Re: I managed to talk myself out of my ideal job — need something to help focus

[Curlymoe115]

Also before you answer any question pause for a minute. Gather your thoughts. Think about the question. Then try to only answer the question they asked. Try to keep every answer under a minute. Be as specific as possible. Maintain eye contact with the interviewer. If you see the eyes glazing over, or they start to look puzzled then stop. Back up. Interviewers like everything as specific as the questions asked. They are given these questions by another department or out of a book so they don’t even know what they are looking for a lot of the time.

no_dopamine is also right, practice this over and over again. Video tape it if you can but make sure you do it in front of a mirror if you don’t have a video recorder. Watch your own eyes during the interview. Also a good rule of thumb before you go into any interview is to again look at the skills and abilities that they asked for in the job description. Think up 3 or 4 examples of each type of experiences you had. Also on the internet you can find a number of websites that have behavioral interview questions and answers. They include many questions about conflict, team work, time management skills. Also the more training that you have the better you will be able to match yourself to the job.

In the meantime there are companies out there (especially non-profits) but lots of children’s places that could use a IT specialist to volunteer a few hours a month. With IT your skills can seem outmoded very quickly. Volunteer and make sure that you ask them if they know of anyone hiring and whether they are willing to give you a referral and reference. It is often easier to get your foot in the door if you volunteer at a place whose director is good friends with the hiring guy at a company you want to work at. Most times the person that get hired based on the interview is not the best person for the job but they do have a good patter. They come across as confident (but not arrogant), prepared, organized, and outgoing. They have dry hands when they shake at the end of the interview. Also I know this is hard but try to arrive a half hour or so before the interview so that you can scope out some of the other candidates. Make small talk and try to find out what they are bringing to the table. These, afterall, are your colleagues at work, and they may have heard of other positions that are not advertised.

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