So bad at interviews I want to cry
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Anonymous
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I must be really bad. Even over the phone I never hear from them again. In person I get nervious.
I've missed on so many good opportunities I'm want to cry. How can I improve? |
Anonymous
| I had the same problem. I had SO MANY interviews that I knew I bombed. I think it is all about self-confidence, which unfortunately is really hard to fake. The good news is nobody will ever know how many interviews you've had. It just takes one offer, ya know? I wish I had some good advice,and I'm sure others will chimein - I just want you to know this happens to many of us! Hang in there. |
Anonymous
| I also interview poorly, pretty much because I have a hard time talking about my awesomeness to a stranger. I found the best way to get better is to just practice practice practice, have as many interviews as possible, try to get feedback from people like friends and family, and prepare your answers to frequently asked questions. Just prepare and practice. |
Anonymous
| Did you go to college? Most have resources for alumni. Try talking to a career counselor for a mock interview and feedback. Also, set up networking meetings with alumni and ask for a mock interview with feedback or just feedback at the end of your informational meeting. And practice. If you don't have an alumni resource, do this with friends and family. Tell them to be brutal. You can also videotape yourself and then watch it. You can do it! |
Anonymous
I wish I could practice more, but how? I only get an interview every now and then and they're precious opportunities that I cannot waste. The thing is I'm good at my work. I'm a really good employee - I work really hard and my supervisors are usually super happy with my performance, it's just getting in the door that's hard. I"m must be projecting something.. Yesterday I had a call from a recruit who is also potential employer and they caught me off guard. They right away started asking me questions about these job descriptions they'd emailed a minute before. I had people over with kids, my daughter screaming "mommy, I want a cheese sandwich". So glancing over job description I didn't have time to prepare for the questions. They said they'd email me about a phone interview and they haven't. It was a great job, with telecommuting above all which makes it ideal, and I blew it. I just want to sob. |
Anonymous
I will do that. |
Anonymous
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HR bitch here: you have a friend who is excellent at interviewing. ask her to mock interview you. numerous times. each time after she interviews you, have her give you TWO THINGS to improve on. When you think you're doing pretty well, have someone tape you being mock-interviewed. you will cry. but then you will learn that "Hey, I sit on my hands and rock from side to side during an interview! I've got to stop that!" (no joke, a guy I interviewed did this.)
Read the job descriptions yesterday's recruiter sent you, and then call or email and say they caught you at a bad time, but now you've had a moment to review, are very interested, and would love to talk with them further about the opportunity. slow down your speech when leaving your phone number, and go charge your phone. Tell DD you are expecting a very important call, and when you get it, you'll need her to make ZERO noise, not even whispering. Have her come up with a plan for what she'll do to entertain herself when that call comes, and devise a special signal you'll give her. |
Anonymous
Do jot answer the phone in that situation. Use caller ID. Call back when you are alone. If you do answer the phone, tell them it is not a good time and schedule a time to call back. You cannot look professional in the situation you describe. |
Anonymous
| Practicing is key. I have spent hours researching interview questions and writing down (and memorizing) responses. This way you are prepared (to a point, I know!). Mentally convince yourself that the interview is no big deal. It's a convo about yourself. Sounds like your lack of confidence is taking over. Good luck as its hard. |
Anonymous
| you absolutely can practice. use a friend or family member to stage an interview for you. no breaking character. keep doing it. i also agree with crafting answers to FAQs ahead of time and committing them to memory. you can even practice answering in front of a mirror. just don't practice "in your head"... you must say your answers out loud. |
Anonymous
| Prepare and research! Aside from those that exhibit social awkwardness, the weakest interviewees that I've seen are those that do not clearly show that they know the job and the office/company. We have folks come in who are able to talk about themselves and their resumes, but not why they are a good fit for this specific position. From your previous responses it seems like you've been caught off guard on some interviews, which is unfortunate, but when you do have the opportunity to prepare, go above and beyond what you think you need to do. |
Anonymous
But this wasn't about being bad at interviewing. This was about being sensible. Was this a scheduled call? Just not clear why you didn't make the time to review the questions or make sure you had someone to watch your kids. If I was you I'd review the information, learn about the company and call back and apologize profusely while saying why you are interested in the job (hint do not mention telecommuting at all). |
Anonymous
No, it was not a scheduled interview. They just called and started asking questions on the spot. And the recruiter didn't tell me that the hiring person was there with her as well. I should have just told her I'd call back after reviewing the info instead of trying to answer the questions unprepared. My bad. |
Anonymous
Don't beat yourself up -- now you know, for next time. In the meantime, it can't hurt to contact the recruiter, tell her she cauht you at a bad time and apologize for not immediately realizing it would be better to schedule a call-back, and say good folliw-up things about the job/opportunity. Even if it goes nowhere, you can practice some of the skills the PP's have suggestedx |
Anonymous
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I tend to interview well. My main thing is to just be really, really prepared for all interviews, even phone interviews, even recruiter interviews. I research the company and the industry and put together a list of questions to ask about the company, their products/services, the group I'd be working for, etc. A few of the questions might be a little quirky, and I bring those out if the interviewer has a sense of humor, because then they remember you as the girl who asked the interesting questions. (A lot of people would like to work with someone who has a sense of humor, and so many candidates in my field - Finance/Accounting - are pretty dry.) I also look at my own resume and think about the questions that it raises, and how I would answer them.
Face it, though, we all have bad interviews. Sometimes the chemistry just isn't there and there's no way to get around it. Most of the time when that happens, it's not your dream job anyway, so you can write it off. Also, if the recruiter asks "is this a good time?" don't be afraid to say no. I think sometimes we women try so hard to be accomodating that we shoot ourselves in the foot. Next time say, "Actually, I have a repair person here, who is asking me questions. Is there a good time for me to call you back?" If you don't have any friends who can practice with you, consider a couple of sessions with a career coach. good luck! |