[passmaster16]

Well, I managed to land an interview for a federal government job. It's been a while since I really interviewed and the one I had for my current company was kinda informal. I feel pretty confident about it though, and I actually talked to the manager on the phone before the job was even posted. So in that sense, I think I have the upper hand. I'm hoping that he will be in on the interview because he seemed really interested in my skills. Still though, it's a panel interview and the only thing that worries me are these brain teaser questions where they try to get into your head. Any advice as to things I should do or say? I mean this is important because I've already made it through the application process. I have to go all out now, and I don't want to screw it up!

TIA

[Eciton]

Well, the point of thos sort of questions is that you can't really prepare for them, and that they reveal a lot about you. So, there's not much we can do .

However, in terms of interview skills generally:

-Make eye contact and smile
-For God's sake be on time
-Be well-dressed and generally have care for your appearance
-Make sure to have a couple of questions of your own.

The rest is up to you - best of luck!

[Arkham_c]

If you have gotten an interview, they probably are moderately confident in your skills already.

The point to make in the interview is the "personal" skills that can't be conveyed on a resume.

1) Be outgoing
2) Be interested
3) Have some anectodotes at the ready indicating how you work well with others, how you take initiative in getting the job done, how you don't need to have your hand held, etc. You may not get to use them, but it's better to have them ready in case you do.
4) Have fun. Don't be stiff. If you get the job these people will be working with you. They want you to have a personality.

[philzilla]

have answers for questions like these:

• What can you tell us about this company/job?
• Where do you see yourself in 5 years time?
• What can you bring to this role?

as other people have said, make eye contact, firm handshake, etc.

it's said you've won/lost the gig in the first few minutes of an interview, so make sure your entrance isn't messy.

be alamingly early.

take a notepad with some questions you've prepared, in case you forget them.

question them as much as they question you. make them work too, because you need to know you want to work for these people.

good luck.

oh, make sure your fly is zipped up

[wilsonX]

I highly recommend the book What Color is Your Parachute (companion website http://www.jobhuntersbible.com/ )
It has a section about questions you will probably be asked in a job interview AND the employer's fears behind the questions.

[The Ginger Rat]

Originally posted by philzilla:

question them as much as they question you. make them work too, because you need to know you want to work for these people.

Very important to remember this. You don't want to find yourself at a company with a culture you don't like, doing stuff you hate.

Another good side effect of letting them do the talking is that it stops you from babbling out of nervousness. Some interviewers use the trick of the pregnant pause after you've finished speaking. Don't fall for it, just smile and gaze expectantly around at each face. Or if you would prefer, throw it back on them (nicely) by saying something like "Would you care to add anything to that?"

Be truthful without volunteering anything you don't want to, but don't hide if asked a direct question. I immediately go negative on someone who doesn't seem to answer my questions or who is too slick. I have gone to my fair share of interviews and sat in on a number, and my number one bit of advice is to relax. If you are comfortable you give off good vibes that resonate favorably with the panel.

Someone on the panel will ask the technical questions and someone will be there to see if you will be compatible. Believe me, you can be very good technically but not be hired if you will not fit into the existing group. A friend of mine, who really doesn't give good first impressions, wasn't hired because she was seen as arrogant and impatient. I was initially amazed how much effort my company puts into finding the right person but have learned it is essential for a tightly knit group with tight timelines.

Good luck and have faith in your abilities and talents!

[Phanguye]

just remember.... the reason manhole covers are round is so they dont fall into the hole

[Krusty]

Man, I wish I could give you advice. I've never figured out why I can be very comfortable and confident in some interviews and not others. Doesn't seem to have anything to do with how good the job is or how well qualified I am either (I think it depends how comfortable and confident the interviewer is as well ... ), I was once interviewed by someone who was obviously geeky and uncomfortable giving the interview. I got the job (I believe) largely because I made them feel comfortable ... like I would be easy for them to work with and communicate with.

As you mentioned, the fact that you got the interview at all probably indicates that you look good "on paper" to them already.

