Interview Tips and Impressing Employers

Interviews are incredibly difficult when you haven't prepared or research anything about the company. If you do the research and put in the work to actually look up the company or business, you will definitely have a higher chance of hearing back from the employer. 

Interview Questions

A lot of employers like asking interview questions that are designed to trick you. The questions seem super simple and easy at first, but those questions are usually the ones that allow for the employers to gain the most information from you. The questions are also worded in a way that enables the employers to learn more information about you as a whole person and can learn inconsistencies if there are any. For example, a question an employer could ask is "how would you describe yourself in one word?". This question is incredibly difficult because the one word will tell employers how you are as a person through your personality type and whether or not you are a good fit for the job. The response employers are looking for is that you should be reliable or dedicated because you want to be a team player in jobs now a day. 

Another question that I have personally been asked is "what's a difficult situation that you turned around?". This question is tricky because a lot of people interpret this as a way to talk about their success after being down low for a certain amount of time. However, this question is actually a way to access your thoughts on how you would problem-solve under pressure. Interviewers want to see that the future employees are smart with problem solving all while remaining professional. 

Introverts in an Interview

I used to be an introvert before college when I realized that it was insanely difficult to talk to the interviewer because of how closed off I was. However, I think that being an introvert is not a bad thing at all. Introverts may be very limited to answers, but they possess great connections by giving insightful answers to questions and by being very observant to everything around them. I feel as if this is very accurate because I know that when I was interviewed during high school, I was more conservative in terms of answering but I answered those questions thoroughly and with confidence. 

Introverts should prepare for job interviews in a certain way because of how they are as an individual. Like with any other interview, they should want to think about their answer before they answer and to always take a deep breath before the interview. In addition, they should not change themselves for the interview because they will act different went working for the company if they were to get accepted. I think that introverts should practice many times before going to the interview because practice makes perfect when done correctly. By practicing multiple times before an interview, the employer will see that the introvert has tried their best and will flow better in terms of answering questions. 

Demonstrating Certain Traits in an Interview 

In an interview, sometimes the employer may ask questions that are out of your comfort zone and are questions that require you to think before you speak. There are some traits that you should possess to master an interview. For example, showing demonstrated interest to an employer is looked at very seriously because it means that you want to take the job and take it to a whole new level. I think that showing demonstrated interest is quite important because without it, you may seem like you just applied for job just for the salary and not because you actually want to work for the company. 

Other traits that may be useful when in an interview is to show that you are an independent thinker. This is important in a job interview because it shows that you aren't afraid to things by yourself and you don't have to rely on others to finish a task. Thinking independently and showing that you are a self starter will let interviewers know that you are a strong canidate and that you are eager to learn more about the company by already working on your own things outside of work. Interviewers may ask the interviewee to solve a problem and will definitely want them to know how to do it by explaining their thought process and how to solve it. This shows interviewers that they are independent and willing to work on something even though it may not benefit themselves. 

Interview Tips from Professionals

    After the Zoom session in class last week, I found to have learned a lot from the professionals in different fields about interviews and how to interview. The different professionals included those that worked for the government, health-care professionals, and even someone who worked at Microsoft. I found that even with little experience such as Jennifer Lee, who works at Microsoft as an educator industry executive that goes to schools and talks about the education strategy to help Microsoft as a whole. She explained that though she just graduated college in 2019, she was able to earn a position at Microsoft by being persistent because there are a bunch of people out there with similar skillsets. However, there may be things that she was better at than others and vice versa. She also explained the importance of LinkedIn because it enabled her to get a job and enabled her to reach out to other people to help recruit for Microsoft. In addiiton, it helped her along with other professionals because it is a way to show your best skills all on one website along with showing the experience and connections she has. 

    With regards to the interview process overall, I learned to keep our personal information to ourseleves and to keep everything private because interviewers do not want to see their employers drinking and making the company look bad because of one person. I also learned that it is important to work as a team and collaborate together to work something out as a whole. This is because Shannon Sienkuros, a Stockton alumni who is now working at FAA as a federal employee as a software tester explained that there are a lot of group projects and collaborations to fix problems. I believe that this is great advice because even now as an undergraduate student I've learned to work together as a team to accomplish one goal. She also explained that your major is not everything when applying to a job. This is because she majored in something completely different from software testing and was found to have not know anything in that field. However, she combated this by learning on the job because employers allowed her to learn the basic things which then lead her to learn things that were more advanced. I think that this is great because just like Shannon, the other speakers explained that you will get on the job experience easily if you just try and make an effort. 

Impressing Employers and Social Networks

I've learned that social media posts are very important when an employer looks at your social media accounts. This is because you have to show yourself in a positive way because employers do not want their employees to be partying and making a bad name for the company. In addition, the impression you get from looking at someones' social media accounts is very important because they should be good and respectful. Ochs gave some advice in which employers tend to discover on social media such as volunteering, being involved, and being organizeed in relation to the company. These are all amazing ways to show that you would be a great employee because it shows you being active and being professional. Ochs explained that social media isn't some place to share cute photos anymore, it can be a great resource to help find or keep a job.

Keeping side projects such as marketing services or products online may be a good gig because it helps you earn income and other nice neccessities. However, before posting about the side projects, Ochs explained someone who posted about a fundraiser which was great with his job because it allowed him to highlight his efforts in helping the community. Posting about a side project is good when it is with other people, but is not good when it looks like you're showing off your skills.

Taking pictures and keeping up with social media is also incredibly important because of the way that employers see what you do on a daily basis. Ochs gave the advice to be authentic but also strategic at the same time because it should look well-rounded. As an undergraduate that is active on social media, I think that I would get a thumbs up by employers because my social media accounts are pretty well-rounded and shows that I am involved in many different things all while going through the motions of my own personal life. Group photos are also liked by employers because it helps with showing that you aren't a bland person and that you have friends that get along all while remaining positivea nd grateful in the posts. This gives employers a good look on what you are actually like as a person and makes you seem like a better canidate for the company. However, try not to take a selfie with the group and instead try to have somone take the picture because it will look more professional. 

Social networks can definitely help you shine online because of the advancement of technology. LinkedIn was said to be onof the best networks to spend time on according to Ochs because it allows you to show off the projects you have worked on along with showing your resume and image as a whole. I think that LinkedIn is very useful because it helped me earn a job over the summer working at a restauraunt because of my previous experience. Ochs also explained the important of the profile picture as it should remain professional because employers are looking for people that convey professionalism. In addiiton, you are able to add what former bosses said on your LinkedIn because Ochs inserted a small excerpt from his former boss at Disney in which he added to his LinkedIn account because it showed that he was a hard working person and positive. This is a great boost for his future employers because they will see how well he was as a person and it allows for him to grow by giving him the opportunity to showcase his strengths as an employee. 

Just like LinkedIn, Ochs also explained the importance of creating a personal website and Google Plus because like LinkedIn, it allows for you to grow as a person professionally and allows for you to connect and network with other employers to be able to earn a position at a company that you desired. Buying a domain that is specific to your name is important because it is your identity and no one could take it away from you. These websites are also important because it shows what you have accomplished and the achievements you have earned over the years. Ochs also explained the importance of other social media platforms such as FaceBook, YouTube, Instagram, Gmail, and Twitter. By using all of these sites correctly and by demonstrating interest to the company, you have a higher chance of earning that position. These social media apps are useful in earning connections and is useful when applying for jobs because they all show your digital footprint and how well they all are. Being professional in all of these will impress your employer and will increase your chances of earning a job.