What do you say in a job interview...

anguk

morganedge wrote: »

Questions like that annoy me....interviews in general in fact. It's just an opportunity to see how good you are at blagging! People with the 'gift of the gab' tend to get all the jobs and do well in life. But having that 'gift' seems to be more a skill you're born with. It can also come easy with extreme self confidence, but some people, despite being very clever and capable of being employed, lack confidence for all kinds of reasons, which, in turn, means they don't shine in interviews.

I agree with that. I've got 2 kids, my son is the eldest and he was born brimming with independence and confidence, he is a very sociable "people person" with a wide and varied circle of friends. He's bright but dropped out of 6th form and didn't complete his A levels or go to university, yet he's always managed to get very good, well paid jobs. He's one of those people who can talk himself into a job and loves interviews.

My daughter is the opposite, she's always been a quiet, reserved person. She prefers to blend into the background and not draw attention to herself, she is confident in her own ability but she's not one to shout about it. She has a small, very close group of friends and just likes to get along with her life quietly. Academically she's much better than my son, she's doing her A levels then plans on going to university. I'm sure on paper her qualifications will look great but she is worried about interviews because she's just not able to blag her way through like my son can. She's just not a "blue sky thinking outside of the box" type of person and she hates "office speak" whereas my son can BS for England.

My daughter is already starting to stress about university interviews next year because even they now seem to put a lot of emphasis on personality and interview technique rather than just academic achievements.

smileylondongal

I think that's why these interview technique programmes/advisors are put into place - to help people just like your daughter. You also have to remember that your daughter is very young and likewise over time she will grow more confident with direction. I also think that any recruiter/selection process worth their/its salt will see passed the blagging and actually take on people who can do the job!

Person_one

anguk wrote: »

My daughter is already starting to stress about university interviews next year because even they now seem to put a lot of emphasis on personality and interview technique rather than just academic achievements.

Most uni interviews aren't anything like as stressful as job interviews, the lecturers doing the interviewing generally understand they're dealing with nervous 17 year olds! I think thestudentroom.com (or .co.uk, can't remember!) has a lot of good interview advice.

I don't think its that they prefer interview technique over academic achievements, more that they want to make sure your daughter is actually responsible for those academic achievements and has a understanding and love of her subject that is deeper than the level required to pass the exam.

My biggest uni interview tip...don't try and attend yourself!

VfM4meplse

Person_one wrote: »

Its a shocking question, but if you do get asked it...

DO NOT talk about a character flaw! Talk about a knowledge or experience gap and how you will fill that gap in the new role.

Undoubtedly the best advice on this thread.

I hope dinner turned out ok!

hcb42

the point of the question is normally that you should recognise where your weaknesses are and where you should ask for help! It should not be a question feared.

I got asked it in a recent interview, when I was totally loaded with bad cold etc....and I answered it. I got the job anyway.

Whatever you do use, the strategy should be, I know I do this sometimes, or dont have experience in x or whatever...and so have learned to manage this by doing y....

I would MUCH rather people were truthful in interview, so when hiring them we know what to expect but also recognise they own their personal development plan. We all have strengths and weaknesses after all.

Naf

Some great advice here. I never expected this to be so popular a subject lol. My problem gas always been that every time I think of something I could use, it's something I'd rather not bring up in an interview, or something so minor it's totally irrelevant.
I'm probably going to start using things along the line of that I often appear too calm when things get hectic so I have to use other means to ensure those around me understand the urgency. Or that I really like to get one job done to perfection before progressing on to the next, so when this is not possible I have learned to prioritise, multitask effectively and recognise the best place to leave one task to come back to at a later point...

patman99

I just get my phone out and ask them 'Do you want me to phone my partner so you can ask her?'.

VfM4meplse

hcb42 wrote: »

the point of the question is normally that you should recognise where your weaknesses are and where you should ask for help! It should not be a question feared.

But neither is it a Catholic confession, the aim is to give a good account of yoursself and be offered a role.

No offence to Catholics of course, I enjoy Mass myself on occasion.

Caroline_a

In the past I have said 'I have no weaknesses that I can think of in connection with this role, but I do love chocolate..'

Bufger

dave4545454 wrote: »

post of the year:T


that is exactly how it is, all about blagging rather than getting the person who actually has the skills to do the jiob the best.

Confidence is not a bad thing. It is a fact that quiet people do lose out in interview scenarios to someone that comes across as more outgoing and loud but thats because the whole point of an interview is to sell yourself. Do quiet market stall owners make as much money as the ones who sing and shout?

It completely depends on the job in all fairness. There are roles in my company that need a deep thinking and strategic person. Someone that can work alone and really interrogate data. The problem is the same kinds of people dont make natural leaders because they usually lack the confidence to present infront of a room or ask people to do difficult tasks.

You'll also find people look at graduates in a similar way when it comes to employment. An introvert with a class 1 batchelors with honours may be second place to someone with a 2.1 that was a member of the rugby team simply for the fact that on paper it looks like one is more social than the other and choosing a new member for an already established team means you want someone that can act and fit in a diverse social situation, not someone that'll be quiet and hardly interact (obv worse case scenario but it gets the point across).

by the way my partner is massively introvert and i'm completely the opposite. She doesnt like not being confident, she finds it hard to talk on the phone to people she doesnt know and she finds it hard to pass interviews. I accept her for being her, but i think there is a situation and a job for every kind of person - its just being matched to the right one for your personality.