Please help me prepare for this interview tomorrow morning

August 18, 2016 6:40 AM

I have an interview tomorrow at a start-up company as a client operations manager. I have not had this sort of experience but this is actually my second 'interview' with them! The first interview was via email and I basically said everything which is why I am worried now because I don't want to repeat myself. Details inside.

The questions I was asked were as follows:

1) Name a time you accomplished something you are very proud of;
2) Provide details of a time you felt you were most efficient and what you feel the causes/motivations were;
3) Please explain why you left your last job or position of responsibility, if applicable;
4) List and rationalise three strengths;
5) Detail and rationalise one weakness;
6) What makes a job fun?;
7) How does this position fit with your long-term goals and careers aspirations?;
8) What are the key motivators that encourage you to perform at your best?

I think I was quite strong in my answers as I provided examples for every question, which is why they want a second interview. However, everything I would say in an interview I already said yesterday, and have no clue what I could say tomorrow morning without repeating myself. I could briefly outline my answers in a comment as well if that will be more helpful.
The director who read my answers will be interviewing me tomorrow by telephone and it will last about 15 minutes. What other questions do you think he will ask? I am researching on the start-up, and also why I would want to work there. This is an entry level job but it would involve a lot of learning on the spot. Thank you!

posted by akita to Work & Money (9 answers total)

They like you and just want to make sure you can talk and sound like a relatively sane/normal person that will fit in with the rest of the crew.

Don't worry about repeating yourself, that is fine if it happens.

Be honest, be jovial and excited about the opportunity, and you'll be fine.
posted by SaltySalticid at 6:50 AM on August 18, 2016 [5 favorites]

Oh, you'll be expected to repeat yourself, that's not a problem. People love their dumb interview questions and are generally very proud of having thought them up. OR, that was the part of the interview where they find out if you can answer an email in a timely manner with strings of words that make sense and are spelled right. You'll notice they aren't actually about the job or the actual work, which means now other people need to talk to you about the job and the work.

What should happen next is a conversation, not a quiz. Part of the point of the conversation will be to see if you are capable of holding a human conversation without, like, breaking out into a racist rant or just screaming incoherently for ten minutes. Other parts of the conversation will be to tell you what the job actually entails to see if you can converse coherently about those requirements or if you're like "oh, I don't make copies, my religion doesn't believe in toner" or whatever.

(Yes, people are that weird. It's why you have to interview them several times.)

If this is for an entry level position, there's honestly not a lot to talk about, but they do need to see if you're tolerable to work with somehow. They want to know that you can listen to someone speak to you and respond as if you have heard and processed the information, so be careful about bursting into a pitch about why you want to work for the company instead of responding naturally to a question that's really asking if you take good notes in meetings because you're a good listener.

Be a good listener. When they tell you about their company (that's a common thing that happens) don't talk over them to say you already know, but if you did have a thoughtful question about their product or business operations, keep that in your back pocket for a moment where you can ask it and show you care. Respond thoughtfully and with interest, definitely be cheerful and pleasant, be honest if there's things you don't know how to do yet. Don't sound fretful or worried about your capabilities, you're likely a smart person who can learn on the job, which is what they want, so be that.
posted by Lyn Never at 7:07 AM on August 18, 2016 [4 favorites]

Response by poster: Thank you for your responses so far. Just as extra information, they are interviewing other people as well.
posted by akita at 7:12 AM on August 18, 2016

If it is only entry-level and they expect the interview to only last 15 minutes, they may ask a few questions that are specific to the position you are applying for. Don't fret about inexperience on that part. Emphasize your ability to learn quickly and your excitement of doing so.

It is also probable that the 15 minutes will be "check the HR boxes questions", such as: our dress code is this. Are you willing to comply with that? We expect you to work from 7:30-4:30 M-F with a 30 minute lunch break. Is that acceptable? etc.

Repeating yourself should not be a concern. In fact, sometimes it is helpful. People forget things, so punching a point home can sometimes remind the hiring manager, "Oh, yeah. I liked this applicant for that reason."

Good luck and let us know how it goes.
posted by a non mouse, a cow herd at 8:03 AM on August 18, 2016 [1 favorite]

It's probable that whomever you speak to will not have read your answers. And if they did, they may ask you to go into more depth on them in order to make sure you really wrote your response (and didn't just have a friend "touch it up"). Repeating yourself is fine! Good, even. Just answer every question as truthfully and confidently if you can, and don't be afraid to take a moment to think and compose your thoughts if you need to. Good luck!
posted by pazazygeek at 8:30 AM on August 18, 2016 [1 favorite]

For a first phone screen they'll probably tell you a bit about the job and ask if you have any questions for them. You should have at least one question to show you've done some research and put some thought into the position rather just applied randomly to anything. I always forget to prepare this part, this is why I'm mentioning it for you.
posted by shelleycat at 8:35 AM on August 18, 2016 [1 favorite]

Repeating yourself across multiple interviewers can actually be a good thing. When the interviewers get together afterwards it is good to have the answers match up ESPECIALLY on philosophical type questions which all of those are.

(Whether or not it is true) It indicates you actually believe those answers. A huge red flag in interviews is if all the interviewers come back and feel like they interviewed a different person. I've literally had that happen, we got 15 minutes into talking about "two" candidates during a debrief before we realized that we were talking about the same person but their answers were SO different to all the interviewers. That dude was not hired.
posted by magnetsphere at 8:49 AM on August 18, 2016 [1 favorite]

Nthing not talking over the interviewer and being a good listener. I got my contract gig partly by being a good listener and partly by deflecting. When I was told that the position was part of a very small team and did I think I would fit in, I responded with questions of my own, jokey questions that made a point. "It depend on the team," I said. "Is it clannish? Is it hostile to outsiders?" The interviewers laughed and said absolutely not! So then I could say, "Then It won't be a problem. I work well in small teams." And large teams and whatever the hell in being grilled about. Good luck!
posted by Bella Donna at 1:22 PM on August 18, 2016 [1 favorite]

Response by poster: Hello everyone...
I had four interviews with this place. The last interview lasted two hours, and was very intense. Asking a lot of questions. The founder I could tell liked me, as well as one of the managers. The third manager I felt didn't like me, and i got rejected today. :/. Onwards and upwards, thank you for your help though!
posted by akita at 1:38 PM on August 31, 2016