🔒 Locked

I am ranting about an interview again..

Started by Tyro Apr 2, 2007 at 8:55 PM 6 replies 1.9k views

Original Post

Apr 2, 2007 at 8:55 PM

I am trying to releave my post-interview anxiety and stress by posting here I got interviewed by Kraft Canada for Packaging Engineer position I answered all their questions (dont know how well) i studdered a few times Now begins my rant, does anybody have any idea if i went horribly wrong somewhere? Q:Tell me about yourself A: I know i work well under pressure, i am self motivated, learned programming on my own in highschool, blah blha I think thats about all i can say that has to do wit your company (man why did i say that in the end!!) Q:strengths A:I work best under pressure, i study best the night before a exam (laghter) i know its not a good habit, so i am fixing that rite now, but yea, pressure gets me going and i developed time management skills,as i mentioned, this is how i fixed working too near deadline you can checke that my marks wen up a little, thats because I learned to manage my time better (I am not sure if i contradicted myself in the above Q&A) Q:your previous employer, if i asked him how you were like, what would he say A:well when i worked in that restaurant the manager liked me because i didnt fool around like other kids. ANd the other time when i worked in the icream parlor, the owner liked me so much that i was able to come back year after year to work there. Q: its nice that you put these services experience even if its not engineering related, since everything relates to service A: yea, and it relates to kraft too since i served food heheh..heh.....(awkward laugh) Q: hahha yea definetly Q:tell me about a time you had to cope with frictions with team workers A: well we had to do a gropu project with 12 people, so to adopt to a better scheduling, we dived it up to groups of 3 of 4 groups so we got to gether in the end and put it together, it worked better that way. And for people missed out on the group meetings most, we forced them to do the write up in the end to even out the responsibilities Q:tell me about a time when you conviced someone A: ( i was suposed to talk about how i used the energy density formula to maximise a catapult's performance but i think it came out of my mouth very unorganized, i dont know if they understood me properly) interviewer: any questions me: is there second round interviewer: well we look thru the profiles tonite and rank people soon enough, me: did you start out as an intern too (i might have underestimated his age by asking this, he already told me they began this inten thing 6 yearsa go, do you think he finds this offensive?) interviwer2: well i did, and i begain in a different department, but when i graduated I started working in packaging me: (question about grades) interviewere: we dont believe they indicate your true performance They gave me a phone number to call to ask about the position, compensation, contacts to previous intern students. I had the interview 9 45 this morning, i only realized later,at night, if they give me a phone number, then Its probably a good idea that i call them, so I am planning to call them 9 in the morning tomorow Am I too late?? should i have called today?? Argh i hate interviews, I never get ranked..

Promit

Apr 2, 2007 at 9:07 PM

All I know is, thank god all my interviews are heavily technical. I hate these sorts of questions. Don't ask me about how I showed leadership, ask me how virtual memory is implemented or what hardware support is required to implement a critical section or how to implement a spatial subdivision structure. That stuff I can do just fine. I'm a freaking engineer, not a business major.

eal

Apr 2, 2007 at 11:59 PM

I wouldn't worry about it, sounds like you answered their questions alright. My advice is to schedule as many interviews as possible and prepare as much before hand so each individual one isn't as serious. It's good practice just in general too.

Quote:

i might have underestimated his age by asking this, he already told me they began this inten thing 6 yearsa go, do you think he finds this offensive?

I don't think he'd find someone underestimating his age offensive. And hell, he could have started out interning at another company if not that one, different ways to interpret the question.

Quote:

Am I too late?? should i have called today??

You could have called today I suppose, but a day after is perfectly reasonable.

I know exactly what's going through your mind though, I just recently finished up interviews at my school for co-op jobs (10: plenty of room for fuck-ups). Those same types of generic questions. I'm kinda shy sometimes so it felt like there was always a little tension during the interviews. Nevertheless, I ended up with potential offers from half of them (which surprised me, a couple of those I thought were totally gone, an example of over analyzing details) and landed a job.

So really, you're probably worrying way too much about it. And after reading your other interview posts, yeah, take it easy.

[Edited by - eal on April 3, 2007 12:59:42 AM]

Tyro

Apr 3, 2007 at 8:14 AM

wow i called and got a response like so:

"i was told to call this number to ask questions"
"whos your interviewer?"
"so and so"
"you have to wait for them to call you okay? *click*"

wtf?!?

oh well, lets see how it turns out...

