the interview |week four|

I spent most of 2015 working at a paintball place just north of Perth. I had just left school and I was driving along when I got a phone call, and they told me to come in on Saturday. All I had to do was hand them my resume. I got a job and I hadn’t even had an interview, no thanks to all the career ed classes in high school. It was only casual work, and towards the end I wasn’t being treated very well, so I kept looking for more steady work. My search included a Domino’s interview, two JB Hi-Fi interviews, and a Cash Converters interview among others. Most places didn’t respond. Eventually I got another call from JB Hi-Fi, it was a phone interview, then a week later a face to face interview, and on the same day they called me back and told me I got the job, and I have no idea how.

JB Hi-Fi has a generally pretty casual atmosphere, and the dress code isn’t at all strict. As long as I’m wearing enclosed shoes then I’m fitting what little code there is. I knew this going into the interview, so I just wore what I now usually wear to work; my shoes, my jeans, and a nice shirt. I was right to be wearing what I did, because I when I got there, the manager was wearing those trendy style ripped jeans. Thats even more casual than I expected. I’m not sure if how I dressed affected the outcome, but dress is the first thing your potential employer will notice about you, and it can suggest an eager and serious character, as well as showing respect for the interviewer (Smith, 2013). Though I also remember one of the sales staff walking around all day wearing a cap that had the words “NEW YORK F***ING CITY” in big bold letters, I’m not sure what that suggested about his character.

Another thing I took away from that interview were the questions I was asked, one in particular stuck out. The question regarded my placement at the job I was working at the time of the interview. The interviewer discussed my position at the paintball place I was working at, which was a fairly standard interview discussion, but towards the end I was asked if I felt valued there. I’m not positive they that they trying to find out by asking if I felt valued, but I got the impression I was being tested to see how I spoke about the company as a measure of self awareness. An employer might ask this type of question to measure a potential employees own knowledge of their qualities (Monash, 2016). Had I not had a convincing answer it might have been viewed as a weakness on my part, as it might have seemed like I don’t have a handle on my value as an employee or what my strengths and weaknesses are.

Knowing what I know now I probably could have prepared a little better than I did for the interview, but it’s only a retail job and in the end I was hired. Going forward though I may need to make mental notes on the qualities that I possess to bring to my next employer, in confidence that I can perform well as an employee. I don’t really know why I got the job at JB, I didnt think my interview was particularly stellar, but I’m not complaining.

\\Luke Smith\\

REFERENCES

GradeAUnderA (2015) Why I hate interviews. Available at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2W0WsdLobq8 (Accessed: 24 June 2016).

Monash (2016) Sample interview questions — Monash university. Available at: https://www.monash.edu.au/students/career-connect/apply-for-a-job/interviews-sample-questions.html (Accessed: 26 June 2016).

Smith, J. (2013) How to dress for your next job interview. Available at: http://www.forbes.com/sites/jacquelynsmith/2013/06/20/how-to-dress-for-your-next-job-interview/#1323f0dd38ba (Accessed: 23 June 2016).