Miss TBI

What does TBI mean? To Be Interviewed....Clever, right?

At this transitional time in my life, I have been interviewed, a lot. This past 6 months I have estimated I have been interviewed about 6 times and I have interviewed others 3 times. This surprised me but I am pleased because the more practice, the better.

Yesterday, I went to another interview. (I will tell you what is was for at a later date, hopefully) The day before an interview, I usually prepare by going over interview questions. You can find typical interview questions on any given site you find when you Google: interview questions. I usually talk out loud to my poor husband or I talk into a mirror. I am not always that prepared but most of the times I am thinking about it constantly for days or hours before and that prep alone is enough for me sometimes.

For this interview, I prepared by answering this list of questions. (I am super lucky to be able to work in HR and be present in interviews and hear the questions they ask and learn about how they evaluate candidates. This alone has prepared me so much for the future.)

Consider these questions before your next interview:

• Tell us about gifts or talents that you feel you have been blessed with that apply to this job.
• Tell us about a time where you had to be the bearer of bad news.
• Tell us about a time when people disagreed with you, but you knew you were right.
• Contrast: Tell us about a time when you thought you were right, but later found out you were wrong. 
• Tell us about the most challenging work relationship you ever had.
•  Rate yourself on a scale of 1-10. 1 being someone who likes things organized, stable, routine, normal, regular and typical. 10 being someone who is wildly out of the box, creative, bold, fearless, forward thinking, zealous, ambitious.
• Tell us about the worst professional decision you have ever made.
• Comparing the importance of policy vs. customer needs, who would you be the advocate for?
• Tell us about the last time you extended an apology in a professional setting. 
• Tell us the worst professional decision you have ever made.
• Tell us about a time that you collaborated with a team.
• What was the nature of the project?
• How did it turn out?
• How did you ensure the project got done? 

Some other tips for interviewing are:

1. Arrive at least 5 minutes early. If you arrive more than 10 minutes, they won't know what to do with you. Give yourself enough time to take off your coat, introduce yourself to the receptionist or secretary and take a deep breath. Too much time may psych you out.
2. Prepare. Talking in the mirror can help you see your facial expressions. Body language and tone are huge. You need to sound competent no matter what job you are applying for. Make sure your body language and tone are appropriate for the job description.
3. Research the company. Know when they were established, their history and their mission. They will most likely bring it up and the more you know the better. Show interest in the company and they will show interest in you. 
4. While in the interview, listen. Don't worry about what you are going to say next. If you practiced, it will come to you. If you need to stall, ask for a moment to think. It is better for you to explain the silence rather than be too quiet or answer too quickly. Find a balance.
5. Be yourself. (Insert cheesy grin here) In the end, they are hiring YOU, not the fake person you interviewed as. It always helps me to think, "If I am not the best fit for the company, I don't want to work there." You will  not be able to put on a face very long. 

Finding a job that is exactly what you want to do and fitting the requisites is not easy. Getting an interview is even harder. If you get one, be present and be ready.