Vasant56

Apr 6, 2007 at 8:24 PM

Quote:
Original post by Tyro
Q:Tell me about yourself
A: I know i work well under pressure, i am self motivated, learned programming on my own in highschool, blah blha I think thats about all i can say that has to do wit your company (man why did i say that in the end!!)

That was good except for the end, it doesn't really have to do with the company regardless, and I'm sure they wouldn't mind knowing things that me be unrelated to the job (to show you're well rounded.

Quote:

Q:strengths
A:I work best under pressure, i study best the night before a exam (laghter) i know its not a good habit, so i am fixing that rite now, but yea, pressure gets me going
and i developed time management skills,as i mentioned, this is how i fixed working too near deadline you can checke that my marks wen up a little, thats because I learned to manage my time better

Maybe say you work well under pressure rather than best. You also made it sounds more like a time management weakness than a strength. If you were asked about weaknesses rather than strengths you could have said the same thing about time management.

Quote:

Q:your previous employer, if i asked him how you were like, what would he say
A:well when i worked in that restaurant the manager liked me because i didnt fool around like other kids. ANd the other time when i worked in the icream parlor, the owner liked me so much that i was able to come back year after year to work there.

Good stuff, but maybe mention your work ethic, and a few strenghts too (i.e. motivated.. self starter.. easy going etc). Saying they liked you was just a little vague. And if possible say a few strengths that will set you apart from everyone else (saying you don't fool around is expected of all people they interview, but saying you are motivated will set you apart).

Quote:

Q: its nice that you put these services experience even if its not engineering related, since everything relates to service
A: yea, and it relates to kraft too since i served food heheh..heh.....(awkward laugh)
Q: hahha yea definetly

Good stuff.

Quote:

Q:tell me about a time you had to cope with frictions with team workers
A: well we had to do a gropu project with 12 people, so to adopt to a better scheduling, we dived it up to groups of 3 of 4 groups so we got to gether in the end and put it together, it worked better that way. And for people missed out on the group meetings most, we forced them to do the write up in the end to even out the responsibilities

LIE IF YOU NEED TO. You mention how you divided the work, but that wasn't the question. It was on friction, you say that you forced the slack team members to do more work in the end, but is that something that will happen in a work environment? Even then, it's not really answering the question. Frictions with team workers is pretty much interpersonal problems or differences in how you work compared to others, so maybe say something about how two people wanted two things, and you guys reached a compromise and what not. Always steer in the answer in such a way that puts you in a good light.

Quote:

Q:tell me about a time when you conviced someone
A: ( i was suposed to talk about how i used the energy density formula to maximise a catapult's performance but i think it came out of my mouth very unorganized, i dont know if they understood me properly)

I'm sure it was fine, but i don't know your answer too well. Just make sure you're clear with how you answer the question.

Quote:

interviewer: any questions
me: is there second round
interviewer: well we look thru the profiles tonite and rank people soon enough,
me: did you start out as an intern too (i might have underestimated his age by asking this, he already told me they began this inten thing 6 yearsa go, do you think he finds this offensive?)
interviwer2: well i did, and i begain in a different department, but when i graduated I started working in packaging
me: (question about grades)
interviewere: we dont believe they indicate your true performance

Ask questions about the job first. Don't ask about anything you don't want to look into. If you don't want them to see your grades dont mention them. If you want them to see your grades don't mention them as they will make you look cocky. Ask about the second round at the end, and never be afraid to ask about money.

Quote:

They gave me a phone number to call to ask about the position, compensation, contacts to previous intern students. I had the interview 9 45 this morning, i only realized later,at night, if they give me a phone number, then Its probably a good idea that i call them, so I am planning to call them 9 in the morning tomorow

Am I too late?? should i have called today??

Argh i hate interviews, I never get ranked..

You don't have to call, although it does make you look interested. I see you called, and it didn't work out, but don't worry about it. I've never called, but if you can come up with a good question ask it.

I imagine this is for a summer of coop job, in which case we probably have a lot in common, so i hope I helped.

Tyro

Apr 6, 2007 at 8:59 PM

thanks for the reply, it looks like you are quite a bit experienced with, or at least knowledgible about interviews.

this was for a one year intership, not a co-op.

