I got a job interview!

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It's my first!

What sort of things/questions should I be prepared for?

What is your experiance?

Why do you want this job?

Can you work full time?

Are you willing to do extra duties?

Why did you quit/get terminated?

What are your hobbies?

The most important question:
Do you have any questions for me?

The correct answer is YES! Ask something. Ask how the traffic is getting there or if they know if public transportation stops by. Or ask about the hours you'd be working. Or ask what the next step in the process is after the interview.

It's really important that you do ask a question or I think they interpret that as you not being that interested.

Also, dress nice. I wear a suit even to the most unimportant interviews.

During the interview, try to just relax and chat with them. Most interviewers would much rather learn what you're like through conversation than the boring questions. The best interviews I have had were ones where the interviewers pretty much forgot about the questions and just chatted with me.

Depending on what sort of job it is, be prepared to give specific examples of things you've done that you're proud of, a situation where you've worked in a group, a situation where things didn't go your way and how you dealt with it, a situation where things went really well and why you believe they did. I got those questions a lot; I think they're becoming a standard.

Also, you may want to prepare for the question, "Where do you think you will be in 5 years time?", and don't reply "Sitting in a chair."

Seconding what Kirska said; It's hard to dress *too* nice for an interview.

"What are some of your weaknesses" is a very common question and the common trick is to name a weakness that is actually more of a plus. Since the Aspie-DX, I've answered that question with, "I'm not at all good with office politics, water cooler gossip, he-said-she-said, so I try to stay away from that." Even though sadly, such things do indeed tend to rule in the workplace, no employer will ever admit it. You've simultaneously warned him/her about your Aspie-ism without actually mentioning it, and stated that you're more interested in the work itself rather than the unnecessary social politics around it.

Have a small arsenal of anecdotes. There are often a lot of questions like, "Describe a situation where you had to make a hard judgement call," or "What would you do if a customer was being difficult with you when you're following company policy?"

Body language - which is a tough one for Aspies! Long before my DX, when I thought I was just a nerd who wasn't so good with body language, I got with a friend who is an actor and he worked with me a little. If this is your first job interview I assume you're quite young? Do you have any friends who were/are in drama club? If you're still in school (or even if you aren't), perhaps the high school drama teacher would even spend a few minutes with you? Little things like how to sit comfortably in a chair without slouching (trick; look like you're using the back of the chair without ever actually using it), what to do with your hands, and of course, eye contact can make or break a first impression.

Incidentally, an Aspie friend of mine (I think she's on this site lurking somewhere), who is especially uncomfortable with eye contact told me her solution which I think is fantastic: She's trained herself to look at a person's nose or ears. That way, it looks to the other person like she's making eye contact even though she really isn't. Had me fooled when I first met her!

Best of luck and most of all, don't get discouraged if you don't get the job. There might be a dozen other people interviewing and for all you know you were a really close second for the spot. As time goes on, even if I don't think I'll be wanting the job after all, if I get called for the interview I'll often go and consider it practice.

Again, good luck!

- Jo

Best of luck,

Be nice, and be careful of everything you do and say while visiting for the interview.

My advice is to find out as much as you can about your future employer

Also be ready for the following

1. What are your weaknesses, be very careful about this question do not talk your way out o the job.

2. Questions about how you would do the work that they want you to do.

3. Depending on the type of job, they might ask you about the last interesting thing you read or saw on the subject of the type of work that you do. If I was you, then I would make a point of going to the libary and having a read of magazines or journals associated with the type of work you want to do.

_________________
Health is a state of physical, mental and social wellbeing and not merely the absence of disease or infirmity I am not a jigsaw, I am a free man !

Diagnosed under the DSM5 rules with autism spectrum disorder, under DSM4 psychologist said would have been AS (299.80) but I suspect that I am somewhere between 299.80 and 299.00 (Autism) under DSM4.

Do some research of the company beforehand so that when they ask a question like, "Do you know what we do here?" you don't look like a total doofus. That is a mistake I have made too many times.

[quote="JoJerome"]Seconding what Kirska said; It's hard to dress *too* nice for an interview.

"What are some of your weaknesses" is a very common question and the common trick is to name a weakness that is actually more of a plus. Since the Aspie-DX, I've answered that question with, "I'm not at all good with office politics, water cooler gossip, he-said-she-said, so I try to stay away from that." Even though sadly, such things do indeed tend to rule in the workplace, no employer will ever admit it. You've simultaneously warned him/her about your Aspie-ism without actually mentioning it, and stated that you're more interested in the work itself rather than the unnecessary social politics around it.[/quote[

That sounds good to me, but my mom doesn't like it. In fact, for whatever reason, she is PARANOID of anyone ever finding out that i am anything but "normal." -.-

I'm very lousy at job interviews, not because I don't know what to do as much as I can't control what I say. But these are my tips.

