Lie. Constantly. Honesty never got anyone anywhere during a job interview.
Comment has been collapsed.
AGREED. Its always better to exaggerate a bit than underselling yourself.
Comment has been collapsed.
What if they ask you if you're a good worker and you actually ARE a good worker?!
Comment has been collapsed.
Worst advice ever. If the interviewer is thorough they will see through your lies and you won't get a job ever at that company.
Comment has been collapsed.
Honesty got me the job I have today, so I'll disagree with that.
Comment has been collapsed.
Nope. Bad advice. The perfect thing is a mixture of lies and truths, and also half-truths.
For example :
- If you are asked about your technical skill, do not lie. For example : "Can you code using PHP?" Don't lie here, they will know it if the company is decent enough to have a quick test before you got in.
- If you are asked about your past experiences, this is the time for half-truth and exaggeration. Exaggerate about projects you had done, exaggerate about projects you haven't done but you know about it. Don't mention if the project fails or cancelled. Just mention that you had ever worked on that project.
- If you are asked about your personal data, it is always pays to be honest. People will always do a little background checking nowadays.
- If you are asked about your lifestyle, time for a little lies. Always portray yourself as a balanced person, a person with creativity and technical aptitude. Always portray yourself as an active person who love sports, but also yourself as someone who loves to work, solve puzzles, read books, etc. Oh, and always portray yourself as a team player.
In essence : Tell the interviewer what they want to see.
Comment has been collapsed.
don't screw up, get the job, make money, make GAs, people will spam Thank You, and live happily ever after
seriously though, I won't expect much useful feedback from here... it would also help if you said what you're specifically applying for, not just what the company itself does
Comment has been collapsed.
Is it a small firm so you are interviewed by people who know what they do there, or do you meet with the HR department?
Comment has been collapsed.
It's a medium firm near the city. I'll be interviewed by one of the Directors there.
Comment has been collapsed.
Ah. Totally different situation.
Try to emphasise what you know about the "trade". You need to convince him then that you can be a good accountant one day and have good starting skills to build upon.
When you are interviewed by one of the people who do the actual job, it is often better to cut the bullshit and try to focus on your professional skills (even if you are a fresh graduate). Add in some social skills, because those are important nowadays (but not too much).
Comment has been collapsed.
I have some experience from part time internship program I completed this year (around 4 months worth) as well as some admin experience from a few years back.
Comment has been collapsed.
I'd love to help, but I'm currently searching for a job myself. I haven't had a job interview in 8 years (other than a recent phone interview), so I wouldn't know where to begin. Basically, tell them what they want to hear without sounding like you're doing it. Tell them in what specific ways you'll easier make their job easier or add value to their job/company. Interviewers hear the same platitudes dozens of times, so specific traits/skill stand out.
Comment has been collapsed.
Cheers. I've done some research on the organisation and have good understanding of their values and services. I do have some ideas on how they could earn extra revenue and improve their reputation, through premium internships and volunteering initiatives. Though I'm not sure I should mention them.
Comment has been collapsed.
As you did your homework, have some questions. Your suggestions can be shaped as questions for example.
Comment has been collapsed.
I think the key is to form them not as criticisms, but as examples as which you could help them to improve. Its a subtle difference, but important. You don't want to tell your future bosses that you can do their job better than they can (especially if you can), but to show ways that everyone can benefit. Its cliched, but a rising tide raises all boats.
Comment has been collapsed.
Stay calm and carry on. I know that sounds like I'm being an ass but it is true. They have seen your resume and like what they see. This is more of 'Is this guy going to go postal on us on day?' or 'Does this fella shower regularly?' part of the process. If they thought you were not fit for the job, they wouldn't have bothered calling you and setting this meeting up. Time is money friend and this is just to see if you are worth getting to know.
Think of it like a first date. The other had all the chance in the world to say no but said yes. You are already in, just don't fuck it up :D.
Oh and I'll echo what what said above. Do not undersell yourself either. You are a sexy bastard and make sure they don't forget that. No time for humility here boyo; make sure they know they are dealing with the best.
Comment has been collapsed.
Not every part of the world uses the same applicant selection process. I had five rounds of interviews with the company I'm currently working at, after they read my CV. 80-90% of the people who they call in for a first round interview get deselected. And this is perfectly normal around here.
Comment has been collapsed.
True, but you got the answer above "I'll be interviewed by one of the Directors there". I would not expect too many extra rounds in this case.
Comment has been collapsed.
My recruiting agent said that my other competition is a middle aged lady (in her 30's) who recently graduated with an accounting degree.
Comment has been collapsed.
Eye contact. Firm handshake. Confidence. Know everything about the position/company you'll be working for. Dress for the job you want. Clean up. Have extra resumes on hand. Take notes during the interview and ask questions (come prepared with several). Don't be afraid to sell them on your skills. Arrive 10-15 minutes early. Stay in contact after the interview is over.
