Interview goof ups

[thirdeye]

Hi,

 

I have been working as a software professional (I don't know if I can call myself a professional). I have around 5 yrs of IT experience. Now I am not in any high profile job as I am playing a kind of a support role. I am pretty ok at open source technologies. I know that I can do a much better job for my abilities. I have made a good name in this project but its not at all challenging. I have been thinking to change my job to go for a better pay and better profile.

But something kills me. What is it?????

 

The thought of an "INTERVIEW". I have been postponing interviews just because I am not confident enough. I feel that I will goof up as I have done that in the past.

 

The day of the interview is like a death experience. That morning I would feel very nervous and there are butterflies flying inside my belly.

 

Where do I really goof up?

 

When the interviewer asks me "tell me about yourself and your projects"

I am ok in this. But sometimes I get nervous in this as well. I recently goofed up this on telephonic interview.

Techincal questions:

I would prepare myself 1 week in advance and finally when I am presented a question either I forget the answer or I am unable to put it in the right words. This really pulls me down.

Eg. What is EJB? (Enterprise Java beans). I would have read the concepts and definition before the interview. Finally when I go there I don't remember what to say or I completely mess up what I am supposed to say.

Overall my communication during an interview is bad. I can communicate well otherwise. Its for these reasons (Fear, nervousness, lack of knowledge and lack to communication) I am not taking up more interviews and fool myself and others that the job I am doing currently is a great job when it is actually not.

 

I want to get rid of these handicaps and change my life. I know it will not happen overnight. But where do I really start? What are the activities I should be doing to improve? How to make this a habit? How do I stop choking during an interview?

 

Please help.

[annie24]

hi - I think it would be really great if you worked with a career counselor. have mock interviews with them, and hardest of all, try to relax! I know when I tense up, I can't get words out of my mouth, so you will have to practice to relax.

[karvala]

Eg. What is EJB? (Enterprise Java beans). I would have read the concepts and definition before the interview. Finally when I go there I don't remember what to say or I completely mess up what I am supposed to say.

 

Overall my communication during an interview is bad. I can communicate well otherwise.

 

What struck me about your post was what I've quoted above, which to me indicates the problem. You're treating it like an exam, but in fact it's not. They're not asking you what is EJB to see if you've learned a stock reply, and you can bet that they'll spot (and not approve of) a textbook reply that you've learned by heart if you give one. They're asking what EJB means to *you*. Your take on it, not somebody else's.

 

By treating it as an exam, a performance in which things can only go wrong, you're doing yourself a disservice and making it a much more stressful situation than it needs to be. You're there to have a conversation, show them what things mean to you in your world, how you view things, what new perspective you can bring, something to make them think.

 

It's a chance for you to be positive about yourself. You're good at communicating in other situations. Treat this as one of those, instead of an oral exam, and you'll find you're good at communicating in this situation also, and people will be a lot happier with you.

[Psylocke]

Interviews are nuts aren't they? I interviewed around 2 years before I found (I hope) the right job for me. This site helped a lot link removed with trying to get my motivation up and answering difficult questions. The site is not pretty but it's full of information that might help you relax and better prepare.

[diverp]

Hello. I am a firmware engineer of a little over 5 years. While in my last year of college, I put out about 130 electronic resumes and about 40 in person. I had about 20 followups from that and had one big interview day in which I had 7 different interviews with different departments.

 

Recently, I have been interviewing to move more into a managment role in different companys and have a few different interviews.

 

There are several things that are pretty common accross all the tech interviews I have had. First, most tech interviewers do not know how to interview. Some get lazy and ask textbook questions, wanting a textbook response. I had one interview in which I never met anyone face to face, but they sent me an online test to do. I knew the material but failed it miserably. I didn't hear back from them. That being said, in my current job, of 5 years, in the 7 interviews, each interviewer asked the regular questions. They asked a few ice breakers. Then, they would ask about projects I had done. Then, they would ask a specific question with the intention of knowing how I go about figuring something out.

 

My methodology for interviews is to first be confident. No matter what it is you do, pick the thing you know you do very well and be proud that you can do that well. Have that as the thing that makes you most confident. Next, have a look online for some standard interview questions. You can't know them all, but having something to draw on can be big. For instance, if someone asks you a technical question about software, and you don't know the answer, the important thing that they should be looking for is that you have a rudimentary knowledge and that you know how to look it up. So, having some other knowledge that is similar, showing them what you do know, and interjecting that into the short conversation is big.

 

If you don't know something admit as much, then tell them what you do know. People want to know that you can look things up and figure things out.

 

If an interviewer asks technical questions all day long and is hung up on having to have answers to just those questions and nothing else, this is probably not a good company to work for.

 

You probably know much more than you give youself credit for. Its just the nature of a tech interview to be a little intimidated. I have been on quite a few in my lifetime. I have had the luxury of picking my positions. However, if you go in with confidence and with the attitude that there is no loss of life or limb then you will do fine. Prepare, but go in with confidence and really, honestly believe deep down that if you don't get the job, its not a big deal. There are many more down the road and very possibly a much better one.

[thirdeye]

Hi all,

 

Thank you for the responses. Much appreciated.

Ok, here are a few things. Adding to the interview woes I have identified poor retention as an important problem. How does one actually improve memory. I tend to remember scenes of movies which I watched 10 years ago. But I am unable to remember concepts.

 

What do I really lack? May be not so good communication skills and poor memory in selected items?

How do I grow then?

 

 

p.s Please do not get carried away by looking at my communication here. Its actually not that good.

[anon1977]

I don't have any advice on what to do, just some advice about what NOT to do in an interview:

 

Don't challenge the interviewer to an arm wrestle.

Don't explain that your long-term goal is to replace the interviewer.

Don't refuse to sit down and insist on being interviewed standing up.

Don't ask, "Will the company pay to relocate my horse?"

Don't interrupt the interview to phone your therapist for advice on how to answer specific interview questions.

Don't bring a large dog to interview.

Don't ask "What are the zodiac signs of all the board members?"

 

Good luck!