First, on the question about weaknesses, always provide your strengths and mention the pitfalls of having them. These strength weakness questions are silly because everything about a person is both a pro and a con. So a good answer would be something like, i pay attention to details, and sometimes I forget to see the bigger picture (of course, this would be for the job that asks for the ability to pay attention to details).

Second, on dress, it depends on the position. Red is a power color, so avoid it unless you are applying for management. Colors that are professional and not intimidating are brown, gray, and navy blue. My sister has discovered that dark purples are good as well, like it's her new brown. You can use black, but too much of it will intimidate. Bright colors is best for creative jobs.

Also, make sure your shoes look good. I usually wear to a casual interview (and I'm a chic) black dress pants, a gray or brown dress shirt, and my combat boots (military issued) polished to a nice shine. If you are applying for a trade position (i.e. electrician), then you want to make sure you wear your steel toe boots (as I know someone who didn't get the job because he had on street shoes in the interview). In those type jobs, you are also best to wear jeans and a dressier than a t-shirt, but not too dressy shirt (like one of those short sleeved shirts with a collar..a modern golf shirt for dudes) in the interview because that's how you dress for the job but a little bit nicer if that makes sense.

Third, keep your answers short and to the point. This is where I always make a mistake as I uncontrollably out of sheer nervousness and anxiety start to monologue. It is okay to think about your answer for a second before you speak. When thinking, just think the main point, and blurt it out in one sentence. If you are Aspie, my best advice to myself in that case is to NOT throw something in because I think it's impressive. I get this mind frame that I need all these details to get my point across while adding some possible beneficial information that I monologue, lose my awesome communication skills requirement, and scare off the person doing the interview. As you can see, I seem to have a serious problem with this. Maybe my problem is I think too much and I need to not think at all during interviews.

Last, be nice to everyone. If you get the job, you don't know who you are going to be working with. You never know if the person doing the interview asks the receptionist about your demeanor while waiting. I also heard some jobs like at Public Debt will have someone walk out to your car and see how clean it is. It doesn't hurt to give your vehicle a makeover as I'm sure it has to have some psychological benefit to it. Also, eat a breath mint before going in. Do NOT chew gum during the interview. Do NOT stim if you can help it. Make eye contact. Shake hands, firm, not putty hands. Pay attention to their names as they only say it once and you don't want to forget their names during the interview. And, observe the waiting area and read any plaques with names and titles on it to get an idea of the ownership/upper level management. Do not stare at the clock while waiting because then you'd look impatient, and nine times out of ten, they are going to be late. Be 15 minutes early and know you will sit there for a half hour waiting. Don't forget to bring a copy of your resume and any type of work samples. Also, bring application information like references as many jobs will have you fill out another application at this time. Carry everything in your left hand to leave your right one free for hand shakes. Some people are introverted and won't offer that hand shake but will expect you to take the initiative to shake their hand.

What I need to do, and I recommend this to others, is practice beforehand. Create your own customs and courtesies, and practice them in the mirror or with stuffed animals first like what you will say when you greet, when you are going to shake hands, and answer some questions. Then, I'd practice with real people (friends and family) and ask them to make up different names everytime and throw out different personalities and questions in this mock interview. Do it over and over again till you are so comfortable and trained on it that you could do it half asleep. You could also make it fun as they could create different physical appearances as well as there is nothing more distracting when the person interviewing you has a lazy eye or a huge mole on their face, or is very very short. Make sure you practice eye contact if that's something you don't do regularly. I noticed how when I make eye contact as a conscious decision, I often intimidate really big (even intimidated my own drill sgts.) because I don't do it enough to set off a more comforting non verbal cue.

Well, I went today...turns out it was something I would not have been good at:
Selling Mutual Bonds, etc.
Based on commission ONLY, not salary

So I told them, "Sorry, but...you've got the wrong guy."

But thanks for your advice!

I shall use it again...and again...and again ^^

Because of your age and this is your first job, I'm assuming it's not a job requiring high education or experience. For this type of job, if they called you for an interview, 95% of the time you're already hired, they just want to look at you. If they don't offer you the job at the interview they probably don't like you. So dress well, smile, and speak confidently, they will probably hire you if they like what they see in the first 30 seconds.