Way OT: Job interview tips

As far as THIS job is concerned, I have none. I am an alcoholic and a cleptomaniac, but that has nothing to do with this job.

Don't Tell Them, that your avatar on MGoBlog is a picture of Brutus with COCK SUCKER scrawled across his groin.

dip your hand in the water fountain before meeting the interviewer. Then, right before you shake his or her hand, ask: Ever pee on your hand?

Eye contact. LOCK THE THREAD

In a technical interview, they will give you a situation and ask how you will solve it. They don't really care what your solution is, they want to see the steps you take to get to the solution. If you know the solution, ask questions for clarification. If you don't, then ask questions, make some assumptions, and give a solution based on that. They will take someone who only knows how to solve 25% of the problems off the top of their head and can work their way through the other 75% over the person who knows 75% of the problems and can't work their way through the other 25%. Also, it is fine to say that you don't know an answer. If you don't know it off the top of your head, but you know how to find it, say that as your answer. Finally, don't be afraid to ask for a moment to collect your thoughts. Rather than stumbling through an answer, take 20-30 seconds to think about what you want to say and then say it in a clear and concise manner.

If it's a particularly long winded question and being read from a script, feel free to ask them to repeat the question to buy some more time for an articulate response. Try paragraph format: Topic, 2-3 sentences, closing. Make some mental bullet points of what to cover. For example, if you were Tim Tebow, these are your bullets: -I can throw -I can even read Cover 3 -I've won in college -I can learn to take snaps under center -I can throw

1) find out if it's a technical interview (with the tech team) or a behavioral interview (just HR). 2) have at least 3 questions prepared in advance. on a sheet of paper or index card you pull out of your jacket pocket. when they ask you "what questions do you have for us" - you should have some. a good one might be: "is IT an internal profit center in the company, or is it a cost center shared by the departments that use it?" 3) get some good eye drops and "get the red out". you will be looking people directly in the eyes for an hour or more. you want the whites of your eyes white. this will show energy and make you look younger. 4) always wear a jacket and tie the first interview. even for IT. it shows respect and professionalism. when they invite you back, you can ask the dress code going forward. 5) never, ever misrepresent yourself (lie or fabricate things). Good Luck!

Overnight a thank you letter directly to the person who interviewed you and summarize again why you are a great fit for the position. This has worked well for me in the past.

I work for an IT Staffing company and have people interivew for me all the time. Here is my advice. Know the job description. That sounds stupid but you would be surprised at how many people don't read the whole thing. Obviously research the company, they are going to ask you what you know about them. Try to find out who you are going to be interviewing with and look them up on Linkedin. You can see where they worked at in the past and perhaps the two of you might know the same people which immediately gives you a slight edge. Thank them for their time both verbally after the interivew and then follow up with an email thanking them again. You will have to get their business card to do this so make sure to ask for one. When you get one, take 10 seconds to look at it...seriously it helps. If they ask you if you want some water, take the water. You will be talking a lot and nothing is more annoying than talking to someone who obviously has a dry mouth. Get their early which is a no brainer and if you have time do a dry run the day before. Leave at the same time you think you should leave to gauge traffic. Nothing is worse than driving to an interview and all of sudden your route is under construction.

It sounds cornball, but when they ask you if you have any questions, you can get in their good graces by saying something along the lines of "I'm really interested in this position, and I know I'd make a good employee. Is there anything else I can tell you that would help show it?"

Bring a hooker.

On a related note, this thread reminded me of an interesting piece Malcolm Gladwell wrote for The New Yorker in 2000. If you have some free time, it's worth the read: he outlines the inherent absurdity of determining a prospective worker's potential by spending an hour with him or her. It's still fresh, even a decade later. http://www.gladwell.com/2000/2000_05_29_a_interview.htm

how did it go?