Best of luck !!!

[voyageur]

Originally posted by Phanguye:
just remember.... the reason manhole covers are round is so they dont fall into the hole

lol! I actually had a boss once who used that question to screen out people who couldn't think.

[dlefebvre]

As someone who hires people and freelancers, here's a few things I don't like.
-Don't oversell yourself, even if your the best. Each company has it's own way of doing things and they want someone who will learn their way and fit in. Not someone who knows too much and think he has the best way of doing things.
-Avoid speaking of your previous jobs in negative terms. It gives the impression that you will do the same thing once you'll get the job.
-No bullshit... it always smell

[fat mac moron]

Originally posted by passmaster16:
Well, I managed to land an interview for a federal government job. I feel pretty confident about it though, and I actually talked to the manager on the phone before the job was even posted. Still though, it's a panel interview and the only thing that worries me are these brain teaser questions where they try to get into your head. Any advice as to things I should do or say?

I work for the government... My interview was a breeze (they basically told me I had the job even before I went on the interview). I assume it's a civil service job (I could be very wrong though), so just be yourself on the interview. Many of the people doing the interviews are prior active duty military and don't put up with much bullshit. That isn't to say they won't be great bosses/supervisor's, but they have probably seen it/heard it all before.

If you get the opportunity (and this WILL sound crazy) ask about the local golf courses, or other community type areas (softball, bowling league, etc). I work for the Air Force and I swear everyone plays golf, knows someone who plays golf or something... My interview was going great and I asked about the local courses and my bosses eyes lit up. He loves golf and we spent about 30 minutes just shooting the sh*t about the game. Really made the interview go much easier from that point on.

But be yourself, that's the most important thing.

[DigitalEl]

I actually had a boss once who used that question to screen out people who couldn't think.

Along similar lines as the manhole question is this one, which I think is from SpaceGhost: (Paraphrased) By age 15, Mozart had composed his first three concertos. How's yours coming?

Also a bizarre, Mind-F question just to see how you think on your feet. I don't think I'd want to work for someone who plays games like that in an interview. At the same time, it could just mean they have a cool, off the wall sense of humor.

[shabbasuraj]

make sure you are prepared to answer this question (I am not kidding here)...

"what is your shortcomings? or what are your weaknesses?

[cjrivera]

Originally posted by shabbasuraj:
make sure you are prepared to answer this question (I am not kidding here)...

"what is your shortcomings? or what are your weaknesses?

and don't use the answer "I'm a workaholic" for this question. It is overused as an answer for this question.

[Mastrap]

What everybody else has said. With two addition which were taught to me years ago by my first recruitment consultant.

1: Send a 'thank you' mail the day after the interview. Say how much you appreciated their time, how much you enjoyed yourself and that you can really see yourself fitting in with the company. Keep it extremely short, informal and friendly.

I always had people who interviewed me comment on my excellent people skills to my head-hunters for this very simple reason.
Now that I interview people myself I find it makes a real difference in how I perceive a candidate.

2: Do the job during the interview.
If at all possible try and get a real world work scenario that is relevant to their company out of them. Ask questions to do this. Then offer a solution to that scenario, explain how you would handle it. This makes the interviewer feel like you're already working with you. It's a great physiological trick you can play on them.

Just to stress this once more, an interview is always a two way conversation. You're interviewing them as much as they are interviewing you. The 'were do you want to be in five years' question works both ways.
There is nothing wrong in asking: 'Where do you see me being in five years?'

[passmaster16]

Thanks for all the tips and advice guys. Today is the day...Let's go get 'em!

[webb3201]

dont forget the number one rule....ask for the job. It sounds silly but many forget to close the deal and leave the company with a concern regarding interest levels.

[Paco500]

I know it's too late for the original poster, but I have thoughts on the "what are you weaknesses" question (which I hate). My answer has been- don't answer. I usually start off with something along the lines of- "I focus on my strengths. not my weaknesses, however, I am constantly working to improve every area of my professional life, and I intend to do that here." If they insist on specifics, I have something that I am working on- like "I have been working to improve my understanding of XYZ, and am taking the following steps to increase my abilities/knowledge."

