Job Interviews

[J.D.]

One comment on thank you letters: they are a very good idea. However, if you interviewed with multiple people at the same prospective employer, do not send them all the exact same thank you letter. At the very least, have one paragraph that is varied from letter to letter. Ideally, each thank you letter should mention something unique about your conversation with that interviewer.

That's a good point, however what I have always done is write one letter addressed to everyone present at the interview:


Vandalay Industries
Art Vandalay
Edna Keyes
Beatrice Spiers
123 Fake Street
NY, NY

RE Job Title

Dear Mr. Vandalay, Ms. Keyes and Ms. Spiers;

Thanks for the .... yada yada interview......etc.



Of course this is only if every one of them were in on the same interview. I know I said this before, but I'm going to repeat - be extra careful to spell the names correctly. Some people tend to be a bit touchy about that.

This is what has worked for me in the past, and of course every person has his/her own style. There are also plenty of books full of suggestions...Good luck.


eta: for you interviewers: I've been asked in many interviews "where do you see yourself in five years?" I've been able to make up some b.s. answer, but honestly I don't know what they want to hear. Any suggestions on how to answer that one?

I know this has been mentioned before - wear decent shoes. You can tell a LOT by a person's shoes!

[Mariner]

That's a good point, however what I have always done is write one letter addressed to everyone present at the interview:


Vandalay Industries
Art Vandalay
Edna Keyes
Beatrice Spiers
123 Fake Street
NY, NY

RE Job Title

Dear Mr. Vandalay, Ms. Keyes and Ms. Spiers;

Thanks for the .... yada yada interview......etc.



Of course this is only if every one of them were in on the same interview. I know I said this before, but I'm going to repeat - be extra careful to spell the names correctly. Some people tend to be a bit touchy about that.

This is what has worked for me in the past, and of course every person has his/her own style. There are also plenty of books full of suggestions...Good luck.


eta: for you interviewers: I've been asked in many interviews "where do you see yourself in five years?" I've been able to make up some b.s. answer, but honestly I don't know what they want to hear. Any suggestions on how to answer that one?

I know this has been mentioned before - wear decent shoes. You can tell a LOT by a person's shoes!

J.D., I totally agree that one letter addressed to all is the way to go if it was a group interview. As to the "five year question," I hate it and promised myself I would never ask anyone that question during an interview. What are you supposed to say? I see myself as your boss? I see myself stuck in a cubicle with no hope of advancement? I see myself at home with kids? I see myself anywhere but this sweatshop? There is no good answer. I've given all the canned ones. It's like some rite of passage to answer that question but it doesn't tell anyone anything.

[J.D.]

J.D., I totally agree that one letter addressed to all is the way to go if it was a group interview. As to the "five year question," I hate it and promised myself I would never ask anyone that question during an interview. What are you supposed to say? I see myself as your boss? I see myself stuck in a cubicle with no hope of advancement? I see myself at home with kids? I see myself anywhere but this sweatshop? There is no good answer. I've given all the canned ones. It's like some rite of passage to answer that question but it doesn't tell anyone anything.

Oh, I am sooo glad I'm not the only one annoyed by that question. Each one of those scenarios has gone thru my mind, and I've probably used each one! Hopefully other interviewers such as yourself, will realize a canned interview is not the best way to go.

And yes, "I plan to dress like a trollop, sue the hell out of your company and live a comfortable life in Fiji", never got me a second interview. Go figure.

[Mariner]

And yes, "I plan to dress like a trollop, sue the hell out of your company and live a comfortable life in Fiji", never got me a second interview. Go figure.

Go figure indeed.

[Blue_cool]

I just had my 4th summer job interview about 2 hours ago. Bassically I would have to be a waitress at a pretty high-class restaurant, in a pretty high-class hotel. The job is quite complex like, not really, but it's a lot of pressure, my first waitressing job, and he's like you'll have to serve food, reccomend dishes and so on. that bit is koay, but to be put on the spot serving dishes that people pay up to $100+ for one dish, is quite pressurous. I can't bear the fact of me accidently dropping a plate of $100 steak. Serving bottle of wines, which can go up to a few hundreds of dollars. I'm not up for it, such a high-class restaurant. and what's worse, the pay is only S$6.00 and in US dollars that's approximately $4.50, not that much, considering it's such a "High-Class" restaurant

Well during todays interview, I encountered more DO's and DON'T's

1 - Switch you phone off, mine went off, I thought I put it on silent, but it wasn't I quickly took it out, switched it off. THe guys wasn't impressed

