Why do I suck at interviews?

[Quintease]

I really do suck y'know. I have never got a job from an interview alone. In the interview I get nervous and I talk shit and I just talk and talk and talk...
I'm still upset about the interview I did today that I am utterly CONVINCED I screwed up, despite being referred for it by someone in the organisation.
There was a point, where I was answering a question and I realised I had actually FORGOTTEN the question she had asked me. D'uh.

My hubby has been assuring me that he would rather hire someone who is nervous over someone who is over-confident, but I think he's lying.

I have another interview coming up and it's REALLY IMPORTANT! How do y'all combat your nerves? How do you impress people with your knowledge and wit???

[princessbelle]

I'll tell you my tactic. Good or bad, it's how i roll.

I try to figure out what they REALLY want to know. Put myself in their shoes and see if i answer how i would like to hear it.

A little BS while interviewing isn't a bad thing. Major thing is to relax. Take a deep breath and MAKE yourself really listen to their language of word choice and their body language as well. Someone who may like what you are saying could smile, lean forward, talk about something that's "off the record".

Try reading them as much as they are reading you.

Another important factor, at least to me when i was interviewing someone, is to make eye contact. If someone couldn't look me in the eye while answering questions, they got a big X.

Great thread and please let us know how you do!!!!

You can do it!!!!

[thedivahrrrself]

Originally Posted by Quintease

I really do suck y'know. I have never got a job from an interview alone. In the interview I get nervous and I talk shit and I just talk and talk and talk...
I'm still upset about the interview I did today that I am utterly CONVINCED I screwed up, despite being referred for it by someone in the organisation.
There was a point, where I was answering a question and I realised I had actually FORGOTTEN the question she had asked me. D'uh.

My hubby has been assuring me that he would rather hire someone who is nervous over someone who is over-confident, but I think he's lying.

I have another interview coming up and it's REALLY IMPORTANT! How do y'all combat your nerves? How do you impress people with your knowledge and wit???

Here's some of the best advice I've gotten. Take the standard interview questions, like "Tell me about yourself". Write a full page of stuff you'd like to tell them about yourself. Then, start crossing off the unimportant stuff. Then, narrow it down some more until you have a paragraph. Then, practice it over and over, always paraphrasing it slightly differently. (You don't want to sound too rehearsed.)

Also, write down 5 main points you want to get in on the interview. Start with 15 and narrow it if you have to. Then, practice different ways to insert them into a conversation in a smart, concise way. If you find yourself digressing from the point of a question, find a way to bring it back around to one of those five points to get yourself back on topic.

Interviews shouldn't just be off the cuff, you really should practice. There are tons of websites with practice questions. If you get rambly, probably the situational questions are tripping you up most. Maybe you're a long storyteller. So read through some sample questions and think of situations and how to sum them up neatly, cutting out unnecessary details.

Good luck to you!

[thedivahrrrself]

Oh, and I forgot, you MUST do a little research on the company and ask good questions!! My favorite is, "Six months from now, how will you know you've hired the right person?" and "What would be my first priority in this position?"

Do NOT ask questions about salary or benefits during a first interview. Remember, they are interviewing you but you are also interviewing them, so ask about the culture of the company, how often employees meet, or how departments communicate with each other. They want an employee who wants to work for THEIR company, not one who just wants a job.

Trust me on these things, I'm a recruiter!

[aishah]

thanks quintease for starting this thread and diva & belle for your responses...this has been super helpful to me, too! i don't have a lot of advice so i just came here to commiserate and leave happy thoughts, hehehehe. i also struggle a lot with interviews...although for me the barrier is more finding the right attire and keeping my mouth shut about social justice-y stuff or things that could be construed as political (which has been most of my work for the last few years).

i'm a huge nervous talker, and also sometimes when i get started on a subject it's hard for me to stop. one thing that does help me with nervous talking is to do a lot of breathing exercises or watch my breath when i'm having the urge to nervous talk, and then commit to thinking about what i'm about to say before it comes out of my mouth. i don't make a big production of it or anything - i think it's easy to do it without being noticed in an interview or other one-on-one space - but it really helps me a lot. i also do it when i notice that i feel like i'm talking too much in any setting.

i love the idea of writing down everything you want to say in response to a question then crossing out the extra until you have a more concise, focused response.

[Talon]

Originally Posted by Quintease

I really do suck y'know. I have never got a job from an interview alone. In the interview I get nervous and I talk shit and I just talk and talk and talk...
I'm still upset about the interview I did today that I am utterly CONVINCED I screwed up, despite being referred for it by someone in the organisation.
There was a point, where I was answering a question and I realised I had actually FORGOTTEN the question she had asked me. D'uh.

My hubby has been assuring me that he would rather hire someone who is nervous over someone who is over-confident, but I think he's lying.

I have another interview coming up and it's REALLY IMPORTANT! How do y'all combat your nerves? How do you impress people with your knowledge and wit???

