experience but then I interview (ie apply) for management positions and am in the UK.

I do however interview for a lot of 1st / 2nd IT support positions and a fair few 3rd line and lower level managers (due to the fact I often am recruited to help turnaround failing IT support operations who are losing staff) and can often have dozens of interviews in a week while trying to keep everything running behind the scenes.

There are hundreds of applicants for any of these positions so how could I filter down the hordes to the best few for a face-to-face interview? My process is to filter out the ones that are clearly unsuitable to to lack of experience or lack of relevant skills. This leaves about 20-50 CVs which I then read through and score on a range of values before narrowing it down to 20 to phone screen. These will filter out the ones with poor language skills or who fall to pieces under the slightest stress.

Then it will be booking around 10 interviews to filter out the ones who cannot backup their CV claims or demonstrate skills (technical and procedural), plus get a feel for their personality and suitability for working with the team. Depending on the role, there may be a second round where my manager will want to sit in and satisfy themselves that the choice is right and dig deeper into the soft skills and cultural values.

There is always a requirement for a minimum of 2 interviewers to be present for various HR reasons, but panel interviews are inefficient IMO. One-on-one interviews are a nice concept but in reality you need different perspectives to see more clearly the candidate clearly.

I don't find the time slots are an issue and certainly will make a lot of effort to be alert any mood into the interview. There is a need to limit the time slots otherwise the process would drag on and it becomes an inefficient use of time for what is often a low level position. Besides I can identify an unsuitable candidate with ease now and the suitable ones get scored on a range of subjects to ensure fairness - ie all get the same chance.

If you find the panels and corporate culture so horrible in the companies you apply for then I strongly recommend you look at a different market sector to find jobs in - smaller companies are much more flexible and tend to have a much better culture in my experience.

Be a part of making it better and when you move up the tree and one day you begin interviewing - use this experience to make a difference - show how it can be done better without spending an unreasonable amount of time. Make the interview a friendlier place without missing the point that the candidate has to be put under some pressure to see how they cope in the situation. Keep the candidates informed of what to expect and give them feedback without breaking any HR rules. Be that better interviewer you never had, then be the better manager.

Just my views on the subject.
Iain

ITSpectre

Yarrr wrote: »

The modern interview process is a complete joke.

IF you get through a company's ATS filters and IF you're not subjected to one of these horrible phone screenings, in-person interviews now are nearly all panel-style, so that you get to be harshly judged by five people instead of one or two.

The interviews are always scheduled in 30 minutes slots, one right after the other, which is horribly inefficient because everything is rushed and it leaves little to no time for the candidates to ask their questions. Inevitably the schedule will get all screwed up, leaving nervous already-nervous candidates getting even more into their own heads in the waiting area, while the panel gets bent out of shape that their schedule is jacked.

If you opt for an early slot, everybody is tired and angry that they have to be there. If you take a late slot, they're angry at the bunch of mooks they were forced ask questions too all day long. So either way, you're surrounded by people who all are in a bad moods asking you terrible questions that they Googled, and you're nervously feeding back the same canned answers as all of the other candidates.

These practices are incredibly stupid. It's horribly inefficient and incredibly ineffective because it creates a toxic environment for both the interviewers and the interviewees. 90-95% of interviews I go to are like this and the tension in the room is always off the charts.

The best interviews are two people having a coversation-style interview with the candidates with loose time limits. Fact.

I agree 100% I had a interview with a company and it was me and the Director of IT and the manager. The Director was angry that I wanted to ask questions at the end of the interview and tried to rush me to get finished. Im kind of glad I didn't get the job because I felt like they just interviewed me just to do it. I have noticed that about the job market at least where I am... is a lot of companies will interview you, just for the sake of doing it with no intention to hire you.

Yarrr

ITSpectre wrote: »

I agree 100% I had a interview with a company and it was me and the Director of IT and the manager. The Director was angry that I wanted to ask questions at the end of the interview and tried to rush me to get finished. Im kind of glad I didn't get the job because I felt like they just interviewed me just to do it. I have noticed that about the job market at least where I am... is a lot of companies will interview you, just for the sake of doing it with no intention to hire you.

Yeah, it's for the best that you didn't get that job. If you walk into an interview and IT management is already unfriendly or hostile, it reflects poorly on them.

Many interviewers seem to be of the mindset that the candidate needs the company far more than the company needs the candidate. Neither side should have an attitude because the relationship needs to be mutually beneficial.

UncleB

Yarrr wrote: »

Many interviewers seem to be of the mindset that the candidate needs the company far more than the company needs the candidate. Neither side should have an attitude because the relationship needs to be mutually beneficial.

It's not surprising that many do because they hold the power in the recruitment equation since there is only one (well maybe 2) recruiters and the applicants are legion. The onus really is on you to impress because there are dozens more applicants queuing up who would happily suck up the recruitment process bull in order to land a job.

It sucks, but then that's life for you. You get lemons given to you so make lemonade or sit about with a sour face as you eat them

Iain

wrfortiscue

Well I finished the interview. I dont think I will get hired as I am mostly inexperienced to what they are looking for. At least I didn't cry during the interview and pretty much answered all their questions. I mentally drained myself for over a month to preparing for this. Positivity!