Two interviews this week!

[Xales]

OMG hate interviews (takes deep breaths). Any suggestions as I seem to get a few interviews but no further.

I always try and make eye contact, handshake (probably not that nice with a clammy sweaty palm), smile (probably look like a derranged nutter with a nervous twtich), be as honest and upfront as I can.

I just find it so hard to say what I do and to sell myself, how many ways are there of describing what you do in a sales/purchase ledger/finance roll?

Keep everything crossed for me, I have to get one of the jobs eventually! Don't I?

One of them had over 200 applicants and over 50% were rejected straight off for hi ya seen ya job in the covering letter!!!

My DH has been for 8 interviews in the last 2 years - and has been offered all 8 jobs! His best tip is at the end to ask "Do you have any reservations in employing me?" - it's very gutsy but if you ask, and they say "It seems like you don't have enough experience in X" then you can have the opportunity to defend yourself - and hopefully show that this shortcoming shouldn't matter and why you have advantages that could make you great in the job.

Good luck!

Can you talk in terms of what "benefits you deliver" for an employer as opposed to what you do? eg "I did xx in only 3 days, saving the company xx". "Or I organised this, so it was more efficent" etc.

It it difficult selling yourself though. But if you don't, the other candidates will sell themselves better and get the job!

I interview people a lot, I am generally impressed if they have found out a bit about the company and ask questions at the end.

A good book on interviews by Max Eggart (I think)I read said that if you have been invited to interview then you are suitable for the job - why would they waste their time seeing you? So the interview is for them to find out where you don't match up to your CV, so you need to be stronger than your CV already is.

For what it is worth, I do think there is an element of fate in all of this. It took me many interviews to get my last position, a step up, but once I did I then had the chance of a promotion. I am not sure that would have been the case anywhere else...

Good luck!

Woot! Got the first one today and start on 21st!

Went with asking if they had any reservations etc. That is really hard to ask but I did it.

Also most of their work is in excel and then they repeat it into another miscrosoft package so I was asking if they had looked at exporting the data to save the duplication as it would streamline their system and I could do other stuff in the time for them (and I am lazy and don't want to do it twice hehe). So I already have a little project to look at to make their systems easier when I start.

Is actually a year this week that I left my last employment and I have been getting more and more dispondant.

Thank you for the advice. (-:

Well done Xales and good luck for the 21st