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There is no right answer...
I recently read this post from Db daily (included in full) There is no link because it was included in an HTML e-mail and I have not bothered to find where it has been duplicated on the net.
I believe that many of the contributors of this site are getting drawn in the nitty gritty. The article was supposed to be about good advice for interview techniques. I found many of the postings to be flawed and misguided. It seemed to me that the focus was on what stood you out from the other candidates, but that the only answers presented was petty trivialities that would please the small mind.
I have been interviewed and been interviewee on many occasions. from manual labour right up to the present day and my consultant role. Whenever I am in the role of the interviewer, I am always aware of how it is, to be the candidate. We ALL know the tips and tricks and most of them are drawn from passed on knowledge. But let's not stupify ourselves with the thought that (without real thought or meaning) thank you notes will swing an interview for you.
Strong stuff. But I do not mean to criticise in any way. Honestley. It's just after reading all of the posts and then reading the article, my view on the subject became clearer.
There really should be several headings for the main post. Interview techniques for people who are out of their depth but really want the chance. Interview techniques for 'Bunny Hoppers'. Interview techniques for the out of work for six months and desparately want to work again. Take the basics, good manners, well dressed, politely spoken and then add a dash of yourself!
"There Is No Right Answer
And there is no Book-Of-All-The-Answers you need for life. My buddy Dean and I were driving around recently, talking about kids because, face it, when you have teenagers they consume a lot of time. And frustration, and stress, and annoyance, and many other things from parents. If they don't for you, then you are one of the very lucky ones.
So as we talk about the decisions we made, the things we wish our kids did better, or at least knew, etc., it struck me that my own life, and those of most people I know aren't much different from our kids. Sure the world has changed, but we are almost always operating with incomplete information.
That applies to careers as well. For most of us, we're looking for a new job and we apply to a few places. And if we're lucky, then we get 2-3 or more interviews in a short period of time and maybe 2-3 offers that we can actually debate against each other. More often than not, however, I've gotten one offer and I need to make a yeah/nea decision without knowing what may happen tomorrow or next week.
Now I do recommend that when you get an offer and you think you could get more, delay for at least 2-3 days. I've done this saying I need ot "think about it", which I do, but also to give someone else a chance to give me a better offer. Better doesn't usually mean more money, but it can. It's the total package that I want to consider.
For the hiring company, the situation is similar. They don't get the "best" candidate. They get the best of the limited responses they get within a short period of time and pick one. There might be a much better candidate that comes along a week after the acceptance from a candidate or they might have just missed one the week before. This is one reason that I recommend anyone of any size doing development work keep a requisition open all the time. You never know when you'll find a great employee.
So we're usually making a decision under some pressure and not knowing everything. Plus we make a decision based on what we know at the time. When we're younger, money is more important than when we're middle-aged. When we're older, security may be more of a concern. And we often look at people in a different situation and think they aren't making a good decision.
Look, we all make mistakes, but we do the best we can. And you need to have some confidence in yourself and your decisions. Accept them as your own, right or wrong, and keep looking to do better.
I guess the point of this editorial is to understand that the only things you really have in this life are your mistakes and your accomplishments. The things you yourself do. Not what you're told to do or given. And you need to enjoy the successes and accept responsibility for the mistakes and move on. We're not perfect, don't expect to be, but we do strive to do well. Whatever that means for each of us.
And I hope that is what my kids will learn someday.
Steve Jones"
I believe that many of the contributors of this site are getting drawn in the nitty gritty. The article was supposed to be about good advice for interview techniques. I found many of the postings to be flawed and misguided. It seemed to me that the focus was on what stood you out from the other candidates, but that the only answers presented was petty trivialities that would please the small mind.
I have been interviewed and been interviewee on many occasions. from manual labour right up to the present day and my consultant role. Whenever I am in the role of the interviewer, I am always aware of how it is, to be the candidate. We ALL know the tips and tricks and most of them are drawn from passed on knowledge. But let's not stupify ourselves with the thought that (without real thought or meaning) thank you notes will swing an interview for you.
Strong stuff. But I do not mean to criticise in any way. Honestley. It's just after reading all of the posts and then reading the article, my view on the subject became clearer.
There really should be several headings for the main post. Interview techniques for people who are out of their depth but really want the chance. Interview techniques for 'Bunny Hoppers'. Interview techniques for the out of work for six months and desparately want to work again. Take the basics, good manners, well dressed, politely spoken and then add a dash of yourself!
"There Is No Right Answer
And there is no Book-Of-All-The-Answers you need for life. My buddy Dean and I were driving around recently, talking about kids because, face it, when you have teenagers they consume a lot of time. And frustration, and stress, and annoyance, and many other things from parents. If they don't for you, then you are one of the very lucky ones.
So as we talk about the decisions we made, the things we wish our kids did better, or at least knew, etc., it struck me that my own life, and those of most people I know aren't much different from our kids. Sure the world has changed, but we are almost always operating with incomplete information.
That applies to careers as well. For most of us, we're looking for a new job and we apply to a few places. And if we're lucky, then we get 2-3 or more interviews in a short period of time and maybe 2-3 offers that we can actually debate against each other. More often than not, however, I've gotten one offer and I need to make a yeah/nea decision without knowing what may happen tomorrow or next week.
Now I do recommend that when you get an offer and you think you could get more, delay for at least 2-3 days. I've done this saying I need ot "think about it", which I do, but also to give someone else a chance to give me a better offer. Better doesn't usually mean more money, but it can. It's the total package that I want to consider.
For the hiring company, the situation is similar. They don't get the "best" candidate. They get the best of the limited responses they get within a short period of time and pick one. There might be a much better candidate that comes along a week after the acceptance from a candidate or they might have just missed one the week before. This is one reason that I recommend anyone of any size doing development work keep a requisition open all the time. You never know when you'll find a great employee.
So we're usually making a decision under some pressure and not knowing everything. Plus we make a decision based on what we know at the time. When we're younger, money is more important than when we're middle-aged. When we're older, security may be more of a concern. And we often look at people in a different situation and think they aren't making a good decision.
Look, we all make mistakes, but we do the best we can. And you need to have some confidence in yourself and your decisions. Accept them as your own, right or wrong, and keep looking to do better.
I guess the point of this editorial is to understand that the only things you really have in this life are your mistakes and your accomplishments. The things you yourself do. Not what you're told to do or given. And you need to enjoy the successes and accept responsibility for the mistakes and move on. We're not perfect, don't expect to be, but we do strive to do well. Whatever that means for each of us.
And I hope that is what my kids will learn someday.
Steve Jones"
Posted by michal.woznicki
31st Jan 2006
