Why do I suck at interviews?

[Koala Boy]

I'm very frustrated at the job market at the moment. I have plenty to offer an employer and I get to the interview stage with some ease. But I mess up every interview.

Just had a telephone interview for the FSA. Such annoying questions. If they just asked "what do you have to offer us?" I would be fine. But they ask "show me an example where you have presented your ideas to someone".

Is anyone else just as annoyed with job interviews as I am?

[harmless loony]

Do careers offer mock interviews? It may be worth seeing if you can have some of those for practice, so you're a bit more confident and know what to expect when you're in an interview.

Hopefully if they're any good, they might be able to advise you on how to come up with a good answer.

Good Luck!

[md25]

The competency based interviews that are in vogue these days are frustrating; I've managed to get to the second/third round of a few and most graduates at the selection centres are just about finishing their second degree and have some actual experience. For someone who has a gaggle of A-levels and worked in a pub once, that's some stiff competition!

I've come to accept the fact that I won't get a job this time around, so I'm off somewhere to do a masters in something I'm good at.In the meantime I'm going to join a few socs and get involved, just to give me something to talk about.[hr]All your base are so terribly passé, nerds!

[Handy]

Here's a thought.

It could be that you're terribly ugly. If I were interviewing some busted dude, for example, I'd never hire him.

But about the phone interview: maybe you're also stupid. If not, maybe you have an annoying voice.

Of course, these are just suggestions. They come to mind because I am beautiful and brilliant and have a very sensual voice, and I always get the offer. So it just makes sense that these factors might be important.

I hope this helps. If I'm right, don't worry. There's hope even for ugly and stupid people. Maybe you can be a clown or something.

Good luck to you.

[Biitchboy]

I hate the question: "What's your biggest flaw?" I mean, what's the point?? Either you lie and give a sickeningly cliche answer, or you could tell the truth and not get the job. I really don't know what the "right" answer would be. There's ALWAYS a right answer, no matter what they say

[Maidmarion]

You suck literally. Must be pretty damn desperate for that job

[Koala Boy]

[s]Handy wrote on 18:07, 3rd Mar 2005:
Here's a thought.

It could be that you're terribly ugly. If I were interviewing some busted dude, for example, I'd never hire him.

But about the phone interview: maybe you're also stupid. If not, maybe you have an annoying voice.

Of course, these are just suggestions. They come to mind because I am beautiful and brilliant and have a very sensual voice, and I always get the offer.

Good luck to you.


No, I'm neither ugly nor stupid, thank you. I lack a bit of confidence in interviews( which you obviously don't beautiful). I'm applying for graduate positions in financial services firms who get hundreds of applicants per place. I'm expecting a first in Financial Economics and have far more to offer besides, so I don't have to rely on looks or a slutty voice to sell myself thank you.

Good luck to you also.

[Koala Boy]

[s]Maidmarion wrote on 19:47, 3rd Mar 2005:
You suck literally. Must be pretty damn desperate for that job


At least I have friends.

[firewire]

Speaking as a 4th year economics student who's already got a job in the financial services industry lined up for September....the most important point I picked up from the people who interviewed me was that you need to show them that you've gone out of your way to ensure that the financial services sector is exactly what you want to do with your life. If they think there's even the slightest chance of you wanting to quit after they've invested money in training you then they'll not choose you, no matter how good at your job you will be.

Also, you need to make sure you know the particular industry and company quite well, and have a clear grasp of exactly whet you expect your everyday work to be like. If you've done an internship last summer you can play on that a great deal, and prepare answers to common questions based on your time on the internship. I think experience is way more important to prospective employers than your degree classification, so making a big deal of your 1st might not be the most rewarding approach. Just go into the interviews and try to make friends with the interviewer, because partners will only hire people they get on well with.

Thats what I did anyway, hope it works for you.

[Koala Boy]

Thanks for your advice Firewire. Did you do an internship yourself? I wasn't able to get one. So I haven't got much in the way of experience to play with. I'm not making a big deal of my degree, instead I'm concentrating on my experience with uni societies, that's the closest thing I have to work experience (apart from the crappest summer job ever last year).

