missing interviewing skills - anyone seen them?

[GLC1968]

Most of you know my job woes and how I'm tired of being an engineer and thinking about going back to vet school at 40-something. Anyway... I've been having on and off conversations with my boss about 'what's next' for me at my current company. I've been here three years and I think it's time for a change. Hell, I was ready to move out of this position BEFORE I came here (I did the same job at my last company) but decided to stick it out for a bit in order to relocate and change companies. It was a very smart move and I'm glad I made that decision, but now it's time to do something different.

My boss has been helping me scope out opportunities within our company but he's like most of the engineers I know in that they cannot imagine NOT being an engineer so he's coming up with lots of technical type positions. That's great and all, but it's not really what I want to do anymore. I can't really come right out and say this as I don't want to burn any bridges, but that's my feeling. He made the suggestion last week that I should check out our job posting site to not necessarily find a new position, but to at least see what else is out there and see if it triggers any ideas for me. So I did...and I found a recently posted position that really excites me!

It's a dual position that is being created...so no one holds it right now. They want someone with both technical skills and business experience (bingo!). The position is the College Program Manager and a Technical Recruiter. My company is hiring like crazy and as long as all you people keep buying smart phones, tablets and e-readers, this trend will continue for us. We need someone to build and run our college relations program as we build technical staff. Anyway, I did my prescreen interview with an HR person yesterday. It highlighted for me that in the past 8 years of engineering work, I've totally lost my interviewing touch. I really stumbled and the questions were so basic!

I don't think it'll matter as I've already impressed the hiring manager, thank goodness. But the hiring manager will still want to do a formal interview and then, assuming it goes well, I'll have a full day of interviews including a presentation for a bunch of different people (some of which I'm sure I know already).

I really want to nail the interview with the hiring manager AND (perhaps more importantly) nail the full day interviews. There are at least a couple of external candidates already lined up, so there is competition. While I do have a leg up as an internal candidate, I still want to wow the hell out of them. I know I am capable of doing so as I've done it before...I'm just REALLY out of practice. My interpersonal skills have waned!

So - how do I get them back? Any recommendations for good books or websites to improve my interviewing/communication skills? Hints? Suggestions?

[SheFly]

The job title sounds awesome! At my last company, I did something similar, and working with college hires was so refreshing. Just be prepared for the feeling of being a bit, well, old when you go recruiting on campus .

Look at MSN Careers as a starting point - they have a bunch of good tips on interviewing. As a former hiring manager (and HR person), if you have specific questions, let me know. And from my experience internal trumps external every time.

Good luck!

SheFly

[GLC1968]

The job title sounds awesome! At my last company, I did something similar, and working with college hires was so refreshing. Just be prepared for the feeling of being a bit, well, old when you go recruiting on campus .

Look at MSN Careers as a starting point - they have a bunch of good tips on interviewing. As a former hiring manager (and HR person), if you have specific questions, let me know. And from my experience internal trumps external every time.

Good luck!

SheFly

Yeah, I've decided that I need to put my thoughts of going back to grey on hold for a few years.

I didn't know you were an HR person! Good to know...I'll probably have questions as I get back into this mindset. And thanks for the recommendation for MSN Careers.

[indysteel]

I'm not an HR expert, but perhaps it would help if you drew up a set of possible interview questions and asked a trusted friend or your DH to do a mock interview(s) with you. Perhaps that would help loosen you up a bit and get you used to being both candid and persuasive in talking about yourself.

Good luck!

[SheFly]

Yeah, I've decided that I need to put my thoughts of going back to grey on hold for a few years.

I didn't know you were an HR person! Good to know...I'll probably have questions as I get back into this mindset. And thanks for the recommendation for MSN Careers.

BAH! There's nothing wrong with gray - even with the young'uns around .

