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7th interview running
Well guys I'm giving my 7th interview in 3 months, with no offers yet,I'm still unemployed and hoping for something to pop up, how are the other unemployed folks doing on the board? It's getting frustrating with so many interviews but no offers.
Anon
Friday, December 12, 2003
I'd say the best thing to do to keep your spirits up is to tell yourself that that's better than simply not getting called at all!
Remember - you only need *one* job; you just may have to go through a few to find it. ;-)
Best of luck!
Philo
Philo
Friday, December 12, 2003
At least you're getting interviews. The job market here in Portland (Oregon) has been pretty awful. In over a year, I've sent out about 50 resumes and only had about three interviews. (=
Sam Livingston-Gray
Friday, December 12, 2003
Try revising your resumes, and interview tactics. You can always bring your game to the next level.
www.MarkTAW.com
Saturday, December 13, 2003
Somethings wrong. You need to brush up on your interview technique.
There are quite a few books out there on how to do this. Lots of articles on the web too. Google for interview techniques.
In an interview, it's the little things that count.
*Do you show up on time
*Do you dress appropriately?
*Do you give a firm handshake?
*Do you look *all* the interviewers confidently in the eye when you answer your questions?
*Accepting a cup of tea is a good thing. Makes all feel at ease.
*Do you sit confidently and openly in your chair during the interview? Slouching is a bad thing.
It's also about the way you respond to the questions.
*Do you show that you have done your homework on what the job might entail?
*Do you show that you have looked into the company?
*Do you show enthusiasm for both in your answers?
*Do your answers tie in with your resume?
*Are you negative about previous employers? (bad thing)
*Are you able to turn tricky questions into a marketing spiel? (eg. What is your biggest weakness? Well I like to get things done quickly and properly, sometimes I can be impatient but I'm learning to overcome this.)
When it's your turn to ask questions, ask interesting questions, that show that you have thought about the company and the job.
I always close the interview with
"So, do you have any reservations about me at this point."
They might raise something like "we are actually looking for someone with a bit more Oracle experience." In that case I would (where appropriate) refer to other jobs on my resume, where I have used Oracle but have not mentioned. Or mention that I did a varsity project with 8i or whatever... you get the drift?
Oh yeah, sidestep the deal killers.
Salary.
You don't want to price yourself out at the interview stage. Or come in so low that it seems you don't realise the level of the job. I never give salary requirements in an interview. Never. I get them to name a figure first. You can always use a variation of the "I think it would be more appropriate to discuss salary when I know more about the specifics of the role." or something about market rates for the role, etc etc, but do not say I want £100k. You might then be written off because his budget is £95k. If you prove yourself at this stage, and they like you, they are more likely to up the ante by £5k than go through the recruitment process again.
Travel & Hours.
Unless this is important to you, don't bring it up. If you do, it might be taken as a sign the you will have issues with travel should the need arise. Questions like this also suggest (to me at least) that one is looking for a job period, and not looking to add value. I am always wary of the 9-5 sort. (my bias)
Shot in foot.
Again, since you are unlikely to know at this stage what biases the interviewers have, the less you say, the less likely you are to offend. If you suddenly declare that your fave Dem candidate is XYZ to a staunch Republican, you are not doing yourself any favours. It is an interview, but try and listen more than you speak.
<phew>
Tapiwa
Saturday, December 13, 2003
As Tapiwa mentioned, one of the primary things that can be a deal breaker for many interviewers is if you demonstrate that you know nothing about the organization aside from what was listed in the job ad ("So what do you know about MegaCo?"" "Uh...you're an equal opportunity employer?") -- It makes it looks like you're rolling dice, and you don't envision yourself having a chance so it isn't worth wasting the time (and as an aside, self-confidence is the #1 predicate of success -- all those guys wearing suits and talking about leveraging the new paradigms generally have as their #1 "asset" self-confidence), and that definitely leads the interviewer to the same conclusion.
I've interviewed a lot of people, and it's amazing how many people will come for multiple interviews, jump through hoops, yet they never bothered to learn anything whatsoever about the company that they're ready to spend 1/2 their waking hours at for years.
Dennis Forbes
Saturday, December 13, 2003
i wrote a perl script
- searches the local job board (local in Israel)
- tracks if i already sent out a CV (small access db)
- sends out CV with cover letter.
Guess what? After 350 letters i got a real job (and a good one at that)
It seems to have something to do with the law of big numbers.
http://www.michaelmoser.org/jobbot/
here is my script if your want to tinker with it
Michael Moser
Saturday, December 13, 2003
The market here in Salt Lake is picking up. I've gotten several calls from recruiters this week, and it's not even what most companies are looking for. I got laid off Nov 17, so I've been luckier than most. I realize that Salt Lake is a boring town for most people, but there are jobs here and looks like a lot more from what I hear through the grapevine.
You didn't post what skills you are interviewing for, but around here Java and Oracle are hot skills. C# and QA seem to be a close second. I do VB and SQL Server, which is not that hot over here. However, it looks like I might get an offer for a contract in Idaho next week.
Slartibartfast
Saturday, December 13, 2003
Generally, one of the difficult things about interviewing and *not* getting the job is the lack of clear feedback. Oh, they might tell you exactly where you went wrong nd exactly why you didn't get the job... but I wouldn't bet on it.
If it looks like the job will work from an HR standpoint (they have a position, you and they are ok with the salary, commute, etc), then the main two reasons for not getting the job are:
1. Competition
2. Shooting yourself in the foot
Act accordingly.
Portabella
Sunday, December 14, 2003
"I always close the interview with
'So, do you have any reservations about me at this point.'"
Great advice! I'll use that at my next interview.
John Rose
Sunday, December 14, 2003
Go to the book store and buy "Knock em Dead (Current Year here)"
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/1580629385/qid=1071519829//ref=sr_8_xs_ap_i0_xgl14/104-4343313-0260702?v=glance&s=books&n=507846
It will help you interview and improve your resume.
Doug Withau
Monday, December 15, 2003
Moser,
You are the reason recruiters write scripts to screen out resumes by keyword.
How is what you do any different than spamming?
pdq
Monday, December 15, 2003
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