The common obstacles in having a successful job interview
By: Nataliia Stempkovska
Tags: Beyourself, Job Interview, Success, Work

Well, it’s a reasonable fear because I do care about the results. But I’ve already been invited to the interview. It means that the boss is interested in my skills after reading my resume or recommendation. And if a CV wasn’t required, then this type of job isn’t much demanding. So the boss wants to check what kind of person I am and if I truly possess all those skills I wrote about in my resume.

However, I am probably not the only one to have a job interview, so I need to turn my fears into my advantages to make a good first impression. And here is my personal FIRST RULE:

I change the “what-if” question into “how” question. How can I answer an unexpected question, and what kind of question could it be? Well, if the interviewer asks me something concerning my competencies and I don’t know the answer, I don’t try to roll with the punches. I say that I can’t answer now, but I certainly will find the answer to that question. And if he or she asks me something out of the topic and I don’t feel comfortable to answer that question, I refuse politely. Always be honest.

The same thing with other questions — I turn them into “how” ones and answer them, for example:

There is always a win-win way to look appropriate — I check the company’s website and find some team photos to see what the current employees wear. Or I simply choose the black-and-white style.

To not forget something important — I make some notes. There is no shame in having a check-list.

And if I am afraid of bed smell — I use perfume. But be careful with it — extremely strong, sweet, or floral scent may be annoying, so for the interview, I give preference to neutral fresh scents.

Lack of confidence in my knowledge

It’s number two on the list of obstacles. I always think that I am not good enough for this job. Either I fail the interview, or pass it, I still will be nervous. Maybe there is someone better than me? What if my boss would regret his choice? What if I won’t handle my job? These questions arise in my head long before the interview. I’ve already started imaging that even if I got hired, it wouldn’t take long until I got fired. But I haven’t had my job interview yet!

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But then I tell myself — I can’t know everything, even in my main field. The world is changing every day, and no matter how hard I try, I can’t keep up with it. So if an interviewer asks me something I don’t know or while doing my job, I face a problem — it’s a chance to increase my knowledge and become better in my field as long as I am eager to answer the question and deal with a problem. If you like what you do and work hard — you’ll be good.

If I am not confident in my own knowledge, how do I expect the interviewer to be? I often ask myself this question and it helps when I start objectively judging myself.

MY SECOND RULE:

Before an interview, I ask two of my friends to help me, and it is better if one of them has knowledge of the topic and work in the same field, and another one doesn’t. My friends play the role of interviewer one by one. The “knowledgable” friend asks me professional questions so that I could imagine what to expect from the interview. I always ask him/her to be demanding to get into it fully.

My second friend, in contrast, doesn’t know the subject, so he/she asks me to tell him/her about my skills. And this is really difficult because I have to generate the answer without having direct questions. Moreover, my friend may ask me follow-up questions, because a lot of things would be unclear for him/her. This helps me to expand the number of possible questions so that it would be difficult to ambush me.

Bad Boss

The good boss is key to success. But will be the person I am about to work with that kind of leader? I wish I could find it out during the interview, but it is not always possible. The interview can go smoothly, but when I get hired — this is when the hell begins. And most people — including me — are afraid of these consequences.

Image by Ryan McGuire from Pixabay

There always will be something imperfect — an annoying colleague, angry cleaner, out of service elevator, lousy coffee, slow computer, etc. Of course when my boss is angry or nervous, or both — it’s uncomfortable. But if I don’t work with him/her personally, well, who cares? If he/she rarely complains to me, it’s not so tragic. More important is a good relationship with coworkers — people whom I see every working day (if I work in the office). And if I am working from home — I don’t have to worry. I always can answer on any taunting remark — they won’t hear me anyway.

My small THIRD RULE:

Before an interview, I always try to “catch” one of the employees and ask them about the boss. It is unlikely that they will tell me the whole truth, but it will be more or less evident what they really think from the conversation. When people are asked spontaneously, their facial reaction to your question will tell you a lot.

Responsibility

It may sound weird, but sometimes people are scared of responsibility they will have at their new working place. And I am not the exception. Well, the goal of seeking a job is to get one, but the closer I get, the more pressure I feel. Explore a new job, get used to a new place, get along with new people — a lot of things to do. And this scares me because I am not sure if I manage to do all of these.

Image by mohamed Hassan from Pixabay

Moreover, I feel responsible for the knowledge and skills I’ve written down in my resume. What if the interviewer expects from me more then I can? What if they expect me to be more knowledgable with my working experience than I am? Etc, etc, etc. I am responsible for complying with everything the interviewer read about me, so it is critical to be honest.

My FOURTH RULE:

Most companies usually have a probationary period. I always use this opportunity to be able to decide if this job is good for me or not

Besides the inner obstacles that may arise, there are some situations that may become obstacles for my job interview.

Date and time agreements

Sometimes I receive an invitation for the interview with the already defined date and time. But what if I have plans for that period of time? Well, there are two ways of solving this kind of problem.

Image by Gerd Altmann from Pixabay

First, I have to decide if my plans are more important than a job interview. If it is a manicure, hairdresser, or spa salon, well, they can be easily rescheduled. Of course, my beauty and health are essential, but if I want to get a job, I sometimes need to make a choice. Nothing horrible will happen if I do my regular treatments a few days later. So the solution is to reschedule less important plans.