Comment has been collapsed.
Wear a short skirt and say "I would do ANYTHING for this job..." winkwink
Comment has been collapsed.
First thing you have to do. Go to off topic with this !
Comment has been collapsed.
It may seem obvious, but go over the role specification point by point, and consider how your past experience demonstrates your ability to meet each of the criteria. If you have friends who work in a similar role, ask them about common scenarios that might come up in an interview ('how would you deal with x,' etc.) Getting the basics down well helps you get through the box-ticking aspects of the interview.
Comment has been collapsed.
Your first question will 99% likely be "Tell me about yourself."
Take this opportunity and interview them back, like a boss.
Comment has been collapsed.
That's a really good one. Forgot about this.
Of course having a vague plan on what to tell about yourself helps, but asking questions about the company is very important.
Comment has been collapsed.
Here's some job interview comics. They won't help you but maybe they'll make it seem less serious and therefore less stressful, which incidentally should help you!
Comment has been collapsed.
A good start would be to prepare to recap your experience so far, at least that's one of the most important things I took from an interview training. With that I mean, be prepared to talk ~15min about your self, highlighting your strengths/unique selling points and try to keep it structured (try to stick to a timeline instead of jumping back and forth).
Comment has been collapsed.
Some useful tips
Comment has been collapsed.
Not sure how many will be applying for the same job, but just remember this.
Accounting firms have their main goal to make money... Not efficiency, Not exponential growth and expansion...
So you have to present to them, the version of you that will help them achieve that. Know your skills thoroughly. Imagine how you can tie your skills to their needs. If the interviewer gets this hint early on in the interview, he will have a positive view of you.
This is not the only thing. Other important points have been already mentioned earlier
Comment has been collapsed.
There are already some good advice collected here.
As for the suit. It should fit the job, knowing about the place and what they wear is also an advantage, you can adjust to that. Don't be too casual, also don't be overdressed. Usually you can google what the standard is, which helped me a lot back when I applied to various jobs to get an apprenticeship.
I think I wore a tie most of the time. It doesn't really matter as much when your general appereance and first impression is okay.
A firm handshake is important, trying not to be nervous as well obviously. Be confident. Body language can add a lot to it or take away depending on what you do. Keep eye contact.
I don't really think that I have a lot of tips, as I can't really remember much of when I had job interview. I just went in there not giving a fuck to remain a certain calmness, but not in a literal sense of course. Try not to fall for trick questions. Don't go with the standard answers you'll find on the internet. Inform yourself about the company. I didn't expreience it that much, but it might come up that they'll ask you about what you know about them. I only had it come up once and it felt like the interviewer watched a youtube tutorial on how to interview applicants.
Try to see if your résumé has any points where questions could be asked. Prepare answers for these parts. They will come up. Asking you about bad grades, spaces between jobs where you haven't done something etc.
Try to be positive about your flaws, but don't exaggerate your strengths. I think the most known example is when they ask about what weaknesses you have, you can say: "My weakness is that I am a direct person, but when there is something to be discussed or a problem I am always trying to find a solution or speak my mind."
That's everything I can think of right now. Been pretty long when I had all these interviews, but I got the job back then so those tips are maybe of use. In the end you just have to do what you are most comfortable with.
Comment has been collapsed.
Get the job sounds good to me ;)
good luck, and break a leg (if you don't get it)
Comment has been collapsed.
If you don't know something, be honest, and tell them that you are willing to learn!
Comment has been collapsed.
Just be patient and you need to want this job. Good luck.
Comment has been collapsed.
I've recently found a job, although in fairly different field (programming).
I had 2 interviews, one with a Team Leader and one with a business type guy, basically a technical interview and then a general one.
For the technical ones you just have to be good at what you do, however, don't expect to answer all the questions, as the interviews progress, the questions will get harder usually, so it's ok to not know some stuff (if it's something you did not use/work with). A classic mistake somepeople do is to fail a question or two and then just go into panic mode, where they can barely mumble a few words. Keeping your cool is essential.
For more of a general interviews, so basically what you'll be having too: smile a lot, show your confidence and think quickly. Sometimes they might ask questions just to get you off the track and see how you react, again, keep your cool. Interviewer should also ask you some unrelated questions, so being able to do some small talk might be important.
Oh, and one of the most important things: get to know the company more! In 90% of interviews, they will ask you what do you think about the company, why would you want to do what company does, where exactly could you help, what product/project/etc. of the company you like the most. If you can't say a word or two as an answer to those questions, that's makes you look like a guy who doesn't care where he works and his only motivation is money and some companies really pay attention to that.
Comment has been collapsed.
Got a job interview on Thursday at an accounting firm. Any one have any tips or advice?
Comment has been collapsed.