Thanks again. Nice to see some people can offer constructive advice.

[EviLTwiN]

[s]Koala Boy wrote on 20:26, 3rd Mar 2005:

I'm applying for graduate positions in financial services firms who get hundreds of applicants per place.


These firms get lots of people for each place, and it's well known that there is little difference between a high 2:1 and a 1st when it comes to being good at a job - it's completely different discipline from university. So given all these applicants, most of whom will have lots of extra curriculars etc, how are they going to differentiate?

Well by posing questions you haven't prepared for and seeing how you react. If you meet a client this could happen, and you have to be able to not just deal with it, but deal with it confidently and effectively. This is just one of many reasons why these questions are important.

Of course if you prepare tons you can have answers ready for most (but not all), which is ok as it shows you've not only done preperation but you've done the RIGHT preparation, without being told to.


Ultimately they get many great applicants, and they could all answer the easy questions well. If you want a job, you have to be able to answer everything, and in style. And that takes practice, just like anything you'll be asked to do in a job.

[hr]
IMAGE:www.red-llama.com/avatars/eviltwintrooper.jpg IMAGE:www.red-llama.com/avatars/eviltwinsaint.gif IMAGE:www.red-llama.com/avatars/eviltwinold.gif

[joker]

i would hire you... if you didn't work for me already. seriously, all you need to do is tell them about all the financial directing you've already done(while perhaps leaving out the bit with the £6000 debt). we got a phone bill for £497 yesterday by the way.

[Koala Boy]

[s]joker wrote on 21:20, 3rd Mar 2005:
we got a phone bill for £497 yesterday by the way.


Great...

[firewire]

[s]Koala Boy wrote on 21:13, 3rd Mar 2005:
Thanks for your advice Firewire. Did you do an internship yourself? I wasn't able to get one. So I haven't got much in the way of experience to play with. I'm not making a big deal of my degree, instead I'm concentrating on my experience with uni societies, that's the closest thing I have to work experience (apart from the crappest summer job ever last year).

Thanks again. Nice to see some people can offer constructive advice.


Yeah i did an internship in the summer with one of the investment banks in london. Investment banking experience seems to make employers sit up and take notice, but your societies experience could work well for you instead. Just go into interviews, be yourelf and relax; You'll never give good answers if your too nervous.

[Rrrr]

Competency interviews don't necessarily require you to have classic work experience. I used jury service and work in an oxfam sho and even working as my dads secretary receptionist my whole life.
You can turn any experience into an answer.

[hr]Splat!

[tintin]

I would agree with firewire's posts. Although I would say that for investment banking an internship is almost given as a prerequisite, certainly many others do not require one. What they do look for is evidence that you are actually interested in what you want to do, and can demonstrate that.

Competency-based interviews are a load of rubbish and every single one I have done I find it hard not to laugh at their predictable questions and stuff you are expected to spout about your SKILLS (God I hate that word). Nevertheless if you can get some decent answres together for the limited amounts of questions they can ask you, it's all right. Essentially your experience in societies and so on is invaluable, especialyl if you were on the committee - they don't have to know that it collapsed in the year you were involved, do they.

Keep at it - I know it is a terribly demoralising experience especialyl as I went through the whole thing twice in 6 months, after resigning from my girst "graduate job". But there are plenty of opportunities out there; in my experience the jobs are there for the taking if you have a St Andrews degree, you just need to refine interview technique.

Remember that getting an interview is in itself a great thing as they obviously are interested in you. The other things is that, and I know it's a cliche, but it is a 2-way process and it's as much about finding out about them as it is about they you. You should get a pretty good impression of what the firm is like before committing.

And the CAS do offer mock interviews, as do the Jobcentre. Use them to your full advantage - they are there to help you and are very helpful.

[Koala Boy]

Thanks for all your advice guys, you've helped boost my confidence.

I'm off to book meself some practice interviews.

[hr]
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[Bonnie]

This thread makes me very nervous.

I'm going to have to think about getting me one of these job things soon.

One of you want an empress/ dictator/ all-high-worshipped-being? I think I'm best suited for that.

[ever_nocturnal]

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[ever_nocturnal]

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