I will never give an interviewer a reason to question my qualifications.

[mitchell_pgh]

Look sharp... I mean very sharp. You don't know what will set them off.

The basics: comb your hair, cut your nails, brush your teeth, clean your shoes and make them shine, be early to the building (20 mins.) and get a coffee at a local place. and then show up 5 mins. early for the interview, firm handshake, be calm, good smelling breath is paramount. Be articulate, and don't use slang. If you don't wear your suit all the time, put it on a few hours early to get acclimated to it or you will look/feel funny. Make a joke (humor is considered a sign of intelligence). Be down to earth and try to mimic the movements of the person interviewing you. If they cross their hands, cross your hands, if they touch their face, touch your face. If they are loud, be loud.

Ultimately they will hire you because of your experience and knowledge, but if it comes down to two equally qualified candidates, the funny clean one will always rise to the top.

[mitchell_pgh]

Originally posted by Paco500:
I know it's too late for the original poster, but I have thoughts on the "what are you weaknesses" question (which I hate). My answer has been- don't answer. I usually start off with something along the lines of- "I focus on my strengths. not my weaknesses, however, I am constantly working to improve every area of my professional life, and I intend to do that here." If they insist on specifics, I have something that I am working on- like "I have been working to improve my understanding of XYZ, and am taking the following steps to increase my abilities/knowledge."

I will never give an interviewer a reason to question my qualifications.

I answer that question with: "My weaknesses are (like I know exactly what they are) that I tend to set the bar rather high. Sometimes when a project doesn't meet my expectations, I tend to take it personally."

or something else that would be viewed as a positive.

I've interviewed people... and know that some people come off like they have a chip on their sholder. If you can't name one thing that you would like to improve on, I don't want you.

[Paco500]

Originally posted by mitchell_pgh:
I answer that question with: "My weaknesses are (like I know exactly what they are) that I tend to set the bar rather high. Sometimes when a project doesn't meet my expectations, I tend to take it personally."

or something else that would be viewed as a positive.

I've interviewed people... and know that some people come off like they have a chip on their sholder. If you can't name one thing that you would like to improve on, I don't want you.

Which is why the question sucks, and I don't use it when I am interviewing folks. If I was forced to use it, the "set the bar too high" thing would seem just as phony as the "workaholic" thing.

There is no good answer, so why ask it?

[Krusty]

Originally posted by Paco500:
Which is why the question sucks, and I don't use it when I am interviewing folks. If I was forced to use it, the "set the bar too high" thing would seem just as phony as the "workaholic" thing.

There is no good answer, so why ask it?

Hey Paco500 ... so you live on the interviewer side of the equation ? What advice would you give for someone who took a year sabbatical ? I left my "real" job last year and spent time traveling (and lots of other personal/fun stuff that I won't bore you with). I'm just not sure how to convince an future employer that :
1) the whole thing was purely my choice, planned and funded by money I'd set aside. I was in good standing when I left and there wasn't any "problem" (though I did have doubts about where I'd be in the 2+ year time frame as the products I worked on were being phased out -- I really did want to get out and get on with my life rather than "riding" my job down to its end and hoping that something else was available when that happened).
2) I've really done exceptionally well at most things I've done and have rarely worked with anyone who puts in more effort than I do.
3) I've never done anything like the "leave" before (and highly doubt that I will be able to again anytime in the next .. oh .. 10 years).

It was the first two things that gave me the confidence to take the leave in the first place. Now I'm starting to get a little (OK, alot) nervous about it all since I don't already have a good job in hand ('m working part-time while I look) and I have broken the 10 year track record of consistency, reliability, and good performance that I had before the leave.

Any thoughts ? What do you see when (if ?) you interview a person coming from my position ?

[Mastrap]

I did exactly the same. Took a year off after working way too hard for years. Best thing I ever did.

