Every minute on job sites and on the job section on nairaland, people keep posting interview rules and guidelines dat you must follow to land that big job. Everyday I see annoying do's and dont's, most of them, pretty much repeating the same thing - "smile always, look them in the eyes, make sure u wear short skirts (lol), be seductive (double lol) etc"

For me, there are no rules; none at all. In short, in all interviews i have attended, i have failed all d rules.

tank u
na d strategies we need op

Ngwa ke the strategy nwanem? Lemme get my pen and paper biko

Actually, there is just ONE rule...be ready to defend/back up what you say with confidence. Shikena.
Thanks, OP.

OP, that there are no interview rules is in itself a rule, no?

Rules or strategies; just pass and get the job!

Sorry for taking so long, my pregnant wife wanted me to massage her back... imagine!!!

U must know that interviewers visit these recruitment sites and job forums to improve their skills too; and so they know all the rules and suggested tricks that u might think u are smart enough to adopt. And so wen u walk in with confidence, and then begin to say the things u crammed from nairaland where the interviewer is a member and even a space booker ... then u are in trouble.

For me, i have a preparation strategy and the interview strategy proper. The preparation strategy prepares me for any impromptu situation while the interview strategy comes to my rescue wen the preparatiom strategy fails.

My preparation stratrgy involves the use of "mock interview". Each time i have an interview, i researvh as much as i can about d firm and then put down some interview questions from my research. Most times, the questions are always d same as employers interviewing fresh graduates are only looking for two things - ur aptitude and ur skill! I then give the mock questions to a friend or relation who is intelligent to interview me. giving them d license to reply my answers with their own questions. With this method, i am able to discover lookholes in most of my preplanned answers and then adjust before d deal date.

Most of d time, our preplanned answers usually have flaws but we only get to discover in the interview room wen the the interviewer (who knows that u got the preplanned answer from nairaland) asks a follow up question.

A friend of mine attended an interview at a small audit firm and he was asked:

Interviewer: You are still very young and graduated wit a good grade, wat if kpmg calls u after u join us, wat would u do?

He was dumbfounded, and replied stupidly after performing well the whole time. see his response

Him: Well, Kpmg has not called me na.

When he told me this, i laffed till o almost peed.

My preparation strategy, in details often involved taking time to create a storyline that magnifies my skills. I aways make sure i have a back up story for every point on my skills and strength list. So if i have said i pay attention to details, i prepare a story that demostrates that. The stories need not be job related but must be sufficient to demonstrate that u have such skills. once in an interview, i told a story of how i handled a situation in my family as d first son to demonstrate my leadership skills. Come see as panelists balance dey listen to my story. hahaha.

So each time i hear a question like - tell us of a time wen u have demonstrated team work ( you would always see questions in dis format), the next thing you would hear from my mouth is "there was a time when... or When i was ..."

this story, i would have fine tuned during my mock interview and cover every possible loopholes.

I dey come, my pregnant wife needs another massage... woman wahala...

Following patiently

Steadily

And of course

Bookmarking

You say no rules but strategies. @Op, all na semantics. there's one sure thing, when God's favour smiles on you, if you like wear rags to an interview, you'd get the job.

You still spoke about the same things I read online....mock interview is what they all preach even tho they call it preparation and not mock interview. All you had was favour, give thanks to God for that. I have been to interviews where you would be worked out if you were badly dressed, and a blank Cv? Shows a lack of attention to details. When you are favoured, it makes you look perfect.

seagullbabz:
You still spoke about the same things I read online....mock interview is what they all preach even tho they call it preparation and not mock interview. All you had was favour, give thanks to God for that. I have been to interviews where you would be worked out if you were badly dressed, and a blank Cv? Shows a lack of attention to details. When you are favoured, it makes you look perfect.

True talk bro.
What we need to come out tops In interview is adequate preparation and God's Favour

BTW. I love ur monicker

Marvin67:
You say no rules but strategies. @Op, all na semantics. there's one sure thing, when God's favour smiles on you, if you like wear rags to an interview, you'd get the job.

Ma guy, Nobody is short of God's favour and grace. it all depends on ur ability to capitalize on d available grace. A lot of people think grace or favour is when things work magically for u- like wen u wear rags to the interview and u still get d job or wen u are walking on d street and somebody says hey, dont worry, just come to my office 2mao and pam! u get d job.

My brother, for me, grace is when i apply for a job and get invited for an aptitude test. if i fail along d line, i dont claim dat d person who got job was more favoured; i take responsibility and apologize to God for failing to utilize d opportunity i was given.

God gives evry bird a worm, but He doesn't throw it into their nest

seagullbabz:
You still spoke about the same things I read online....mock interview is what they all preach even tho they call it preparation and not mock interview. All you had was favour, give thanks to God for that. I have been to interviews where you would be worked out if you were badly dressed, and a blank Cv? Shows a lack of attention to details. When you are favoured, it makes you look perfect.

dont rush to conclusions brother. does faults i mentioned would have worked against me ( it actually did and my interviewers talked about it) if not for my performance. I know there's grace but i dont wanna go there now cos nigerians have a way of blaming grace for their failures. in d interview where i was badly dressed, i had already failed wen i entered, but wen i was through, d panelist started to ask why my tie was bent and then gave me some advice so i dont fail d next interview.

there's grace brother... i know it, but there's also u...

bros help me tell dem. my last interview last month. basically i was sayin BS because they kept firing me wicked questions. only gud tin i did was to continue exibiting confidence and smiling. one of dem basically told me. ur not helping us ere. ur niether her nor there we cant even assess u. ur saying different things dat don tally. one asked y shud we take u. i yarn d normal tin, she said dont gimme that. some1 ere has a first class and u hv a 2.1. anoda candidate has a CFA which is superior to ur Ican ACA. tell me sometin beta. has to b my worst ever interview. because cat chop my tongue. as i enter bus goin back to my present work place. i jst dey think. village witches must be at work. two days later dey called me for CEO chat. how e take happen i no sabi

opeyemmmy:
OP, that there are no interview rules is in itself a rule, no?

