Job Interview help.

[ghtpdm5]

i've got a job interview on thursday and want to make sure my ducks are all in a row on this. the interview is for a soldering position with a start-up company.

now i don't have a certificate, but i've done a ton of soldering for rc work and feel pretty confident about it.

so what should i do to prepare and bring with me to show the people doing the interview? for dressing, i was thinking a nice shirt and khakis. for stuff i've done, thinking my crawler and the small tamiya tank edu-toy experiment along with my radio.

this is my first interview for anything outside of driving a tractor in a long time.

thanks for any advice guys.

[JokersWild]

Good luck...... Jobs and interviews are not the same as they once were. Seems all has changed in last ten years. I work for myself so I have no input. I'm general contractor so I'm anything but fancy..... Just old sloop I suppose

[salmonshark]

I think some of the important things are:

Go in with a kick-ass attitude. Make sure they know you are happy just for the chance to interview.
Make sure you know as much as you can about the company.
Tell them about yourself when asked. Look for chances to talk yourself up (but don't over-do it). For example, if you know you are good self starter, or like to take initiative, make sure you let them know that.
Don't talk more than you know about. In fact, I think it's better to say, 'I don't know, but I know I can learn that.' then talking out of your rear. If you know some of it, tell them what you know, but don't start talking about what you don't know.
Be prepared to answer questions like, "What was your best experience?" and "What was your worst experience?" Don't be scared of these. In fact, bad experiences can be good if you handled it well and learned from it.
Not sure if you need to bring props in with you. Maybe keep them in the car while interviewing and if the subject comes up, say, "hey I got a radio I did some solder work on out in my car. you want me to grab it?"
Be professional. Yes sir. Yes ma'am.
Follow their lead. Don't beg for the job.
And just keep a real positive attitude about it all.

That's my 2 pennies worth.

SS

[Del Montess]

The outfit sounds like a good choice.

I would recommend researching good questions to ask at the end of the interview when they ask you if you have any questions. i read a good article recently about this, one that stuck out to me was "if you were to not hire me, what would be your reasons?" Gives you valuable feedback for if you dont get the job, and you have a chance to address any concerns before you leave.

Also, be prepared to send a handwritten thank you card as soon as you are done. I always take a card with me, write it as soon as i get in the car after the interview (so i can remember and include details of our coversation, ie. "Thank you so much for taking the time to meet with me. I am very excited about your unit's upcoming advances in EEG monitoring and would be thrilled to be a part of learning about and participating in its implementation." -from my interview for my ICU job, including a detail is important so they know you didnt prefab it before the interview). My manager told me that the thank you card was one of the things that set me apart from other applicants (aside from my pure awesomeness obviously. ) and helped me get the job. my dad is an engineering manager for NASA and he was the one that told me about the importance and advantage of writing thank you cards.

I second knowing everything you can about the company, and bring it up to show that you took the time to research this company--it shows you really want the job and are willing to work for it. Not saying say "i researched your company. Bam. Hire me bitches" but bring up something you found interesting while researching "i read that you recently started ETCO2 monitoring, i am really fascinated by how that more accurately monitors vented patients and am really excited to learn more about it" -- again from ICU, but you get the jist

[ghtpdm5]

thanks man! that is some solid stuff. the attitude is confident now, just have to keep it that way over the next couple days.

the company doing the interview is a temp company, they are on contract head-hunters. a company rep may be there, i do not know if they will be though.

i've got some experience with the typical interview questions ("greatest weakness" type) but like i said, its been a while. may see about using my webcam to give myself some feedback on my facial expressions. (tip i got in college)

the way i figure, if i'm interviewing for a job that involves soldering, why not bring some stuff i made. i will take the advice of leaving them in the car though, it would fill up the interview area with gear, and look a bit foolish.

the yes sir/yes ma'am is standard for me in life.

and the following the lead thing, do you think that they would lead me into a corner, then let loose on the questions? my last interview in a professional manner was for a mining company, they were very aggressive during interviews.

and the talking yourself up, when do you stop? i know enough to make stuff happen, anyone who says they know it all is a liar or an idiot. now my work history is pretty strange, seen and done a lot through the years. some of that would have to do with a position like this, some not. kinda afraid of going into "used car salesman" mode on that part.

[JeremyH]

Originally Posted by Del Montess

The outfit sounds like a good choice.

Men don't wear "outfits"...

[ghtpdm5]

men wear outfits, i have a formal outfit, business casual outfit, and then various work outfits....though i may not be qualified as a man

[JatoTheRipper]

How old are you? I always wear a suit to an interview, but I'm an engineer so its expected. It's better to be over dressed than under dressed in my opinion. First impressions are HUGE in interviews. At least wear a tie.

