Job interview

Having done about 100 interviews with no success since the beginning of COVID, I'm not well qualified to give advice -- but if they ask you if you have any questions, a good one is to ask what training opportunities they offer because you love knowledge and are a 'lifelong learner' . . .
 
Going in for a job interview tomorrow at Tredz Cardiff any tips :p super excited

Can only speak from the other side of the table, and at a different employer.

Treat it as a friendly and professional conversation
Don't be afraid to ask for clarification.
Keep your answers short and focussed.
Go in with some questions of your own that demonstrate interest, that you've researched the company and are appropriate for the role.
Don't be surprised if you get asked questions about stuff which is in your CV/covering letter. Even if they've read them, after a certain number of interviews - things start to blur.

Good luck!
 
Just remember its hard work.

Customers are dicks but the good ones will get to know you, seek you out and make your working life easier

'I was just riding along when...' - hands you remnants of bicycle

'I bought it from Halfords and 'xxxx' happened' - insert mechanical mishap here/ hands you remnants of bicycle

'can you restore this?' - hands you remnants of bicycle

You get the idea - My personal favourite (and many others on RB) is 'Im and engineer!' - punch them in the dick and eject them from the shop immediately

Dont do what I did, which is upstage the existing workshop guy by being A: Better, B: Better and er, C; Better. He thought he was going to be WS manager and it ended up being someone unexpected, leaving me to put the ass into assistant workshop manager. He then dripped poison into everything that I did , eventually getting me sacked. I was simply better because I had been spannering for some 30 years - making my own mistakes and learning from them. He had a Cytech certificate and that was that.

So being better at tasks than your established work colleagues can be intimidating and put them off you straight away. Be a human being and explain how you got to that point without showing off or name dropping - 'I worked at XYZ' is fascinating but wont exactly endear you to others even it is true and you still have the business cards with your name and job title - I learnt that very quickly

I failed an interview (What? LGF actually failed at something?? Never!) Anyway, it was for a well known long established distributor. Lots of brands that I liked and had a retro bent to many of the bikes and parts they sold - perfect for me. A Zoom interview with the sales guy went really well, the in-person interview was going really well, then the Owner came in...

The room temperature dropped by many degrees, I knew the interview was lost instantly - he didnt like me one bit. Maybe I was too ebullient, too effusive, heck it was post covid - I was just happy to see people! But I knew it wasnt to be within seconds of him talking to me. The sales guy knew it too and was visibly annoyed at the owners' reaction. I got a short email to say that I didnt have the experience required. Yet, some of their staff had only been there a few months themselves and one didnt even ride a bicycle?

Hmmm!

Sooo, be yourself but dont give too much away, keep emotions in check but allow your personality to shine through, dont lie about anything but feel free to show off a little.

Good luck (again!)
 
Yes, be yourself. These guys want someone they can spend all day around. A little giggle in an interview is fine. No need to be up tight.

We had a new starter begin in my office yesterday, he's already having a laugh with us & talking candidly with us. He'll fit in well. Just what we needed.
 
I've interviewed a number of people and one thing I'd say over some of the above is that you might be asked questions you don't know the answer to. If this happens, it's ok to not know and say so, but demonstrate that you'd be keen to learn and develop knowledge and experience in whatever it is you are being asked, or demonstrate a situation where you've done just that. Better to be honest than try and blag an answer, as the interviewer will see through the latter.

Be yourself, be honest, relax and good luck.
 
Remember that first and foremost that it’s a business who’s purpose is to make money.

Many forget when interviewing for jobs which cross over with their hobby that it isn’t social chat or an opportunity to show off your knowledge which you may think is relevant to the role.

Keep the answers short and don’t ramble on.



Whats the role you are doing for?
 
Thank you all for the advice especially about keeping answers short and to the point as I can see how rambling could be a bad thing, as to position it’s like sales advisor, like on the shop floor hoping to move into the workshop later on but it beats my current job (insurance) that is just everyday is hell people screaming at you all day :p
 
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