tips for a great interview

[javandane]

---

Members don't see this ad.

as the interview portion of the process approaches, i thought it'd be valuable to start a thread where people who've been through the process could advise those of us applying on how to mediate a successful interview. if possible, relate personal experiences rather than cliches, or support the cliche with an example from your experience.

to begin, i believe making a great first impression is key. so, what does everyone feel is the most effective way to do this?

 

[shadowy onion]

as the interview portion of the process approaches, i thought it'd be valuable to start a thread where people who've been through the process could advise those of us applying on how to mediate a successful interview. if possible, relate personal experiences rather than cliches, or support the cliche with an example from your experience.

to begin, i believe making a great first impression is key. so, what does everyone feel is the most effective way to do this?

 

[shadowy onion]

look the person in the eye and smile while introducing yourself.
If you are too shy to do that I'm sure you can come up with something else...eh

 

[TheRussian]

I think the most important thing for interviews is to not rehearse the typical interview questions. You should have an idea of how to answer them but don't rehearse your answers. Don't just lock in to answering those questions. For my first interview I "studied" all the typical questions and had answers formulated in my mind. Then I get into the interview and one of the first questions he asked me was what do you like to watch on TV? To me that question came out of left field so I kind of said the first thing that came to mind and I forgot all about what I really like to watch on TV like The Simpsons, I remembered when he himself brought up the Simpsons and then we talked about some of the episodes. It turned out okay but it would have gone smoother had I not locked myself into the typical questions and went into it like I was going to have a conversation instead of an interview. That's what I did for all my other interviews, I just tried to remain calm and thought of it as an opportunity to talk to someone, not get interviewed.

 

[TheRussian]

As for first impression, you'll probably make one before you say a word based on the way you look, what you're wearing, your hair, your smile, etc...

 

[soroki219]

I think the most important thing for interviews is to not rehearse the typical interview questions.

from personal experience, i kind of disagree... it depends on the interview, because while some are informal, others can be very formal. thus, i would not say to rehearse the answers PER SE, but to think through answers to the typical questions asked (refer to Interview Feedback on this website). chaces are, some of the questions will come up. thus, if for example an ethical question comes up, like "would you tell on someone you saw cheating?" and you just say no, you would want a well-thought out reason to back this statement up.