Latest Job Interview

Thanks Green-E. Those are good answers and advice.

But I think I answered #6 wrong. I also told him I would prefer phone since texting and emailing, things can get misunderstood due to not being able to hear voice inflections, tone of voice, etc. But in my present job, I always do email. I only call the boss for something really important. And, since AT&T is a high-tech, digital company, I'm betting that they wanted to hear email. I should have answered for something IMPORTANT, I prefer the phone but normally, email is the way to go.

As for #5, I took that question as trying to find out if I was a self-starter or I had to wait for somebody to tell me to do things.

#4, I talked about working around high voltage and having to follow set guidelines and safety procedures such as making sure power is disconnected before working around it.

Oh well, no sense in beating myself up over this. Gotta keep moving on!

Steven Wright went in for an interview and at the end, the interviewer asked him if he had any questions.

Steven: If you were traveling at the speed of light and you turned your headlights on, would they do anything?

Interviewer: I don't know.

Steven: Then I don't want to work for you.

1) Describe a situation where you had an irate customer and how did you diffuse the situation.

Let them vent, then treasure them that you will own their issue and either fix it yourself, or ensure it gets to the right person who will fix it for good. I would often give out my direct # or email in case something fell through with the ticket.

2) Describe a situation where a coworker asked you for help.

I provided most documentation for procedures where I worked formerly and I've formed a team to help with a huge project. This was just part of my job(s) that I have helpnupntonthis point so of course coworkers had questions for me and I would always do my best to help out where possible.

3) How would you handle working with a "difficult" coworker?

A friendly word with them about the behavior that is making things difficult while keeping in mind that confrontation is NOT the desired outcome. This typicallyresolves the issue but if not that is one of the reason we have management.

4) Describe a situation where you had to work with hazardous material or a hazardous product. (Safety issue)

No idea. Dunno.

5) Describe a situation where you did something without being told.

When I identify an issue, I collect enough data to take it to management sonthat we can get the ball rolling on fixing the issue proactivly. I do this a lot actually, find the little things that slip through the cracks.

6) If you had an issue to discuss with your boss, would you prefer texting, emailing or calling on the phone?

Issue is a piss poor word there. Does it mean, little nothing issue or huge issue??? If a big issue, phone call. If a minor issue, email or text. If confusing, phone call.

A little more background info. I had to take two tests and filled out various forms online before getting the actual face-to-face interview. The actual interviewer had not seen my resume and knew nothing about me. He typed my answers down on an iPad. Of course, I couldn't see what he was typing. I know he wasn't typing everything I was saying. Those answers were then forwarded on to HR for their decisions. They were looking for certain keywords that I was saying or not saying. That is why interviews can be so stressful. You don't know which keywords they are looking for.

1) Describe a situation where you had an irate customer and how did you diffuse the situation.
I don't deal directly with customers except in a handful of instances, but then I explain the situation calmly, make them understand the issue and work with them to solve it while giving them insight in the progress - and follow up to make sure they are happy with the resolution.

2) Describe a situation where a coworker asked you for help.
That would be daily as I am a sort of "go-to" person in the team.

3) How would you handle working with a "difficult" coworker?
Oddly never had to do it, but have a small discussion on the side, if it fails the escalate to the manager.

4) Describe a situation where you had to work with hazardous material or a hazardous product. (Safety issue)
No really such thing in my line of duty.

5) Describe a situation where you did something without being told.
I am proactive and assert potential issues before they occur, also take steps so they don't occur either by making a decision myself or raising it to other parties involved.
Example few weeks ago in the absence of my boss I took a decision to stop the integration of another product with the one our team was working on just before the launch, as the integration hadn't been tested properly and posed a risk to our launch. In essence I had to be the bad guy and tell them "sorry you will be missing your deadline"

6) If you had an issue to discuss with your boss, would you prefer texting, emailing or calling on the phone?
It depends on the type of issue - there are some that I might prefer discussing face to face behind closed doors, some over text/email as needed, others over the phone when it's not that important but I want to make sure the message isn't distorted.

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Originally Posted by JaxSon

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Oh well, no sense in beating myself up over this. Gotta keep moving on!

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Absolutely!

There are only two kinds of employers out there, those that will hire you and those that will not. When you run into the latter, say thank you very much and move on to finding the former.

Who's next on your list?

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Originally Posted by JaxSon

A little more background info. I had to take two tests and filled out various forms online before getting the actual face-to-face interview. The actual interviewer had not seen my resume and knew nothing about me. He typed my answers down on an iPad. Of course, I couldn't see what he was typing. I know he wasn't typing everything I was saying. Those answers were then forwarded on to HR for their decisions. They were looking for certain keywords that I was saying or not saying. That is why interviews can be so stressful. You don't know which keywords they are looking for.

