Interviews

[auzzie]

What if your rubbish at them. My friend is a very good manager in her field. Copes well as a team leader and to customers, works long and hard. She wants to find another less demanding job in the same type of field. I have no doubts about her capabilities but she goes to pieces in interviews. Says things she doesn't mean and babbles on about nothing. Yet put her to work she is absolutely fine. She is 46 and therefore is even more nervous now. She failed her driving test several times but drove almost perfect when she wasn't in a test situation. How can i help her? PS. Tablets dont work!!

[Sammy Snake]

I had the same problem, I'd been job hunting since April this year and had quite a few interviews but always went to pieces and clammed up.

I was working for an Agency on a temporary assignment (no interview!) and the director heard that I had another interview coming up and that I was rubbish at them and she offered to help me.

She had a look at the job description and then went through with me answers to the questions that she thought they would probably ask, based on the job decription and the person profile. She give me hints as to what to say, how to phrase things, what kind of examples they would be looking for, advised me to use the same words that they had put in the description etc. She then wrote it all out on a flip chart and told me to take it home and study it the night before.

Next day I had the interview, was far more confident than in previous ones and it obviously worked 'cos I got the job!

[auzzie]

Thanks Sammy and well done for getting the job.

[antiguru]

Another tip is for your friend to say at the beginning of the interview that she is very nervous in interview situations and sometimes goes to pieces. All good interviewers (that narrows the field a bit�.) will make allowances for nerves, but for a very nervous person it�s hard to pick out the good bits. By owning up at the start, her interviewer will know to make the extra effort to relax her if they want to make an honest assessment.

[auzzie]

Thanks antiguru, i will pass your advise on to her.