I actually chose to start my own business rather than returning into the corporate fold. I'll know in about 6 months if I will be able to make a living out of it

From personal recruiting experience I can tell you that taking a sabbatical is generally considered a good thing. You're refreshed, you've shown initiative and you're unlikely to do anything similar in the near future.

A good thing in anyone's book.

[philzilla]

Originally posted by Paco500:
There is no good answer, so why ask it?

maybe to see how the candidate deals with the question? it's really not such a hard concept to grasp, dude.

candidate flounders: not good under pressure
candidate is full of himself: possibly not the best team player
candidate says exactly what they want to hear: bingo

had many job interviews?

[Mastrap]

Originally posted by philzilla:
maybe to see how the candidate deals with the question? it's really not such a hard concept to grasp, dude.

Exactly.

If you'd evade a question I'd ask you in an interview that would only lead to one thing: Me repeating the question.

[philzilla]

Originally posted by Mastrap:
If you'd evade a question I'd ask you in an interview that would only lead to one thing: Me repeating the question.

absolutely. one of the worst things you can do in an interview is ignore the person asking the questions. by ignoring them, you're immediately not playing their game, thereby demonstrating what might be seen as anarchic qualities. you won't get hired with that attitude.

[Paco500]

Originally posted by Krusty:
Hey Paco500 ... so you live on the interviewer side of the equation ? What advice would you give for someone who took a year sabbatical ?

I wouldn't hold it against someone, but I would like to have assurances that that year, just as any education/job that came before it, did something to make you a better candidate for the job in question.

I would have references lined up from your last position, showing that you left in good standing, and some honest reasons the time off was a good thing for your long term career- learning opportunity, etc. Just know how you are going to answer the inevitable questions before you show up. I'm sure there is someone out there that would consider your decision to take the time unacceptable, but I would think they would be in the vast minority.

[Paco500]

Originally posted by philzilla:
maybe to see how the candidate deals with the question? it's really not such a hard concept to grasp, dude.

candidate flounders: not good under pressure
candidate is full of himself: possibly not the best team player
candidate says exactly what they want to hear: bingo

had many job interviews?

Here's my take, dude.

The question sucks. I can't think of any answer anyone could give that I would want to hear. Either they lay a line BS, like "I'm a perfectionist that works too damn hard" or they are put in a defensive position that can derail a perfectly good interview. When I am interviewing someone, I want to know what they are capable of, and how they will perform the task at hand. There are much better techniques to understand someone's weaknesses or trouble spots without asking a ridiculous question.

Everyone's got their own techniques I suppose, but any interview I've ever been in where this comes up has always stalled at this point, and everyone had to flounder around a bit to get it back on track.

So, in a nutshell, I understand why someone may find the question valuable, I just think they are wrong. One can disagree with a concept while at the same time understanding it... dude.

As a post script, I don't think I would ever hire anyone who used the word "dude" in an interview.

[philzilla]

Originally posted by Paco500:
As a post script, I don't think I would ever hire anyone who used the word "dude" in an interview.

i never use that word in an interview situation, and someone would have to be pretty dim to think i would.

the original poster asked our advice. we gave advice. it's always better to be over-prepared for an interview, by having the answers to the most commonly asked questions at an interview. not just the ones you deem acceptable. so, that's my opinion, and i'm sticking by it. feel free to keep yours.

you might also want to read further up, where people mention humor. you can probably google the word, if you don't know what it means.

[Paco500]

Originally posted by philzilla:
the original poster asked our advice. we gave advice. it's always better to be over-prepared for an interview, by having the answers to the most commonly asked questions at an interview. not just the ones you deem acceptable. so, that's my opinion, and i'm sticking by it. feel free to keep yours.

If you read above, you will see that I gave what I thought was the best answer to the question, then went on to say why I didn't like the question.

Originally posted by philzilla:
you might also want to read further up, where people mention humor. you can probably google the word, if you don't know what it means.

Right back at you. Next time, I'll remember to use emoticons for the humor impaired.

dude.

