April 6: Tell Us About An Interview Experience
Tell us about an interview you’ve been a part of. What went “wrong”, what went “right”? What did you learn from the experience?
April 20: Interviewing, Part II-- PLEASE ANSWER AFTER MICHELLE'S MODULE
Now that we've discussed interviewing once, let's do it again WITH Michelle's take. Of Michelle's top 10 tips for successful interviews (available here ), which tips stuck out to you? I found myself resonating with #1. Being able to reflect on ourselves in addition to the organization helps us better recognize what we can offer to the organization. By taking a step back, I found myself better able to envision that future. Also, the STAR method (Tip #7) was pretty great, and it helped me conceptualize how to consider offering an answer with that method in mind. Next, give Big Interview a try (as noted on our assignment portal). You'll have to create an account, which took me all of 15 seconds. Once you're on, you'll note that there's a lot to explore there. I'd recommend at leave clicking on "Practice" and trying a few " General mock interview " questions. It's pretty cool because you have a human asking you the q...
One interview experience that stood out to me was my interview for my current job at Target. It was the first job interview experience I had so I was not sure what to expect. It turned out to be a lot tougher than I expected because I really had no experience with how to be successful in an interview. I sort of went into it thinking it would be pretty simple, but it was not.
ReplyDeleteI didn’t know how to answer the questions in a way that would demonstrate my strengths and show that I was the right person for the job. The questions were very broad, and I had to think a lot about the answers. However, I do think I was very personable with the people interviewing me as I was very friendly and tried to show that I really wanted the position.
One specific part of the interview that I struggled with was when they actually brought me out into the store and asked me what I would do in certain scenarios. It was basically a role play aspect of the interview and I was not prepared. I did the best that I could have done but I was still a little flustered. I am prepared more for instances like that now.
After this first interview, I feel more prepared for future interviews now. I sort of know what kinds of questions are asked and after this class, I feel like I can do better talking about myself and my strengths.
The first interview that came to mind was for my marketing internship last summer. While I wasn’t exactly the candidate they were looking for, I still ended up getting the internship and I think my interview was what really made me be considered. During the interview, I was honest about what skills I brought to the internship, but I highlighted the fact that I was eager to learn new skills that I didn’t currently possess that would help me in the internship.
ReplyDeleteThe work environment was fairly laid back and I think speaking about the flexibility in my schedule helped my chances while I was interviewing. Though it was at a gym and they were looking for candidates interested in sports marketing, they were open to hiring me. I also talked about how I applied skills I’ve learned in my classes like who to gain audience to my work study job and explained who that had helped my organization get more people to utilize our programs.
I wish I had asked more questions within the interview like what resources I had available. They said there would be a desktop computer available with software that I could use, but when I started my internship, I didn’t find anything that would help me too much at the time. It didn’t end up being detrimental to the internship, but I wish I had known ahead of time so I could have prepared for my first day. Now whenever I interview, I make sure to think about what questions I want to ask them beforehand to show that I’m curious and interested in what I would be doing if I get the job.
The most prominent interview expereince that I had, was when I was being interviewed for a potential job at Xcel Energy for the call center. Before the interview I had prepped and done research on the company so that I would be able to understand what exactly the job entailed. This particualr interview expereince was done with a group of people. Granted there were only two of us, however, the interview went well. During the interview I was asked the questions regarding strengths, and weaknesses and how that would be of value to the company, I also was asked questions about the company and how I would handle certain situations. After the preliminary discussion, the interviewee's were given the chance to sit in on a call at the call center to get a feel for what it would be like should we be hired. Overall this particular interview was the interview that ended up shaping future interviews for me. I now before going to any interview always prep myself and look at what questions might be asked of me, and what questions I would ask. I also do research on the company so that I can better understand the company that I could potentially be working for. Overall the interview went well, and I had a good feeling that I had done well. In the end, I was offered a position, but I had to turn it down as I later found out that it was a full time position and I was still in college, and I didn't want to try and work 40 hours a week and try to make sure school was taken care of. I will say however that it was a great experience for me to be interviewed the way I was and I hope that in future interviews that I can use this experience to better myself.