Rules or strategies; just pass and get the job!

oga wetin u still dey find for this section.

oghenebiko:


Ma guy, Nobody is short of God's favour and grace. it all depends on ur ability to capitalize on d available grace. A lot of people think grace or favour is when things work magically for u- like wen u wear rags to the interview and u still get d job or wen u are walking on d street and somebody says hey, dont worry, just come to my office 2mao and pam! u get d job.

My brother, for me, grace is when i apply for a job and get invited for an aptitude test. if i fail along d line, i dont claim dat d person who got job was more favoured; i take responsibility and apologize to God for failing to utilize d opportunity i was given.

God gives evry bird a worm, but He doesn't throw it into their nest

. You don't get me, these same things you call strategies are the same things people copy on the internet and call them rules.

I'm not undermining your presentation, neither am I saying one should attend an interview fasting and praying for God's favour instead of preparing for the interview. Just as you said, God's grace starts to shine on you the moment you get called up for aptitude test, but you still have to do your part by preparing for the interview. But my guy, give thanks to God, because you committed some errors that could have cost you the job. Don't think it was because of your perfect interview skills, I know somehow who mistakenly omitted his university degree from the CV he submitted to the panel, immediately he submitted the CV, the interviewers just went through it and said "we'd get back to you", he wasn't even given the chance to demonstrate his interview skills. Or what would you say about someone who has passed the test, passed all the stages of interviews, even did medical test but was never called for the job.

My guy, you presentation skills helped you, but you made a mistake, a mistake that could have cost you, but God's favour on you made the guys overlook that. They could have walked you out, (without giving you an opportunity to say a word) for inproper dressing immediately you walked in. Or you think there were no better dressed applicants with perfect CV's who also had good or even better interview skills than you? You think you were the only applicant who went into the interview room well rehearsed?

ednut1:
oga wetin u still dey find for this section.

I want to learn.

I think i share the OP 's POV. There are interviews strategies or we rather call them rules. The issues is this, when your interviewer like you on sight, all the rules and strategies and rules are damned. Followed or not, you will get the job!
Hell yeah....there are naturally likeable people, and i feel the OP falls in that category!

oghenebiko:


dont rush to conclusions brother. does faults i mentioned would have worked against me ( it actually did and my interviewers talked about it) if not for my performance. I know there's grace but i dont wanna go there now cos nigerians have a way of blaming grace for their failures. in d interview where i was badly dressed, i had already failed wen i entered, but wen i was through, d panelist started to ask why my tie was bent and then gave me some advice so i dont fail d next interview.

there's grace brother... i know it, but there's also u...

I never said you didn't kill your interview, I am just saying everything goes hand in hand, even when you are excellent, and there is no grace, just one person is enough to make ur interview go wrong. Nwaiz drop ur tips bro, am following bumper to bumper to learn a few tricks...bless

KillerBeauty:


True talk bro.
What we need to come out tops In interview is adequate preparation and God's Favour

BTW. I love ur monicker

Yes ma'am...the two go hand in hand...

Thanks....love ur moniker and signature too...pity I can't fight, I would have said yu av found him

^^^What is about to transpire above me, only God can tell^^^

Hahaaha....@taiwo....no come pour sand for my garri o...just act like say u no see us nah

seagullbabz:


I never said you didn't kill your interview, I am just saying everything goes hand in hand, even when you are excellent, and there is no grace, just one person is enough to make ur interview go wrong. Nwaiz drop ur tips bro, am following bumper to bumper to learn a few tricks...bless

.

Exactly! that's what I want OP to understand. Don't come here sounding like you got the job because you were the most prepared candidate. Without God's grace, the interviewers could have walked you out of the room without even allowing you say a word. But keep dropping those tips, cos we're all learning from them.

Marvin67:
.

Exactly! that's what I want OP to understand. Don't come here sounding like you got the job because you were the most prepared candidate. Without God's grace, the interviewers could have walked you out of the room without even allowing you say a word. But keep dropping those tips, cos we're all learning from them.

Sure bro, he needs to understand....

oghenebiko:


dont rush to conclusions brother. does faults i mentioned would have worked against me ( it actually did and my interviewers talked about it) if not for my performance. I know there's grace but i dont wanna go there now cos nigerians have a way of blaming grace for their failures. in d interview where i was badly dressed, i had already failed wen i entered, but wen i was through, d panelist started to ask why my tie was bent and then gave me some advice so i dont fail d next interview.

there's grace brother... i know it, but there's also u...

Can we talk privately pls?

Rules o Mock interview o abi na strategy u wan use, sha make sure to ask 4 grace.

OP, contunu abeg... We dey learn

That boy wey dey bear seagull or na penguin, na confirm ashawo boy smh4

....