[Krusty]

Originally posted by Mastrap:
I did exactly the same. Took a year off after working way too hard for years. Best thing I ever did.

I actually chose to start my own business rather than returning into the corporate fold. I'll know in about 6 months if I will be able to make a living out of it

From personal recruiting experience I can tell you that taking a sabbatical is generally considered a good thing. You're refreshed, you've shown initiative and you're unlikely to do anything similar in the near future.

A good thing in anyone's book.

Wow, that's the most encouraging thing I've heard in a while. I actually took about 9 mos completely off and about 6 working extended (30 -40 hrs) part time -- at 2 non "real" jobs. It was easily one of the top 3 years of my life since college. As much as I *wish* it were so, I'm just not ready/bold enough to start my own business like you have -- so it'll be back to working for someone else. Best of luck in your venture !!

Thanks for the interviewer's perspective, Paco. I don't know why I've gotten such a worrisome case of "stage fright" about my re-entry. It definitely bugs me because, although its always a little nerve wracking, the excitement/advancement of a new job has usually far outweighed the fear in the past ... precisely because I've never had to go in to an interview feeling like I had to "explain" something about my past. Hopefully, I won't turn in to a babbling idiot when it comes up -- of course, anyone who is seriously bothered by it would probably (hopefully) not call me in for an interview in the first place.

I wonder how things went for passmaster16 ....

[passmaster16]

Originally posted by Krusty:
I wonder how things went for passmaster16 ....

Well I think I can answer that I just got in after driving 7 hours. The interview was in North Carolina so I headed back home right after it. It went well I think. The first part was basically an hour of going over the mountain of forms I filled out prior to going down. The second part lasted about 45 minutes. There were two IT people on the panel, one of which was the manager who I talked to on the phone, the other two people were human resource reps.

I was a little tense at first but settled in pretty quick. The first thing they asked was to just give a brief intro of myself and so I did...even included some of my hobbies in there to try to break things up a bit. After that I got comfortable. I had no problems maintaining good eye contact with all the panel members. In fact, I wanted to see their reactions to my answers. I noticed the two IT guys nodding their heads when we got into some of the technical aspects of the position. So judging by that, I figured I was making some sense to them. The whole interview was actually laid back. It was definitely not a 100% strictly business interview where everybody is stiff and there is total silence in the room. The people were even laughing at some points throughout the interview and that just played into my hands even more.

I felt good about my performance in there. I mean there are a few things I probably would have done different or there were some things that maybe I could have added but it's always easier to go back and analyze what you "could have, or should have done" after the fact. The point is, you have to act on instincts. I had a lot of notes jotted down and I covered some of the stuff, but a lot of it I just winged because it sounds a whole lot better when you just say what you are thinking rather than trying to read notes and then formulate an answer. Anyway, I felt really good after it. I mean I feel that this interview did not lose the job for me. Sometimes you have an interview and you come out baning your head against the wall because you feel you blew it. I don't feel that way. When the hr rep asked me how I felt afterwards, I said I feel confident about it. She said now she would do reference checks and get back to me in about a week. I was the last applicant to be interviewed...not sure if that is good or bad.

So the whole thing lasted about 3 hours due to the break time in between. And as I was on my way home, I finally had a chance to turn my cell back on and the hr rep had left me a message saying that they forgot to show me the server room and the computer dept and that I was more than welcome to go back and check it out. Well, by this time I was already 2 hours away so I didn't go back. Now maybe I'm just reading too much into this but I would figure that if they wanted to show me their server room, they probably have a serious interest in hiring me...or maybe I'm totally wrong

Anyway thanks to all who responded. I did read every post closely and actually used a lot of the tips/suggestions provided in this thread. Hopefully I get the job but regardless of how it turns out for me, I'm sure there are many more out there in similar situation that can use the information in this thread.

[Mastrap]

Excellent.
I hope you called them back straight away and told them why you didn't turn back. I am sure they understand that 2 hours is a long drive.

And don't forget to mail them to say thank you.

