Thread: How to prepare for an interview??

Well hello.

Okay so recently I interviewed with the insurance company Aflac (you probably don't know it unless you're in the States or Japan. If you're in either of those two, their commercials feature a big white goose/duck thing that yells at everyone.. ). Anyway, they've invited me out to headquarters for a second interview and I REALLY WANT THIS JOB. It's basically just dressing nicely and interacting with people.. and your first year income is about 40K and is expected to at least double within 5 years. And it's in Wisconsin where I feel like I want to stay for a while.

So, I'm hoping you guys could share some of your interview experiences. Obviously I'm going to go and prepare myself for some of the generic questions like "describe a time when you were a team player", etc.. but I'm wondering, what could I do to really set myself apart from the other applicants??

Thanks!

I have never had a job interview, but one thing i will advise, don't try to be too different, because if you try too hard it can give you the opposite results, yes, be individual, but don't go overboard. I'd kill for a job like that wish such a pay, i envy you, and i hope all goes well. I'm so sorry i can't offer anymore advice in this situation, i could give advice but i wouldn't want to misguide you and cause you to lose this opportunity.

I hope you get the advice you need, sorry i couldn't be of more help. I wish you all the best with this interview though.

I don't have anything to add, but just make sure you aren't going into this job for the money alone.

The only interview I ever had was with the military . They liked me because I was smooth and collected. It was more like I was talking with the guy than trying to win his approval, but the whole time I remained polite and respectful. The advice I would give is to just be honest, show what you have to offer and let them decide if it's good enough. Your credentials are just as important as the way you convey your credentials, so if you have the right stuff and you seem calm and easy-going, then that says a lot about your personality and attitude (remember that in the military, they like people that don't crumble under pressure ). Just DON'T pretend to be someone you are not, they'll see right through it anyways...

Another tip would be to learn as much as you can about the company and the job you're applying for, the interviewers like to see that you know what your getting into and that you show a genuine interest for the company.

Something my dad told me before my interview (he frequently interviews applicants as part of his job) was that a good interviewer will not just ask standard questions, but fish for what he wants to here from the applicant. In other words, he will try and analyse your personality and modify his questions to get the best answers out of you, after all, he's there to hire you, not eliminate you (especially during the second interview). Other things he told me was that people would often forget to answer all the elements of a question (e.g. "Tell me of a time you demonstrated leadership, what problems you faced, what went well and what you would have done differently...). Also, don't be afraid of long awkward pauses and don't try and fill them up with some even more awkward off the top of the head stuff .

Anyways, you'll do fine, have fun !

I advise you not to be under the influence of any substance as questions that are usually not funny or hard to answer can seem like the person just asked you what the meaning of life was or what the square root of 2.282827457342762 is needless to say I failed the interview, but it was a learning experience hahaha.

But since they are dealing with the infamous Mes Tarrant who could do no wrong is the sheer essence of perfection and beautiful to boot I doubt you will have any problem. Go get em' kid!

Try not to be so worried about it. If you fit the job criteria then they should hire you. They might throw a few trick questions and stuff but just be clever about it. Just dress nice, shake their hand, always have eye contact, and sit properly... All the manners stuff is what matters most to them. Most of the time. Answer everything professionally... you know. Everyone covered most of the other things already.

Just don't be a nervous reck about it.

And be honest. The trick questions that Michael mentioned are ones that they know you won't know the answer to. They want to see how you handle situations like that.

In my last interview, I got the job and I was told several times afterward that it was an excellent interview. It seemed like a pretty normal one to me, but apparently it was really good. I just answered normally. When I didn't know, I said I didn't know. When a funny answer naturally came to my head, I said it and made everyone laugh. Maybe I got lucky and got really cool guys to work with.

From what I've seen of you, your normal fun attitude should get you pretty far.