But it happens so that my plans are more important or can’t be rescheduled, or my hairdresser goes on vacation for a month, and I can’t entrust my hair to anyone else. We all are human beings, and if I have priority plans, I can say about them. And I don’t have to explain the reason, I just have to be polite. My message or phone call usually looks like this:

D ear Mr/Ms. … Thank you for the opportunity to have a personal meeting (or skype call, etc.) and to compete for the working place in your company. Unfortunately, I’ve already had plans for that period of time, which can’t be rescheduled. I value your time and will appreciate it if we could discuss other possible dates for our job interview.

Traffic jams

Traffic jams are so common that everybody got used to them. But still, there may be an unexpected accident on the road which makes my usual long way even longer. And the interviewer doesn’t care that there is a lot of traffic on the streets — I am late and the person waisted their time waiting for me.

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I am a very hate-to-be-late person, so I use the next strategy:

I am on my way to the appointed place much earlier, so even the unexpected traffic jam wouldn’t surprise me. If there is normal traffic or no traffic at all, I go to the nearest cafe, have a cup of coffee and repeat one more time what I want to say. I may also ask the bartender or waiter if they know the company where I am about to have an interview. If they do, I may ask about the boss and employees and have a friendly but useful conversation. And then, without worries and rush, I go to the appointed place.

Feeling ill

Alright, we’ve agreed on day and time, I’ve prepared myself for the interview, and everything seemed fine but…I wake up on the interview day and feel bad. What should I do? Will it be appropriate to cancel a job interview on the day? Some people are afraid that if they move the appointment on the other day — even for a good excuse — they will give an impression of an unreliable person. Well, I have another opinion. I think it’s better to reschedule the meeting and come another day in good health. Even if the interviewer thought I am unreliable — I have a good chance to prove the opposite. But if I come sick to the interview, I may actually create a bad impression. Even a light disease may be the cause of undesirable consequences.

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First , if I have some kind of infection, it is carelessly to jeopardise the health of other people;

, if I have some kind of infection, it is carelessly to jeopardise the health of other people; Second , my brain is focused on recovery, not on my job interview. It means that my reaction and cognitive thinking might be decreased;

, my brain is focused on recovery, not on my job interview. It means that my reaction and cognitive thinking might be decreased; Third , I could be easily annoyed when I feel bad and react emotionally, which is not good for my reputation;

, I could be easily annoyed when I feel bad and react emotionally, which is not good for my reputation; Forth, being in public may worsen my state of health. So I’d better stay at home.

I am not afraid to stand up for my interests, because my shyness won’t help me in my job. If I feel sick — I say it. If something makes me feel uncomfortable — I discuss it. If I don’t understand something — I ask. There is no shame in that, and if you do so, you’ll burn out much slowlier and be more productive.

How to prepare for the job interview?

Now, when I went through all the obstacles on my way to my new job, it’s time to prepare for the interview, taking into account all potholes.

Let’s start from the beginning — I got an invitation for the interview. Let’s say that I have a week to prepare. Where should I begin?

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I look through my resume. I think about what questions the interviewer might have. These could be any: about my school, university, hobbies, courses. I make a list of possible — even the least likely — questions and answer them. For example, I like snowboarding, and the interviewer may ask me whether I would take winter holidays to go snowboarding and for how long. Moreover, since I am engaged in extreme sport, I am at risk of having injuries. So I am prepared that the interviewer may take this into account. I do research. Of course, the interviewer will ask me leading questions, but he/she will also ask me why I would like to work in their company. If I sent my resume to this company because I want to work exactly with them, I know how to answer this question. But in those cases when it was just a job opportunity, and I need some money and don’t care much where to work, it is useful to visit a website of this company. First of all, researching the information about the company is essential for me in the first place, so I can decide if it really fits me. I read the background and about info on the website, then I find some reviews of the company, and especially employees’ reviews. If many people write in their reviews that the boss is awful, the loan is meager, and the pressure is off the scale — I probably should try elsewhere — it will save me time. And if everything seems nice — I automatically have plenty of information on why I want to work there — happy employees, satisfied customers, good working climate, etc. I prepare a speech. Tell about yourself — a very common request I hear from my job interviewer. But what can I tell about myself? This question should arise before an interview, and not during one. So I take a sheet of paper or open my laptop/tablet/phone, make myself comfortable, and start writing. I start with my education and knowledge, which are important for my job. I tell about my practical experience, my social engagement, volunteering, etc. Why have I chosen this niche, what do I like, what do I want to achieve or change? What future plans do I have, where do I want to develop myself, how will I be useful for the company? I need to convince the interviewer that with my help the company will grow and succeed. A little self-confidence won’t hurt. I choose an appropriate outfit. To consolidate my image, I need an appropriate outfit. As I mentioned above, it will be useful to find out which dress code is the most suitable for the company you are about to work in. I try on different options, look in the mirror, and imagine I am speaking with the interviewer. Does the way I speak is in balance with the way I look? In which outfit do I feel more confident? I practice my speech in my dress before the mirror and choose the best option for me. Positive attitude. On the interview day, I am my personal psychologist. I do whatever makes me feel relaxed, have a good rest a day before, and always remind myself: