After Interview Anticipation

[happybat4]

This is just a vent thread. I was hired to teach at a high school up here in Washington back in December. I was hired as a leave replacement for a sick teacher. I felt like I did a really good job, my evaluations went really well. I also was involved in the school coaching tennis, badminton and attending baseball games and participated in the staff vs student basketball game.

 

The teacher that was out on leave retired, and another position opened up due to student enrollment. I went in for an interview yesterday at the same school, felt like it went really well. 2/3 of the people that interviewed me are also my references. I was told that I was 1 of the 4 people they interviewed. Now I am just anxiously waiting to hear what happens. I have never started the school year off with a teaching position and I liked working at the school and hope it works out. I would like to think I have a good chance, but you never know.

 

What do you guys to with your time after the interview. I sent a thank you letter to the people who interviewed me today. I was told they will get back to my before July 4th.

[Ordos]

This is just a vent thread. I was hired to teach at a high school up here in Washington back in December. I was hired as a leave replacement for a sick teacher. I felt like I did a really good job, my evaluations went really well. I also was involved in the school coaching tennis, badminton and attending baseball games and participated in the staff vs student basketball game.

The teacher that was out on leave retired, and another position opened up due to student enrollment. I went in for an interview yesterday at the same school, felt like it went really well. 2/3 of the people that interviewed me are also my references. I was told that I was 1 of the 4 people they interviewed. Now I am just anxiously waiting to hear what happens. I have never started the school year off with a teaching position and I liked working at the school and hope it works out. I would like to think I have a good chance, but you never know.

What do you guys to with your time after the interview. I sent a thank you letter to the people who interviewed me today. I was told they will get back to my before July 4th.

My brother found a position the exact same way, so I hope it works out just as well as it did for him.

[CaliAngel]

I've done so many interviews that I thought went so well, and then they never called.

 

Eventually I found a great job, but basically before that it got to a point where I'd interview, leave, then just try not to think about it because I was sick of waiting for a call and not getting one.

 

Applying for jobs, doing interviews, and all that stuff is freakin' hard work, and getting nothing out of it really starts wearing on you.

 

In any case, best of luck happybat!

[Vegas Halo Fan]

What do you guys to with your time after the interview. I sent a thank you letter to the people who interviewed me today. I was told they will get back to my before July 4th.

 

A letter of thanks for the opportunity is considered good etiquette. Also include in the letter that you look forward to hearing from them by July 4, reiterating what they told you about when you would find out whether you were selected.

 

Of course, a lot depends upon their selection system. For instance, we conducted nursing interviews today. We made our rank-ordered selections at the conclusion of the day's interviews and sent the paperwork to our HR department. If someone sent us a letter now we would read it, but it would make no difference in the final decision. Can't do any harm, though.

 

Good luck to you.

Edited June 27, 2014 by Vegas Halo Fan

[Spencer]

Stop thinking about it.

I'm usually so over-confident in my abilities that it's a huge letdown if I don't get a call back.

The less you keep it on your mind, the less bummed you'll be if you don't get picked.

Plenty of time to be excited AFTER you score the position.

[Stradling]

I've been with the same company for 27 years and I've only had one interview during that time and it was with the company I work for for the position I have now. I interviewed along with five others, all good friends of mine, for three promotions. I wasn't chosen that time but within two years all six of us had been promoted. My situation is different than yours because I already had a position that provided for my family, but it is very tough playing the waiting game. I would probably sharpen up my resume and look for other places to interview with.

[Adam]

I interview people all the time. Most people think they interview well. Most people suck at it. 

[Blarg]

My wife has had to do the interview game and finds that with a little research you can get tips as to what the interview would focus on.

Generally though you can go in brimming with confidence and really wow them with how smart you are and how well you know the job and scare them away. Most schools are looking for followers that are "team players" that know just enough but not more than the person interviewing them. So let them feel like you still have something left to learn and will need the team to be successful.

A well known editor once told me to know who the smartest guy in the room is and if it is you make sure no one knows it. If you leave an interview knowing you nailed it, you probably weren't the smartest guy in the room.

[Adam]

You generally enter into an interview as a name on a piece of paper with a short job history. You can either leave that interview as a name on a piece of paper with a short job history and some notes, or as a face and a personality they'll remember. 

 

You wouldn't be given an interview if you didn't have the qualifications for the position. You have to make a connection with the interviewers and you have to separate yourself from the competition. You have to be different. You have to clearly sell your values and principles to the interviewer and those values and principles cannot be generic. "I'm a hard worker. Team Player. Go the extra mile." That's all a bunch of bullshit. 

[Sully151]

Not sure you guys are making hime feel any less anxious

 

Good luck with the new job, whether it's at that school or the 7-11 across the street.

[1nutkruk]

Good luck!  I think you will get it.

 

On the other end of the spectrum today was the last day of work for my wife.  She quit her Director of Marketing Communication job to be a stay at home mom.  She had been with the company for 13 years.

[AngelsLongBall]

Anxiety is best cured by masturbation.  Or playing Xbox with Scott Kazmir

[Vegas Halo Fan]

I interview people all the time. Most people think they interview well. Most people suck at it. 

 

One thing that amazes me is the number of people who talk their way out of a potential job offer with information they volunteer while filling the space between questions. My advice to anyone, regardless of the position they are interviewing for, is to answer the question concisely and then shut up. Don't try to fill time while the interviewers are taking notes.

 

 

It is also obvious when people give us the answer that they believe we want instead of just answering the question honestly and straightforwardly. People who stretch the truth trying to manufacture experience that they obviously don't have are a trip as well.

Edited June 28, 2014 by Vegas Halo Fan

[Taylor]

For those of you who have interviewed a ton of people, how much does personality factor into your decisions? Obviously you don't want someone with no personality or confidence in themselves, but at the same time, there are plenty of people with a lot of personality but not much to back it up.

 

I ask this because as an introvert, I'm never the most dynamic person in the room. I have friends and family who are introverts and feel they are at a disadvantage because they don't have the capacity to light up a room with their personalities. They may be the best fit for the job, but they might not sell themselves as well as other people.

 

I'm beyond happy with my current job. I've also had the chance to be an interviewer for two separate positions, and because on my experience, I've tried to "filter out" personality and focus on who the person is and what they can bring to the organization. 

Edited June 28, 2014 by Taylor

[CaliAngel]

I interview people all the time. Most people think they interview well. Most people suck at it. 

 

Not so hard to tell people they suck at interviewing when you're the guy doing the interviews all the time.

[Vegas Halo Fan]

For those of you who have interviewed a ton of people, how much does personality factor into your decisions? Obviously you don't want someone with no personality or confidence in themselves, but at the same time, there are plenty of people with a lot of personality but not much to back it up.

 

The main thing I look at is the person's background. What have they done and for how long? Personality is fine, but personally I'm put off by chatterboxes who believe that they have to entertain everyone around them. They are often compensating for other deficiencies and believe that they can gain an advantage by endearing themselves to other people. I remember one interview several years ago in which I identified one interviewee on paper as being pretty much an ideal fit for an opening I had. Then the interview began. She wouldn't...shut...up. In an interview that normally took about 15-20 minutes, after ten minutes she had answered one question out of the eight we were asking. As the head of the panel I tried to cut her off several times so that we could go on, but she kept talking. Most tedious interview I have ever been in on. Needless to say, she wasn't hired.

 

Not lighting up a room every time you walk in is not necessarily a disadvantage. In my work environment a person needs a certain degree of self confidence, but that isn't always expressed verbally. I pay attention to body language and how a person says something almost as much as what they say. You can find hidden clues as to their true ability (or lack thereof) in their actions and expressions.

Edited June 28, 2014 by Vegas Halo Fan

[Pbonetheman]

As to the original thread topic, I keep searching even if I felt good about the interview. I try to take the information and insight I gained and use it to my advantage with other schools inside and outside the district. Hopefully this will put your anxiety on the back burner.

I actually got hired on with a district recently and then interviewed with three schools / hiring boards to see which principal wanted me. It was a lot of stress but I eventually was hired by the last school. One thing that sounds cheesy but helped me stand out was that I made a brochure about my self and teaching style. It had all of my contact info and eportfolio info. This way I had something to give without having to give a hulking portfolio.

[Vegas Halo Fan]

I have gotten something out of every interview I have gone to, even if I didn't get the job. Maybe it was a question that made me think, or finding out that the prospective employer's culture wasn't what I thought it was. I have even gone to interviews only to find out later that they were only for show, that one person's resume was used to compile the requirements for a given position and that that person was pre-selected before the sham of supposedly "open" interviews.

[Adam]

For those of you who have interviewed a ton of people, how much does personality factor into your decisions? Obviously you don't want someone with no personality or confidence in themselves, but at the same time, there are plenty of people with a lot of personality but not much to back it up.

I ask this because as an introvert, I'm never the most dynamic person in the room. I have friends and family who are introverts and feel they are at a disadvantage because they don't have the capacity to light up a room with their personalities. They may be the best fit for the job, but they might not sell themselves as well as other people.

I'm beyond happy with my current job. I've also had the chance to be an interviewer for two separate positions, and because on my experience, I've tried to "filter out" personality and focus on who the person is and what they can bring to the organization.

Do you feel comfortable talking about that. Let them know that you're an introvert. Work on a clever way of bringing it up.

Personality does matter when you're interviewing with somebody who is looking for that type of connection.

A good hiring manager will recognize your personality and change their approach to the interview to make sure you're able to share everything you need to comfortably.

[Adam]

Not so hard to tell people they suck at interviewing when you're the guy doing the interviews all the time.

Kind of like how it is easy for a dentist to tell people they have messed up teeth...

[Pbonetheman]

I have even gone to interviews only to find out later that they were only for show, that one person's resume was used to compile the requirements for a given position and that that person was pre-selected before the sham of supposedly "open" interviews.

Once I was in the lobby waiting to be interviewed and I heard HR offering the position over the phone to someone else. Talk about a stress free interview.

[happybat4]

I know the interview could have gone better. I think there was a few more things I should have brought up. I also felt it was to fast. I was nervous at the beginning.

They know what my quality of work is. I worked for them the last 7 months and the observation reports I received were very good. I hope they take that into account and not just the interview.

[mp170.6]

Interviews are kind of a joke. 

 

A lot of employers know well in advance who's going to be hired, and who's not, without even meeting the applicants.  I think nepotism unfortunately holds more weight in many companies than a person's character or qualifications.  One time I interviewed for a job and the FIRST question they asked was, "Who do you know that works here?"  That would be a nice ice breaker if they weren't scrambling to write down all of the names I mentioned.  In the end, they hired 30 people and I found out each and every one of them had a mom, dad, brother, sister, aunt, uncle, cousin, or spouse who already worked for the company. 

 

Everything happens for a reason.  There's no such thing as a perfect job because it depends on the person, and our perception of "good" jobs is usually flawed -- and if you get the job, the honeymoon ends rather quickly. 

[CaliAngel]

Interviews are kind of a joke.

 

Yup.

 

In the end, they hired 30 people and I found out each and every one of them had a mom, dad, brother, sister, aunt, uncle, cousin, or spouse who already worked for the company.

 

Those are some great qualifications to go by, no doubt.

[Don]

I just had my second interview this morning for a job in a place I'd really like to move to. It's a young, but successful, tech company. I'd be working as a proposal writer, which is something I've done in the past. What I really like about this interview process is that they include a sample project as part of the qualification process. Basically, you go through two interviews, then they decide if you're crazy or not, then they let you show whether or not you can do the job well. I'm a fan of meritocracies, so I'm really liking this approach.

Edited July 1, 2014 by Don Tomlinson