As it turns out, They narrowed their choices and picked two to hire, and then four more for a second interviw. I got chosen among the four (i guess i didnt do too terrible but probably wasn't good enough) but i gotta cancel the appointment now because I got an internship at a diff company, (see my other post How long did it take you to get yoru dream job)

I had two interviews for this one and first one was horrible! I was so nervous. They considerd me for a different position by signing me up for an interview for the next day(wit diff people), and i was hired. Man im still feeling bad about some of my answers this interview even tho i got the job.

THEM: how flexible are your hours, are youu able to come to work at night or midnight?
ME: well that would depend on the overtime pay
THEM:(their smile suddenly fades to blank look)
ME:....but as a student i recognize that I need to gain experience, and I think this wont be a big problem
THEM:(recovers) haha, well we actualy dont pay you over time, but on the days you work late, you will be able to come to work late, so you will only work 40 hours a week"

THEM: how do you feel about doing hands on work, lots of inspecting, gathering data, in the processing plant"
ME: well i like to be on my foot, my friend whos doing the intern says that worst job is a desk job wehre you do excel all day

I notice that they are doing their thing with the face again, and i realize, they probably have desk jobs...

And then I couldnt answer the last question "what kind of personalities do you not like working with" so they just ended the interview right there.

my hand shakes werent firm after that either.

ah well, i should probably forget about it.

trzy

Apr 6, 2007 at 9:30 PM

No offense, but if these are accurate transcripts of how you responded to questions in an interview, then you're not off to a good start. Those were terrible responses. The overtime comment was simply unprofessional; couldn't you think of a better way to inquire about overtime? Instead, you made yourself look like a complete ass by giving the impression that you have no genuine interest in what you'll be doing and that earning easy cash is your priority.

The desk job comment was not only unnecessary but extremely lame. Rather than discussing what you like to do and why you're interested in doing it (in a positive way), you've demonstrated that you're already making shallow judgements about work and the not-so-subtle message that you're conveying is that you're probably not going to be a very effective or well-motivated employee. It should have been plainly obvious to you that being pessimistic about what might be your future job is a bad idea and makes it look as though you aren't taking these people seriously.

There is no reason for you not to have been able to answer that last question. That was an easy opportunity to make yourself look great and you blew it.

I recommend being more professional in the future. Take the interview seriously, be positive, and be more articulate. This last point is especially important because your manner of communicating will strongly influence the interviewers' perception of your intelligence.

Quote:
Original post by Tyro
thanks for the reply, it looks like you are quite a bit experienced with, or at least knowledgible about interviews.

this was for a one year intership, not a co-op.

As it turns out, They narrowed their choices and picked two to hire, and then four more for a second interviw. I got chosen among the four (i guess i didnt do too terrible but probably wasn't good enough) but i gotta cancel the appointment now because I got an internship at a diff company, (see my other post How long did it take you to get yoru dream job)

I had two interviews for this one and first one was horrible! I was so nervous. They considerd me for a different position by signing me up for an interview for the next day(wit diff people), and i was hired. Man im still feeling bad about some of my answers this interview even tho i got the job.

THEM: how flexible are your hours, are youu able to come to work at night or midnight?
ME: well that would depend on the overtime pay
THEM:(their smile suddenly fades to blank look)
ME:....but as a student i recognize that I need to gain experience, and I think this wont be a big problem
THEM:(recovers) haha, well we actualy dont pay you over time, but on the days you work late, you will be able to come to work late, so you will only work 40 hours a week"

THEM: how do you feel about doing hands on work, lots of inspecting, gathering data, in the processing plant"
ME: well i like to be on my foot, my friend whos doing the intern says that worst job is a desk job wehre you do excel all day

I notice that they are doing their thing with the face again, and i realize, they probably have desk jobs...

And then I couldnt answer the last question "what kind of personalities do you not like working with" so they just ended the interview right there.

my hand shakes werent firm after that either.

ah well, i should probably forget about it.

Tyro

Apr 6, 2007 at 10:00 PM

yea, I knew there was something seriously wrong about my answers, seeing how you explained it, I can see why its wrong.

the overtime pay thing i said sarcasitically tho, I wonder if that achieved anything,

I completely fluked this position in honesty I admit. I dont think I had too many competitors.

Topic Locked

This topic has been locked by a moderator. New replies are not allowed.