ReplyDeleteOne interview I remember vividly took place in my first year at UWEC. I was interviewing for an on-campus position through Housing, and though I knew the person interviewing me and felt qualified for the job, I was incredibly nervous. Something about the thought that this was my first ‘real’ college interview felt overwhelming, and I remember entering the familiar office and thinking it looked remarkably different on that day. I was tense, and I struggled to form very cohesive or concise responses to the interview questions. However, as it went on, I found that I was able to brush aside the irrational fear and focus a bit more. I let myself pause before answering a few questions, and even that small act was enough to help me recenter.
ReplyDeleteIn the end, everything turned out ok with that interview, but it still stands out to me as a time where I was almost overcome by stress. In hindsight, I think I put a lot more pressure on myself than what was necessary. I had prepared well, so I probably could’ve been much more relaxed. What most struck me about the experience was the degree to which my severe stress really inhibited my ability to think clearly in the moment. Since then, I’ve tried to be more proactive leading up to interviews: taking extra time to run through the position, my qualifications, possible questions I have for the interviewer, and even reminding myself that the worst-case scenario (for example, not getting that particular job) doesn’t need to be viewed as the end of the world. Each interview can be a learning opportunity! Taking a step back and reminding myself to breathe and take it one question at a time has also been helpful for me.
One interview that immediately came to mind isn't necessarily your classic job interview experience, but rather one I had in high school. Way back in tenth grade, I interviewed to be the Drum Major of my school's marching band, which was a position I had so desperately wanted for a few years at that point. It was a multiple step process that started with a written application, and then an audition (of conducting and yelling commands and such), and then the interview. You only got the audition and interview if you were one of four people chosen, so by the time I made it to my interview, I was all kinds of nervous. I was the closest I'd ever been to realizing this dream, and there wasn't much in the way, which meant the tide could turn at literally any point in the interview process if I answered something wrong.
ReplyDeleteThe interview went well, and the rest is history because I got to be one of two Drum Majors. More importantly, though, this interview taught me a lot about how I interview personally, and what does and doesn't work well for me.
I have a tendency to mask my nervousness with jokes, which I'm still working on (and honestly am not sure if that's a good thing to do in a professional interview). On the one hand, it seems a little immature, but it also shows my interviewers who I actually am, and that I'm not putting on an act to seem like the perfect candidate for a job. I don't have any hard data to confirm that "joking interviews" versus "completely serious interviews" yield higher or lower results than the other, but I will say that cracking an innocent joke usually softens the stakes and allows me to have a more genuine conversation with my interviewer since they know I'm comfortable enough to be myself.
Nothing necessarily went "wrong" in my Drum Major interview, but there were a lot of situational questions that I had to answer on the spot. Similar approaches have come up in job interviews I've gone on, and I've discovered that I am not good at thinking on the spot. I feel like I have a one-track mind in a way, and the first thing I think of is what I'll do; I'm not great at considering other options/angles. But, I feel like that's something everyone goes through, and isn't really something that can be practiced. The answer is whatever feels most truthful to you at that moment, and that's not a bad thing to consider.
I have had a variety of different interview experiences, and I can say that each has been vastly different from the others. For example, my first ever job was as a lifeguard back in high school. I was fresh from the course, and was interviewing at my high school’s pool, so that I could earn some money after class. I went in and asked for an application, and three days later went in for the interview. It was a lot of personal questions, and not at all what I had thought it was. I later learned I was hired with a ton of other new guards because the person interviewing was leaving not from her own choices and was intentionally trying to make things difficult for the person coming in after her. It was nice, because I ended up staying with that job for four years, and still occasionally come in to help teach swim lessons when they are short, but it left me with a very sour taste for interviews, and I did not know what to expect for an interview the next time.
