Job interview advice

[3do]

i just received a phone call about a job i applied for at edinburgh airport with Dixons taxfree and have to go on thursday to meet with a lady about it.

This is my first real job and i don't know what to expect or what i should do and was wondering if the good people on assembler could possibly give me some advice on what i should do and how i should go about things.

Thanks in advance

[kiff]

Dress smartly
Don't smell
Be punctual
Be polite
Smile
Don't mince your words
Be confident but not arrogent

I have interviewed a few people at work now and my biggest gripe is people who look like they don't care. Show interest and have answers at the ready. A wrong answer is alot better than no answer at all!

GOOD LUCK DUDE

[diddydonn]

The one i always used to mess up on is if they ask you what your weaknesses are, you dont want to sound too cocky and say nothing, but if you say anything bad it goes against you

usually for dixons they will put you in a scenario in the store and ask what you would do, when i applied years ago they asked what i would do if someone stole something from the shop, i replied that i would chase after them, big mistake! and failed the interview because of that

Best advise i can give is be confident, honest and be mindful of your body language as that does play a big role in any interview, go dressed smart even if it is for a lower position, keep eye contact with the interview(ers) and keep the conversation flowing, dont be hesitant with your answers, and dont pause or say 'err' if you can help it!

Apart from that, good luck with it matey!

[kammedo]

I had one at F-Secure last week! Whew!
Good luck to you! :)

[Jamtex]

Well don't flirt with her. :D

I done interviews and it's quite fun, you get a lot of people who you know will be useless from the word go and it's fun to ask them questions to stump them.

Anyway keep eye contact but don't stare, have some knowledge of electrical goods (although this never seems to be a strong point of Currys / Dixons shop assistants...), smile but don't grin like a made monkey, make sure you wash and don't wear anything too strong (I once ended an interview early as this guy put on some real strong aftershave and did the same with another guy as he was sweating and had some funky b.o.), be interesting (although don't get too cocky or argumentive), get there at least 30 to 15 minutes before the interview and relax. :D

They will ask you questions about what your weaknesses are, say something but avoid things like, I oversleep, I am unorganised, I drink. I say things like "I am too helpful", "I get too focused", which is vague enough and you can expand it quite easily. If you need to answer questions and you don't know what to say then you can pause it a little by repeating the question and then saying, "That is a good question, well..." should give you enough time to think of something, better then saying errrr.

Normally in retail envioronments they will ask "What would you do with a difficult customer?", "What would you do if you see someone stealing something", "How would you approach a customer who is looking at things?". A lot of them are common sense and you wouldn't do anything to put yourself in danger, although one place I applied to do some part time work failed me on "What would you do if an armed robber came into the store?" even though I have been in an armed robbery and told them exactly what I had done, which was go to the till, press the alarm button (to alert police) and slowly comply with their demands, apparently you shouldn't walk to the till... >_< (They caught the robbers that robbed a store I worked at as they walked out of the store straight into the police, they got 5 years too).

[kiff]

Well don't flirt with her. :D

Unless she is a stunner, then sack the job and try get a date instead!

[3do]

Thanks, quite glad they phoned me back as the last 3 jobs i appiled for i either never got or they just failed to contact me about them.

I know quite a bit about electronics from general interest in them so thats a good start and have some experiance with college interviews and even some classes for college courses in which i've had to talk in a kind of one on one inteverview style.

[s1xty]

Unless she is a stunner, then sack the job and try get a date instead!

or both if you do well :dance:

[sven666]

best advice..

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FdpqH1_EC7A

:nod:

[Parris]

Be prepared for the awkward questions such as 'Why do you want this job', 'What do you think you could bring to the team' etc. Have responses prepared. Just show willing and actually considering some of the staff I have encountered at these bloody places I think someone even knowing how to switch a PC on would increase their chances of gaining employment with them!

Good luck!

[3do]

Thanks for everyones advice.

[karsten]

dress properly (not elegantly, just properly), have your hairs in order. NEVER, never yawn or looking lke bored.

[graciano1337]

best advice..

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FdpqH1_EC7A

:nod:

LOL, that movie was awesome.

Oh, and good luck on the interview 3do. There's a lot of good pointers so far. Follow them and you'll do great. Appearance is really important. At the interview for my current job, I wore slacks, shirt and tie. the other interviewees were in jeans, t-shirts, hoodies, etc.

[Twimfy]

Don't fold your arms, don't lean forward or backward, use eye contact when answering a question.

Smile and be honest. If she asks why you want the job, state that as a first timer you want to begin building your CV with a reputable company, this not only compliments the company but shows that you care about your own status and that you are prepared to learn and develop.

Mosy importantly of all, don't panic. Everyone is human.

[the_steadster]

If you can go there and suss out the store beforehand, as a customer, then in the interview say that in the past you have been to dixons stores and found them helpful etc and would like to be part of that team. That kills about 3 birds with one stone -
It shows you've done your research
It shows you want to be a part of a team (never understood how an interviewer cn think they can get a sense of your teamwork from an interview, but hey)
It compliments the company

also as everyone else has said, smile and seem enthusiastic
Finally, if you don't know something, say I don't know. They will be able to detect bullshitting from a mile off. If you have an idea of the answer, say something like "i'm not sure, but I think I would...."

[Jasonkhowell]

A few things I have learned:

-This isn't much for your situation, but if a company chooses a day for you that is difficult or like the day after, then there is a good chance that they are wanting to wrap up the interviews. If you can't do it, you can't do it (Had to cancel one job interview because they choose it on a day where I could not get down to Nashville).

-Always bring a resume. Not as important for a low end job, but still important. Also, if you apply online, don't assume that uploading your resume to careerbuilder or other sites will mean that the business will have the resume on file. Made that mistake the first job I went into.

-Be optomistic, but don't be cocky as well. Chances are, there are many different people with different backgrounds applying for the same job as well. The downside is that even if you are the perfect canidate, they might hire a lower expereicned person due to their resume, or being a friend of someone that works there (Which has happened, and funny to say that it usually doesn't end well when they hire friends with no experience).

[3do]

thanks again for all your advice was really helpful.

The interview went amazingly well. It was informal, sat down in costa coffe and the women who was interviewing asked simple questions like what i like to do(hobbies and stuff), family/sisters or brothers, what i've been doing so far (jobs/college) and letting me know about the benefits and commisons i can earn from working there and stuff like that

[madhatter256]

If they talk money, then you're in deep.

[graciano1337]

Nice work! That's good to hear the interview wasn't too stressful.

[3do]

it felt like more like a general chat than an actual inteview, got people to see rest of week before looking over everything she had taken down from everyone and should get an email back if i got it or not.