They will most likely ask you some typical, cheesey interview questions such as:
Where do you see yourself in 5 years?
What are your best and worst qualities?
Which three words describe you?

Always have the job description in mind when answering there types of questions. They are trying to judge how you well you well fit the position and how you will fit in with the current employees.

Remember that it's normal to get nervous, but do your best to control it. Two big qualities that companies love are the ability to learn and grow and a personality that is easy going, but still determined. They don't want you to be abrasive or cause waves within the company.

Remember that you are a sales person selling yourself and your skills.

Sent from my Amazon Kindle Fire using Tapatalk 2

[Del Montess]

Originally Posted by JeremyH

Men don't wear "outfits"...

Haha! You be quiet.

[CPE MT]

#1 - Dress nicely. Maybe not suit and tie, but shirt and tie.

#2 - Research the company. Ask questions specific to what they do.

#3 - Don't bring examples in. As others have said, possibly have them handy in your car however.

#4 - Expect to be soldering something for them. I never hired someone for a position like that without making them do a few sample joints for me. After you leave, they'll probably slice and x-ray them to see how much flow and penetration you have.

#5 - Don't bad-mouth former employers and/or employees if asked. Even if you hated them.

#5 - Thank you note. It doesn't need to be hand written, and a quick email saying thanks for the interview is fine. Most people won't send anything.

[dropstep]

Make sure your clean shaven or atleast freshly trimmed, ive seen more people bomb job interviews from that then anything else!

[ghtpdm5]

thank you again guys! the anxiety is a problem, hence why i asked for help. just talking about it helps with anxiety for me.

25 years old, plan on a simple but nice dress shirt, khakis, nice shoes, and a tie. serious, but comfortable. hair will be in a simple ponytail and done well in the front. was planning on the clean shaven for sure, i know looking all ratty will kill an interview quickly.

like i said, its hard to research the company beforehand because this is going through a temp agency. i've known what this temp agency does for a while, but its going to be rather on the spot when it comes to the hiring company. i would like to be more informed, but this is the deal as far as i know it.

i was expecting to do a sample, done welding samples in the past (my dad was a certified welder and i had to) and i'm confident in my skills if they do have me solder on a sample board/whatever they do.

my former employers were happy with me for the most part. the one that is not almost killed me (stated i was severely allergic to mice, and then he had me clean up rotten corn), but i still don't truly have anything bad to say about the employers themselves. i had a few co-workers that were impossible to work with, but it would be poor form to say anything about them other than i worked with them.

the biggest hang-up is the selling. i worked with machinery wheel & deal people for years, sometimes i would do the inspections and assist in sales. how far is too far in terms of selling yourself? i could rattle off a bunch of stuff i've done and achievements in my life, but where is the line to stop? its a very hard thing for me to understand.

[EeePee]

I think you're better off going in there with an attitude like you're there to help them kick ass and get their start up company started up and kicking ass than you are calling them sir and wearing a tie.

[bob1961]

my best approach that works for me has always been, "just tell the truth, but add nothing not needed" ....that has gotten me some good jobs ........bob

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[ghtpdm5]

ok, so they say what experience do you have with soldering specifically, go into what i have done with rc work, and no further till they ask about more. tell the truth (no doubt i will, lying in an interview is a sure way to kill it) and go step by step as they as for more. pretty much don't go into rambling idiot mode.

[bob1961]

Originally Posted by ghtpdm5

pretty much don't go into rambling idiot mode.

yeah that's bout what i was trying to say ....i was just trying to say it nice ........bob

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[baconCHDDRchips]

dont lie, cause if they hire you. theyll likely find out

"o yeah I can do that 10x better than anyone"

[ghtpdm5]

yeah, with a job like this, lying is the best way to get fired hard. i'm pretty good with an iron, but i know that i haven't scratched the surface of what's out there for soldering.

and bob, no need to be nice, i'd rather get advice straight between the eyes on this.

[bob1961]

but then you just might need one good answer to get the job as well....i was in a group of 7/8 other people to get "head carpenter" jobs with 4 under you....well i was reading, filling in answers that need to go on paper....had to do some math problems i would have on a job site building homes....started job after i ace'ed the math test, with one correct answer, no sorry....only correct answer from the 7 of us, what was that question you ask ??....i was only one to answer this question correctly.......bob

12 x 12 = what ?

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[ghtpdm5]

20736. i'll brush up on my squares and some other things tonight into tomorrow. one advantage of playing darts is knowing triples and doubles of numbers up to 20

did not even think about a math portion, thanks bob