Interview advice and tips

Hey guys, hope everyone is well!

So I finished Uni last month and have my first interview coming up tomorrow. I don't expect to get a job after 1 interview but it is a really good position and I would love to get it.

I have found myself googling and asking family members for help with how to approach it and I'm as confident as I am going to be. However, I figured considering the amount of diverse, well educated and experienced people on MAP, I could ask here and it may help me or people in the future if they come across the thread.

So, if anyone is interested (I certainly am willing to soak up any advice or tips), does anyone have any advice or tips they could share concerning a first interview (or maybe interviews in general)?

 

It's a Quantity Surveying job at a mechanical and engineering contracting firm.

Thanks for that advice, I do have some questions I want to ask and have spread them to ask about the interviewers themselves, the company and the position itself.
It's my first ever interview so it seems a little daunting to me.

Thanks for that though, I think my biggest problem is relaxing. Whenever I had to do a presentation, my mind would always go blank and I'm worried the same will happen again. I will have my notes with me but I don't want to be reading off a sheet.

 

Do your research. In this day and age, there's no real reason to ask generic questions like "what would a typical day on the job look like?" when you could be asking questions like "I see that one of your client is _________, and I'm wondering if this position would be involved in their projects at all."

It's a way of showing that you're deliberate, thorough, and already invested in the company. It means that, in the interview, you can talk specifics instead of generically.

Also, get comfortable with silence. People hate silence, so they tend to fill it up. Especially when they're nervous. So they'll fill it will all sorts of nonsense, like "Um...," and "you know what I mean...," and things like that. None of which make you sound as smart as you would if you took a minute to quietly gather your thoughts and then present a coherent response.

It's a tall order, but think about it like this: If you just start running off at the mouth, you're not going to be thinking about how to formulate a smart answer. You're going to be thinking "good god, am I still talking?! what the hell am I saying?!!"

Try to relax. If you're invited in for an interview, they're already interested. Give yourself credit for that and be prepared.

Be on time. Be early. Nothing's worse than arriving just in the nick of time and then trying to look calm and collected. Be early, then walk around or sit quietly until it's time to actually present yourself.

Think about your background in terms of what's relevant to them. Do some translating ahead of time to help you relate your experiences to what they need done. Describe your experiences in those terms. Make it clear what you're offering them. Your job is to convince them that their organization is much better off with you than without you.

Don't be the most under dressed person in the room. Better to be over dressed than under dressed. Shower, shave, make yourself generally presentable.

Remember that you're telling a story and presenting a character. That character is based on you, but you get to control what version of you they see.

I interviewed just last week for a job in DC. My objective was to present them with a calm, competent, personable, skilled, and engaging professional. Not the guy who fell off a ladder trying to hang a curtain rod then spent the next three months on crutches.

They're both me. But I don't need to show them everything. It's a job interview. Not a biopic.

Be prepared to tell stories that demonstrate your skills. Anticipate questions like "tell me about a time you failed and what you learned from it" or "what's your greatest weakness." When you tackle the weakness question (if you get it), remember that you have to use it as an opportunity to describe a strength.

So the correct answer might be: "I haven't had a lot of roles where I manage other people, so I've deliberately sought out projects with a management component lately, to give me a chance to learn some of those lessons."

So what I'm saying there isn't "I lack experience in management" as much as "I recognize and then work to address my shortcomings."

The WRONG answer would be something like "I'm lazy; I hate getting up early." It may be honest, but it's not going to land you a job.

"What's your greatest strength?" isn't necessarily an easier question to answer. But get an answer to it. Ahead of time. It's not a time to brag, but it's not a time to be humble either. Try to be straightforward and factual. Everyone's good at things. Speak earnestly and openly about the things you do well. Nobody will sing that song for you. You have to sing it.

Have fun. In addition to assessing whether you can do the job, they'll be assessing whether they'd want to spend a work week in your proximity. If you try to enjoy yourself, it'll make it more enjoyable to them as well.

Use sunscreen.

That reference may be too old at this point. Apologies if so. It's an in-joke, probably for old people.

 

I disagree a little here. I've interviewed a lot of people and whenever someone else asks this question (because it's a stupid question I would never ask someone), I immediately bin someone who tries to work in a humble brag - and I'm not the only interviewer who feels thay way. I want to hear recognition from the candidate that they're not perfect and that they understand their weaknesses.

The example you gave is good, but I think that's an awfully thin line to walk in a stressful situation.

Be honest and don't try to spin it too much.

You've got to be an interviewing pro to pull off the strength as weakness answer without sounding like a jerk.

 

You absolutely do. But I didn't actually disguise a strength as a weakness. I described a legitimate weakness. But I didn't leave it there. That's all. A lack of management experience is a genuine weakness.

I agree with you that it could be a tough balancing act to get right. I always use the example of Hillary Clinton in her first bid for the nomination. Her "greatest weakness" was that she "was in too much of a hurry to get into office and start fixing the country." Obama called her out on it, the same way you're noting. And that's what the media fixated on.

But it's a very common question. And I think he's better off showing a proactive recognition of his limitations than just acknowledging them and leaving it there.

YMMV, but I've interviewed a far few people myself, in addition to working as a career counselor. It needs to be done well, I agree. But it needs to be done.