2- DON'T answer most of the questions with "I don't know, anything really" (i realized after I left that most of my answers were like that)

3 - DOn't play with the pen! :rolleyes I got a bad bad habit of fiddling around. I was filling in the application form, the manager comes by takes my paper and starts reading it, I start playing with the pencil, and he got annoyed to the point where he had to tell me to stop

So now after 4 job interviews, I'm still not interested in any

[ADKLove]

J.D., I totally agree that one letter addressed to all is the way to go if it was a group interview. As to the "five year question," I hate it and promised myself I would never ask anyone that question during an interview. What are you supposed to say? I see myself as your boss? I see myself stuck in a cubicle with no hope of advancement? I see myself at home with kids? I see myself anywhere but this sweatshop? There is no good answer. I've given all the canned ones. It's like some rite of passage to answer that question but it doesn't tell anyone anything.

I used to do a lot of interviewing/placement. How about something like this.....
I'm looking to work somewhere I can find a home, and make a career. (no one wants to hire someone and invest time in them only to have them leave soo thereafter) Hopefully I will be able to find my niche here, and become an integral part of the organization. I am hard working and ambitious and feel I have a lot to offer the right company. I am willing to learn the ropes, and hope to be challenged and continue to grow as an individual as we grow as a company. My skills/experience include..(blah blah blah) and in 5 years I can see myself growing into a (supervisory or marketing or leadership) position

[Mariner]

I used to do a lot of interviewing/placement. How about something like this.....
I'm looking to work somewhere I can find a home, and make a career. (no one wants to hire someone and invest time in them only to have them leave soo thereafter) Hopefully I will be able to find my niche here, and become an integral part of the organization. I am hard working and ambitious and feel I have a lot to offer the right company. I am willing to learn the ropes, and hope to be challenged and continue to grow as an individual as we grow as a company. My skills/experience include..(blah blah blah) and in 5 years I can see myself growing into a (supervisory or marketing or leadership) position

Markslove, I think that's about the best answer to that question. I still don't like it though. It is better than the what food are you like question someone mentioned earlier in this thread.

[applesauce]

Well during todays interview, I encountered more DO's and DON'T's



Blue - Don't worry. It is all just a big learning experience. The right situation will come along and everything will work out. Just be yourself and don't give up! Keep us posted...

[Blue_cool]

Just wanted to say, after all this talk about interviews, I have now been "employed" -- well part-time that is Guy was impressed (because of past experience) so choose me.

So I guess another tip, flaunt/brag/share/explain/tell about your past experiences/jobs!

[AR Boy]

AR Boy's guide to interviews. All in capitals for benefits of FORT members seeking jobs and wants to remember it all.

1. DON'T SIT DOWN UNTIL YOU'VE BEEN ASKED TO.
2. DON'T SMOKE, EVEN IF YOU'VE BEEN OFFERED A CIGAR OR CIGARETTE.
3. NEVER EVER ASK WHAT THE COMPANY HAS TO OFFER TO YOU, SAY WHAT YOU CAN OFFER TO THE COMPANY.
4. DON'T ARRIVE TOO EARLY FOR THE INTERVIEW- COMING TOO EARLY IS AS BAD AS ARRIVING LATE. ALWAYS ARRIVE 10 MINUTES BEFORE THE INTERVIEW.
5. ALWAYS HAVE A CV TYPED UP FOR THE FUTURE EMPLOYER (WITH REFERENCE TO PREVIOUS EMPLOYERS).
6. BE READY TO ANSWER CHALLENGING QUESTIONS.
7. DON'T SCRATCH YOUR HEAD OR SHOW ANY SIGNS THAT WILL MAKE THE POTENTIAL EMPLOYER THINK YOU ARE LYING. EVEN IF YOU'RE NOT YOU'LL BE DEAD IF YOU MAKE THESE SIGNS IN AN INTERVIEW.
8. DON'T MESS UP WHAT YOU WEAR TO THE INTERVIEW, IF YOU'RE APPLYING FOR A SMALL JOB LIKE A SECURITY GUARD, DON'T WEAR A SUIT. IF YOU'RE APPLYING FOR AN EXCEUTIVE JOB, DON'T WEAR YOUR TRACKSUIT.
9. MAKE SURE YOU'RE PRESENTABLE BEFORE THE INTERVIEW.
10. GREET YOUR POTENTIAL EMPLOYER NICELY, DON'T COMPLIMENT TOO MUCH. PREPARE A SPEECH ABOUT YOURSELF.

Good luck.