bkiersted

Very often, I blow away my chance of getting my desired job or position just because of a horrible interview.
Things like my resume and cover letter aren't the problem.
At the end of an interview I had for a job I applied last year, my interviewer told me the interview was "difficult" and politely told me to apply elsewhere.
I thought I was one of the strangest and worst interviewees in the world.
Most of the questions he asked were like, "Why are you interested in X, and why do you think you're a good candidate for it?", "Describe a situation where you got criticized, and explain how you responded to it," etc.
Seriously, I think as much as one half of the interview was silent; every time I received a question, I took about a minute in average to think, and then another minute or so to answer, with my answers rather short and simple.
This was made worse by the fact that I had a shy personality, English wasn't my native language and it wasn't fluent or excellent, and my communication skills were below average. He even told me explicitly that I was shy. I said nothing to that and just smiled. It was a really irritating experience.

Right now, I'm working at a restaurant. I attribute the reason I was able to get this job mainly to my interviewer's generous and sympathetic personality; I didn't do any better for this job's interview compared to the last year's interview mentioned above, either.

I already read about hundreds of interview know-hows, but they were just too ideal and didn't help me much at all in actual circumstances.
So, what can you do to become a great interviewee?
Thanks.

jnpn

Gather a list of the most common interview questions. Go in there knowing what you are going to say. If all else fails, I guess you could just apply for some job that doesn't involve much social interaction.

TooRichForAid

I interviewed a lot and that's where I get my practice. Make sure you think about these questions ahead of time and prepare what you are going to say when they ask you so when they ask you, you don't take too long to answer them. I think they want people who can think on their feet.

SergioValencia

Taking a minute to answer on average creates a really awkward situation for your interviewer, even if not for you. I think that's your biggest problem, and the above posters offers solutions for that.

hello_motto

I actually always go to my interview a little early and talk with the receptionist people. If you are really nice to them, they will give you a hint or two.

Dawgie

I've had tons of interview experience, I am almost graduated and have secured 3-4 internships prior. I also have a full time job ready when I graduate. Here is some advice:

Receptionist won't give you crap. Be prepared for those behavioral questions, and answer with the STAR approach. Don't let someone tell you that you cannot prepare for an interview because you can. Keep interviewing and for every new question that you were asked and you didn't have a good response, write it down and think of a good answer. Also like someone posted earlier, it's weird as hell if you take a minute to answer a question like that. If if you get rejected, don't forget it was a great chance to practice your responses and gain interviewing experience. Just build upon each interview.

bkiersted

Dawgie: Thanks for your post. I agree with you about the receptionist thing. I arrived at the interview place 40 minutes early, and all that the receptionist did was signing me in and telling me to wait in the lobby. Besides that, he was doing something else on his receptionist table, so I didn't want to bother him. Even if I talked to him, I don't think he would've given me any kind of "hint". Just out of curiosity, is it normal for you to do this horribly on your first interview? The interview where I took one minute in average to respond was actually my first-ever interview.

Dawgie

Yes, you'll get better quick. It's not any different than getting good at new sport. But you need to practice (Train/prepare) and compete (Actual interviews).