[Sherwin]

Seems I'm late to the party, but here's my tuppence anyways...

"What are your weaknesses?"

Lots of folk here saying there's no good answer to this. Actually, there is:

"being interviewed".

If you ace the rest of the interview, they'll remember that you said you were weak at being interviewed and start wondering just how good you really are in other circumstances. This just might be the difference between you and the next guy.

[mitchell_pgh]

My credentials suck (average GPA, state college, short work history at a few companies), yet I land just about every job I interview for. It's obviously NOT my credentials that get me on to the second and third interview, but rather my personality. I'm usually overly honest and open with the interviewer. I recognize that interviewing someone is difficult to do (as I have had to interview people in the past).

The only two interviews that I blew... 1) I misspelled the name on the cover letter of the person interviewing me (100% my fault, I was 18 and cracked when he said "what would you do if I sent you a letter with your name spelled incorrectly")

The second one was when I said that "The social part of college is just as important as the academic part." I was fresh out of college and should have realized that the girl interviewing me had no social life and probably didn't have a fun college experience. You should ALWAYS say the education is the most important part :-)

I've had people dodge questions before... like "can you account for this one year gap in your work history". I've heard them all. The best one by far was "I saved enough money to travel around the world for nine months. It was the best decision I ever made. It helped me refocus my life on what I feel is most important, my family and my career."

How could you say that that's a bad decision?

[gadster]

Originally posted by Mastrap:
Excellent.
I hope you called them back straight away and told them why you didn't turn back. I am sure they understand that 2 hours is a long drive.

And don't forget to mail them to say thank you.

Spot on. Or should I say , bang on.

That could have been the big test, right there.

I once had a job interview when I was working as a lab tech. It was with George Paxinos at UNSW, he was doing a rat brain map, mid-late 80's.

Half way through the interview, he takes me down the hall to meet the animal house chick, the one who looks after all the rats. Major babe with impressive - er - glands.

He gets us talking ... then all of a sudden looks at his watch and says "Let's MOVE! And starts running up the hall back to his lair. Now I am in the middle of a conversation with this BABE so I try to break it off gentlemanly like, but she keeps asking questions!

I was thinking "Why is George's problem my problem all of a sudden, I don't even work here. And I'd like to get to know this babe better."

Eventually I got away from her, but I think old George was foxing, I bet he did that to all the applicants. I didn't get the job. My life may have been very different if I had. Nowadays I'm a graphic designer. wtf?

[passmaster16]

Originally posted by Mastrap:
Excellent.
I hope you called them back straight away and told them why you didn't turn back. I am sure they understand that 2 hours is a long drive.

And don't forget to mail them to say thank you.

Yeah, I was kinda disappointed that I didn't get the message sooner but they were the ones that told me I wasn't allowed to take a cell phone into the building so I turned it off and left it in my car. Didn't realize that it was still off until 2 hours into my trip and by that time, it was the end of the work day for them so I'm just going to email the guy to tell him I was interested in taking a look but couldn't for that reason. I don't think they were really trying to test me with that...to see if I'd come back. I just think they truly meant to show me and forgot. And of course I'll write up a thank you letter.

[talisker]

Nobody's mentioned the dreaded "competency based interview". These seem to be flavour of the month at the moment. I recently had some interviews and they were virtually all done that way.

What happens is you get asked set questions along the lines of "Give me an example of an occasion when you were met resistance to your ideas, and tell us how you overcame it.", or "Can you tell me about a time when you were working in a team and another member of the team wasn't pulling their weight. How did you deal with that?".

The trick is to:

a) Get a list of competency based questions and have answers ready for ALL of them. Have answers prepared that go down to a very detailed level in case they ask for that.

b) Check out the organisation's values and particularly any specific ones that relate to the role you're being interviewed for, and think about the questions that would relate to these.

[macroy]

Originally posted by talisker:
Nobody's mentioned the dreaded "competency based interview". These seem to be flavour of the month at the moment. I recently had some interviews and they were virtually all done that way.