We just did a round of interviewing for software engineers. Here's a selection of questions (I am currently an IT project manager but have been in HR as well) that I used:

• Why are you interested in this position, and why now?
• How does what you've done to date qualify you for this job?
• What do you think would be different from your previous experiences?
• How would you describe your work to someone outside of the organization, who needs to understand what you do, but has now domain knowledge?
• Have you ever experienced a failure or criticism on a project? How did you react? What did you learn?
• If you recruit a candidate into the program/company, and there are performance issues, how will you handle that situation?

OK - I didn't use that last one, but it's a question I would ask someone like you interviewing for this position

Of course, there's the standard strengths and weaknesses question as well and you should be prepared for that! And come prepared with your own questions. Nothing bothers me more as an interviewer than someone who says they have no questions.

Good luck! And keep in touch as you go through the process - happy to help!

SheFly

[Trek420]

And from my experience internal trumps external every time.

Good luck!

SheFly

Oh greeeeaaaat. I figured. And I don't or barely have an internal option to transfer

[Xrayted]

The biggest trend in interviewing these days is the behavioral interview. It's much different than the interview we all grew up with. Instead of asking what can you do for us, what is your education, etc, they ask you about how you handled certain things in the past. They've already read your resume, or in your case, already have hired you. The new boss knows you have certain educational requirements met or you wouldn't be there to begin with. There are so many out there with alike degrees, they realized that it's the personality and decision making that sets people apart. Also, how truthful you are makes a difference. If they ask you what you did in a situation to solve it when you made a mistake and you can't come up with even one mistake, you are lying. We all make them and surely you may be leery about admitting that you do in fact make them to a prospective employer, but it's not so much that you made a mistake that they worry about, it's how you handle it and own up to it that counts. Here are some examples of question and types of questions that many use these days. You need to go in prepared for this type of questioning or you will come off as not being able to think on your feet or hiding something when you can't come up with something valuable to respond with. Be careful to stay on the subject when answering as well as not embellish too much. Just give 'em what they ask for, no more unless they prompt for it.

* Describe a situation in which you were able to use persuasion to successfully convince someone to see things your way.

* Describe a time when you were faced with a stressful situation that demonstrated your coping skills.

* Give me a specific example of a time when you used good judgment and logic in solving a problem.

* Give me an example of a time when you set a goal and were able to meet or achieve it.

* Tell me about a time when you had to use your presentation skills to influence someone's opinion.

* Give me a specific example of a time when you had to conform to a policy with which you did not agree.

* Please discuss an important written document you were required to complete.

* Tell me about a time when you had to go above and beyond the call of duty in order to get a job done.

* Tell me about a time when you had too many things to do and you were required to prioritize your tasks.

* Give me an example of a time when you had to make a split second decision.

* What is your typical way of dealing with conflict? Give me an example.

* Tell me about a time you were able to successfully deal with another person even when that individual may not have personally liked you (or vice versa).

* Tell me about a difficult decision you've made in the last year.

* Give me an example of a time when something you tried to accomplish and failed.

* Give me an example of when you showed initiative and took the lead.

* Tell me about a recent situation in which you had to deal with a very upset customer or co-worker.

* Give me an example of a time when you motivated others.

* Tell me about a time when you delegated a project effectively.

* Give me an example of a time when you used your fact-finding skills to solve a problem.

* Tell me about a time when you missed an obvious solution to a problem.

* Describe a time when you anticipated potential problems and developed preventive measures.

* Tell me about a time when you were forced to make an unpopular decision.

* Please tell me about a time you had to fire a friend.

* Describe a time when you set your sights too high (or too low).


These questions may be pertinent or not for your given profession, but they are very indicative of what to expect these days if you get to the interview. You wouldn't be sitting there at all if you weren't qualified educationally or experience wise. The difference is all in the personality and conflict management skills. No one wants to work with a genius who is a PITA to every one and can't handle a bit of criticism or feedback or won't admit to an occasional minor screw up. I hope this helps.

[susan.wells]

Xrayted is right on target. That is exactly what I do when I am interviewing people for a position in my department. Another statement I use is:

* Tell me about the last time you broke the rules and how did you did it