ReplyDeleteHowever, the best interview I was a part of was the interview for WEAU 13. It was more along the lines of what people had told me to expect in an interview. I was interviewed by Lisa, and while she asked many questions about my interest in news, and how things worked around the station. The majority of the interview was talking about what I could already do, and what I would need to learn. I would say the good part was I learned a lot about the job, and it was very professional. The bad part would be on my end though, as I had come prepared with questions of my own, but by the end of it, I had forgotten them. So, on my part, I had messed up.
Overall though, I have learned a lot from all the interviews I have been a part of. I go into every interview now ready for things I didn’t expect though. It’s always about learning from past experiences.
I personally love interviews, I find them to be the perfect amount of stressful! Strange, maybe, but I love how nervous one gets and yet they have to project confidence and find a way to show their best selves. Its close to how I feel when preforming for people with spoken word or playing flute. One of these times was with my current job as an RA.
ReplyDeleteMy sophomore year I interviewed to be an RA and I got the job, however, the fall of my junior year I felt myself get "burnt out" and decided to quit after many talks with my mom and my boss. This past fall (fall of my senior year) I finally felt like my life was on track, having changed to the major I wanted to be in, when I found out that the girl who replaced me would be going to Australia in the spring and they were looking for her replacement... I learned this two days after the application deadline.
Times like these are when I make decisions fast, but thought out. I like pressure, and I like thinking so it was a grand time. I called my mom and asked what she thought about me becoming an RA, talked to old co-workers, made pros and cons lists, and decided to see if I could even try for the job. I contacted my old boss, Dani, who had moved buildings, and asked her if she thought I had a shot. She encouraged me to email Deb, the assistant housing director, and she also let me know she would put a good word in for me. A week and a half of waiting, hearing small bits of encouragement from Dani and no words from Deb, seemed like an eternity.
An email from Deb got my hopes up, a few lines only stating that I was allowed to interview with the new hall directer Andrew, but I would not be allowed to submit an application or participate in the group interview. She also wished me good luck. Immediately I emailed Andrew and the next day I found myself at an interview for the same job I had a year ago, in the same building, with some of the same staff, and a new Hall Directer.
This felt like a whirl wind of change, and waiting outside Andrews office I felt strange. I had the job, and asking for it back felt desperate, odd, entitled, and many other things including embarrassment. Never had I felt the need to swallow my pride so well, I understand the cliche a little better now.
Just like every other interview, I was nervous, but I was also not prepared for the option of failure. I had the job before, and I refused to not have it again because of my mistakes in the past. In the interview I was asked why I left the job, and I told the truth: I had fallen apart. The amazing part is I got the job again, and it has been one of the best choices I have made. Through all of this, I realized that it isn't too much to ask connections for help, it isn't embarrassing to come back to things you left in a wreck if you don't let it be, and above all else being a driven and honest individual is all we can be.
My mom always tells me: if the interview doesn't go well, be upset and learn for a minute, then move on because there are a million opportunities that could be right for your life.
Well I was about to submit, then made the error of scrolling up so now all of my work is lost! Whoops! So my first real interview was at Target to work as a barista at their Starbucks. My experience interviewing there was kind of a mess. They either forgot about my interview or made a mistake in the scheduling, so I had to do a lot of waiting. They had two separate people interview me and I kept thinking "Aren't I just making coffee?" They failed tell the Starbucks Team Lead Krista about the interview beforehand so I had to wait thirty minutes for her to finally give her half of the interview. Krista is not done interviewing me when someone lets her know she has to get back to the Starbucks. Apologetically, she tells me that I would have to come back for the second half of the interview.
DeleteOn the plus side, I don't remember being too stressed about the questions. I think I was just so in shock at the insanity of it all that I couldn't focus on being nervous.