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They might not be looking for any key words at all. I've interviewed 20 or so people in the last year, and I rarely care about much of anything as far as their actual answers go. I'm looking for someone that is comfortable talking, maintains eye contact, answers the specific question that I ask (doesn't ramble on and answer everything other than what was asked), and just in general seems like a likeable person. Anyone who is rattling off answers that you can find in a "how to nail an interview" type class or article, those are quickly eliminated. Anyone that asks how long it takes to get a raise is instantly removed from consideration. Anyone that has not looked at our website ahead of time to see what we are about is instantly crossed out.

I could give you a whole list of things that will remove you from consideration, but every interviewer is different and I'm sure depending on what type of job it is, there are different things that you wouldn't want to say based off that. Basic rule of thumb is think carefully about the question before responding, and try to answer quickly and conscisely without adding in too much fluff.

A month ago I met a guy on a Sunday for an interview. I drove 35 minutes each way on my day off to interview this guy. It was his second interview with us and the other manager had nothing but great things to say about him. The guy had a bachelors in business but has been delivering pizzas for the last three years. Our company is interested in hiring people that are self motivated and intent on improving themselves both personally as well as professionally, and we do everything we can to help people achieve their goals in life. This guy had no goals in life, despite being in his 30's and having a kid that depends on him. He wouldn't look me in the eye at all, and told me we would have to pay him more than his recent job at a delivery company where he was working 55-65 hours a week to make what we would have paid him for 40 hours work. I spent 15 minutes with him and ended the interview at the point where he brought up money. We already have several guys like him and they are nothing but extra work for the other managers and myself. They dont' accept responsibility for themselves and every problem is someone else's fault.

So I guess my point is that your best bet on finding a good fit is to just be yourself and be honest. Interviewers are generally pretty good at recognizing honesty and deception. A tiny little hint of deception and you are guaranteed to be sent to the pile that you don't want to be in.

But what about a huge company that has tons of applicants with tons of interviews? That is what's going on in my mind. They've got lots of interviews with lots of interviewers all with different ideas on what's acceptable. That's why I was thinking that they are looking for certain keywords and then let HR make the decisions. It just pisses me off because I know I'm great at customer service...and that's what this job is all about. There is a lot of competition out there and the customer has lots of options. Sure, fixing the hardware is the main thing to keep the customer happy, but it is also stroking the customer to let them know that they made the right decision to go with us and not with somebody else.

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Originally Posted by JaxSon

But what about a huge company that has tons of applicants with tons of interviews? That is what's going on in my mind. They've got lots of interviews with lots of interviewers all with different ideas on what's acceptable. That's why I was thinking that they are looking for certain keywords and then let HR make the decisions. It just pisses me off because I know I'm great at customer service...and that's what this job is all about. There is a lot of competition out there and the customer has lots of options. Sure, fixing the hardware is the main thing to keep the customer happy, but it is also stroking the customer to let them know that they made the right decision to go with us and not with somebody else.

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Bubba, take a chill pill. Don't stress about shit you can't control. Probably, all those few questions that you highlighted were just BS questions intended to weed out the obvious idiots and otherwise unfit. For instance, if you had said that they way you would deal with a difficult co-worker was to take them out for some beers, get them drunk then beat them with a tire thumper, that would have been a wrong answer for most employers.

I'm not trying to be flippant here, I'm just suggesting that you really can't second guess answers to some of these questions. I would say what matters more is having a strong resume and a sense of how your strengths benefit your potential employer. Even so, you can't ever know all of a potential employer's hiring criteria, so don't stress over that.

You can get passed over for a job for all kinds of reasons. After I first moved back to the Texas Panhandle and I applied for a job with a local linen service as a customer service manager, I was disappointed that I didn't get the job. It took me a while to realize that my qualifications were so much better than my prospective boss, that he was probably worried that I'd undercut him and take his job at some point.

I would have gotten a job managing a vending company branch in Amarillo, but I was reluctant to lease an apartment in Amarillo and spend most of the week away from my wife and child. The prospective employer made it clear that I was expected to have a few drinks with the bar owners who rented most of their equipment as a regular part of my job, and while I could call a cab and go home in Amarillo, they didn't want me drinking and on the road for a 50 mile drive home.

The point I'm trying to make is that if you don't get a job you've applied for, don't take it to mean that you're inadequate for the job.

Anyway, I guess what I'm trying to say, Bubba, is that anytime you interview for a job there's all kinds of corporate politics and behind the scenes shit that influence your hiring. I know what it's like to feel frustrated and even inadequate, but that's really an illusion, and you just need to keep punching.

So I spent 14 months interviewing. Read every article, watched every video, practiced everything possible to be the best interviewee. I did too much, I forgot to be me, to be comfortable and just talk with the other person as me. As soon as I figured that out, which luckily I had several interviewers that said I seem either too uptight or extremely nervous, I took on the philosophy of being as comfortable as possible. Nailed the very next interview on that tactic and got hired.