First off, you're being pretty hard on yourself. Interveiws are tough, and nerve-wrecking for most people...I think the key is not buying into those feelings...and not entertaining them, either. For me it's all in the mind, even if you don't feel it, begin to train your mind in the opposite way that you are feeling. Corny, I know, but feelings aren't facts.
Ex: positive thinking about upcoming interveiw: "I am qualified for this position." (and ask/answer yourself why).
Training your mind to view nerve-inducing situations (like an interveiw) in a realistic light, can also help immensely.
Research the company you are interveiwing for. What about this particular company, actually makes you want to work for them? Go in prepared, it will help you to feel more confident.
Don't be afraid to pause before you answer questions, you don't have to fill in the occasional lulls with speaking.
Wear an outfit that you feel you look great in...Give yourself a manicure and maybe get your hair done, (a blow out, a trim.) nothing drastic or severe.
Practice the interveiw w/ a good friend or partner who is successful/experienced with the interveiwing process.
Give good eye contact when listening and answering.
Firm handshake w/eye contact/smile when introductions come about.
Firm handshake/eye contact/thank you/smile when you depart.

Just my hope it helps.

[JustJo]

Some wonderful advice here.

One "trick" that has always worked for me is simply to acknowledge it....not to say "I suck at interviews" but "I have to tell you, interviews make me a little nervous so if I start to ramble please reel me back in", smile, and then add a cherry on top.....like.....I've been reading about your new project x and am really interested in hearing more about that, or something else that puts the ball back in their court for a minute.

Most people get nervous in interviews....and HR folks know that better than anyone....acknowledge it, take a breath, and move on. Somehow it just makes it easier....especially if that person interviewing you says "oh my gosh, me too, don't worry about it, just tell me..."

[LaneyDoll]

I am going to try to get back & answer this later, when I have time-lol.

But, I did want to put this out there (not saying you are doing it, but for anyone who may take advice from this thread)...

Regardless of how valid your reason is, never bad mouth a previous employer. Never ever ever. You can always find another reason that you left your last job or are looking for a new one. But, keep the drama out of it. Nothing turns off a potential employer like finger pointing, personal issues etc.

I once left a job in tears b/c the manager was such a bitch but I did not tell the next interviewer that. Fortunately, the interviewer was with a temp agency so when I went looking for a permanent job, I could easily tell them I was looking because I wanted permanent employment.

[Quintease]

Originally Posted by JustJo

Some wonderful advice here.
One "trick" that has always worked for me is simply to acknowledge it....not to say "I suck at interviews" but "I have to tell you, interviews make me a little nervous so if I start to ramble please reel me back in", smile, and then add a cherry on top.....like.....I've been reading about your new project x and am really interested in hearing more about that, or something else that puts the ball back in their court for a minute.

I did that, but at the end! I looked in a mirror, saw my hair and said 'Oh no, my hair! I always mess up my hair when I'm nervous'. She didn't say anything, but he laughed and said 'Well it's still falling beautifully' (he was gay).

Ok, so breathing and lists, breathing and lists, breathing and lists *deep breath*

Right, so I'm filling in the application form now...

[Corkey]

Confidence, keep it short, their time is just as valuable as yours. Answer to the best of your knowledge and don't bs, it will show in body language. Speaking of which have an open body posture, don't clasp your hands or cross your arms. Humor when appropriate, but never at the organization or the person doing the interview. Know your resume, and think outside the box. Smile!

[thedivahrrrself]

Originally Posted by LaneyDoll

I am going to try to get back & answer this later, when I have time-lol.

But, I did want to put this out there (not saying you are doing it, but for anyone who may take advice from this thread)...

Regardless of how valid your reason is, never bad mouth a previous employer. Never ever ever. You can always find another reason that you left your last job or are looking for a new one. But, keep the drama out of it. Nothing turns off a potential employer like finger pointing, personal issues etc.

I once left a job in tears b/c the manager was such a bitch but I did not tell the next interviewer that. Fortunately, the interviewer was with a temp agency so when I went looking for a permanent job, I could easily tell them I was looking because I wanted permanent employment.

AGREED! Don't do it! This is one of the Top 10 mistakes I see people make. If they ask for an example of something you didn't like, make it seem more like something you just don't prefer rather than something wrong with the company. ("I really prefer a company with open communication. I found it very hard in my last position to initiate communication across departments.")

[WolfyOne]

Sometimes too much experience isn't good if the one interviewing you has less experience and may feel threatened by what you know. Knowledge is power even if you are nervous. Confidence is always good to have when nervous. I believe straight forward when answering questions is great when you want to get the interview over.

The last interview I had was in my field of expertise, but I had more experience than the guy that interviewed me. He said I had more knowledge than anyone he had interviewed before me and more years in the business than him. It must have made him nervous knowing that because I didn't get a call back after that interview. I can't seem to learn to downplay my knowledge in what I know I'm good at and it's much harder to get work in mt field where I live now because I'm a woman in a boys club field.

I don't know if any of this helps, but I wanted you to know what I've leaned about interviews.

Wolfy, who doesn't totally suck at interviews, but dislikes them very much