My most memorable interview was when I applied to work at Starbucks a few years ago, in 2016; I think it's miraculous that I got the job, primarily because I knew absolutely nothing about the company or what the job would really entail before I'd walked in the doors for an interview. In fact, the only reason I'd applied is because I was told by a friend that worked at a Starbucks in another city that they thought I'd be a good fit for the job. Fortunately, I had two previous jobs, one through high school and one in the summers after high school, that had given me enough work experience to help me answer the basic questions asked of me.
ReplyDeleteWhat went wrong in this first interview is that I often am long-winded and don't know how to stop talking at the right time. Sometimes when somebody asks me a question that probably has a basic, straightforward answer, I instead answer it like an essay question and not everybody is a fan of anecdotes, especially in a professional environment like an interview.
What went right is that I definitely answered all of the questions fully, I had given answers that were satisfactory to the manager, and I'd been hired on the spot. I think one thing I'm good at in an interview situation is navigating the social situation and being on the "good side" of the interviewer before it really starts, which helps a ton and takes a lot of stress off.
Something weird that happened AFTER this interview: I was walking to my car and a man followed me out of the store who'd overheard my interview. He awkwardly asked me if I wanted to work at Men's Wearhouse instead, we exchanged the worst handshake of my life, and he handed me a business card which I promptly lost.
I've interviewed for so many jobs at this point it's interesting to look back..
ReplyDeleteOne thing I know I've done not well in interviews: talk too much. Don't know why. I like to answer questions with tangents, I guess. If I were the person giving the interview there is no doubt I would find that kind of odd. I feel like I do that in every interview.
What I've been better at in recent interviews is just being dead honest about my experience. For example, for my technical writing internship, I had no formal technical writing experience; hadn't even taken courses related to it. I did relay to them that my bicycle repair note-keeping experience in a way would be in a similar ballpark.
Needless to say, I didn't come in guns blazing and say "I am the most experienced applicant you will ever have," because this likely wasn't the case. I provided a couple writing samples to give them an idea of my abilities and left it at that. Got the gig, of course. My supervisor values honesty and being human over being an expert at your job (a "let's learn this together" approach).
One interview that I had earlier this year was at Volume One. It was two people interviewing me and I had the dilemma of not expecting the specific questions that were asked. Sometimes it's difficult to be able to come up with something worthwhile to say on the spot, I had researched the magazine and thought I was well adapted to be able to interview well, but a lot of the interview was mainly conversational which threw me off!
ReplyDeleteI guess my main expectation was for there to be a list of questions I would have to answer about skillset, experience, etc., but it was more of an opportunity to try my best to impress them with my ability to conversate and incorporate my skills into that. It was a really nerve-wracking experience and totally changed what I thought the interview process was like. I felt so unprepared!
4 years ago, I really wanted to work at Target. The company has you fill out a 100 questionnaire in the application. They want to make sure your ideas, values, personality, etc aligns with Target as a company. I thankfully passed this and was able to move on to the interview portion. I don't remember much about that interview, other than I didn't get the job. I was devastated. So, a year later, I decided to try again. I thought they were stupid for not hiring me. I love Target. It's my favorite store. Why would they not want me to work for them? Anyway, my second time around went much better. I prepared myself more for the situational questions (Target loves those). I also tried to connect to my interviewer. For example, I noticed she had multiple tattoos, so I incorporated the story of one of my tattoos in the interview (I promise, it was very relevant!). I ended up getting the job immediately after and have worked at Target ever since.
ReplyDeleteThe interview that comes to mind most easily for me is the one I had for my current job, at the YMCA childcare center. In high school, we had multiple practice interview experiences where we would submit our actual resumes and cover letters in pursuit of a student position (such as student editor of our newsletter, for example) so while I was nervous, I honestly felt prepared for the interview. Something that went right was that, having helped my mom with at-home daycare for many years, I was able to respond confidently to the different "what would you do if..." questions. What I learned from that experience was that if I know my stuff regarding the position I'm applying for, I'll never have anything to fear from an interview.
ReplyDelete