What happens is you get asked set questions along the lines of "Give me an example of an occasion when you were met resistance to your ideas, and tell us how you overcame it.", or "Can you tell me about a time when you were working in a team and another member of the team wasn't pulling their weight. How did you deal with that?".

The trick is to:

a) Get a list of competency based questions and have answers ready for ALL of them. Have answers prepared that go down to a very detailed level in case they ask for that.

b) Check out the organisation's values and particularly any specific ones that relate to the role you're being interviewed for, and think about the questions that would relate to these.

Yea, those are the worst. As you can't really "express" yourself... its very fact based, I did this, I did that... I applied to the FBI, and got to the interview stage. Those are exactly the questions they ask you. The worst thing is that the questions they ask you are so similar you feel like you just answered it! With the FBI, its a set number of questions and its timed. This is either after for before a written exam as well.... man, talk about tough.

[Krusty]

Originally posted by Sherwin:
Seems I'm late to the party, but here's my tuppence anyways...

"What are your weaknesses?"

Lots of folk here saying there's no good answer to this. Actually, there is:

"being interviewed".

If you ace the rest of the interview, they'll remember that you said you were weak at being interviewed and start wondering just how good you really are in other circumstances. This just might be the difference between you and the next guy.

Hmmmm... I think that would be a good answer for a heavily tech oriented job. But what about sales/support/education ? It could show an inability to keep composure when being grilled with questions from client or boss.

Still probably better than the "I'm a workaholic" answer -- I know at my last real job the catch-phrase of the day was to "reward results, not effort". Practical translation: we don't care how many hours you have to put in to complete your work. The only important measure is that it is done in the allotted timeframe (which a bunch of sales and marketing types arbitrarily decided ... oops did I say that out loud )

[wolfen]

Originally posted by Sherwin:
Seems I'm late to the party, but here's my tuppence anyways...

"What are your weaknesses?"

Lots of folk here saying there's no good answer to this. Actually, there is:

"being interviewed".

If you ace the rest of the interview, they'll remember that you said you were weak at being interviewed and start wondering just how good you really are in other circumstances. This just might be the difference between you and the next guy.

That kind of cutesy reasoning only gets you through your 20's. After that, you get a chuckle and a stare that says "Seriously, answer the question."


wolfen

[Beewee]

Federal Government Job ehh?

My advice:

- Come to the interview sobber.
- Try not to make inappropriate comments about the picture of his daughter on his desk.
- Say you love to eat Freedom Fries.
- Tell him that the only thing you love more than you Momma, and Apple Pie, is the USA.


Finally: Say that you voted for him. (Regardless of if he was elected for any position.)

Thats all the help you'll need.

[passmaster16]

Just wanted to follow up that I will be receiving an official offer of employment after successful physical/drug test next week. Thanks to all for the tips and encouragement. I appreciate it

[waxcrash]

Originally posted by passmaster16:
Just wanted to follow up that I will be receiving an official offer of employment after successful physical/drug test next week. Thanks to all for the tips and encouragement. I appreciate it

Congratulations � now go celebrate.

[wolfen]

Yeah, congrats.

[Krusty]

Hey, GREAT !!!

Your earlier post said the interview was in NC. Believe it or not ... you'll probably like living there (I did).

[TheIceMan]

passmaster16: Congrats on the job. What kind of job is it, what will your title be?

[passmaster16]

Thanks guys..

IceMan, my official title is IT specialist. I'll be doing some voice over IP stuff as well as some web and general support stuff.

Krusty, yeah I'm thinking I won't miss the cold and snow here in PA. I like warmer climates although NC has a nice mix of weather.

[gadster]

Originally posted by passmaster16:
Thanks guys..

IceMan, my official title is IT specialist. I'll be doing some voice over IP stuff as well as some web and general support stuff.

Krusty, yeah I'm thinking I won't miss the cold and snow here in PA. I like warmer climates although NC has a nice mix of weather.

Nice. Keep us posted how you like it?