Advice needed.

[NeonSRT-4]

Out of all the forums I visit, this one seems to have the most professional demographic so I thought this would be a great place to post this.

 

At the end of the year I will be officially retired from the U.S. Navy after 23 plus years. That means I have to find a real job now. I have never had to interview for a job nor have I the pleasure of selling myself to others. I have a very hard time talking about myself because in the last 23 years I let my work performance speak for me. Well that won't work in the real world.

 

My question is what are some good tips on interviewing? I do have a medical condition that may prevent me from sitting for a very long time but if I take my pain meds before hand I can probably tough it out.

 

Any and all advice is greatly appreciated.

 

Thank you in advance.

 

Steve

[DAVE SXT]

Not sure about the Navy, but the Air Force prior to retirement makes it mandatory that its personnel who are about to retire attend a "Transition Assistance Program" that teaches interviewing skills, resume writing, etc.

I'm sure the Navy does the same. Barring that, there are tons of books on the subject as well as a lot of information on the web. The best advice I can offer is do as much research on the company you are going to interview with and tell them what you can offer.

[The Ryan]

Eye contact, don't slouch (if possible), have questions to ask about the position, but don't talk money unless the interviewer brings it up. Interviewers understand your nervous, as long as your maintain composure you'll be fine. Be prepared for the typical 'what are your strengths/weaknesses questions, and the famous 'why should I hire you' - Having just interviewed people its fresh in my mind.

[ChargerMatt]

Have confidence in everything you say and do, keep good posture, and know a background of the company.

[Laguna]

Will you not have SEPS and TAPs? That course does teach a lot. They helped make my resume awesome. I was decent at making resume's but man did they make it awesome. I was only 20 going out with a resume from them and I was getting a lot of calls.

[NeonSRT-4]

Yes I went to the Retirement Seminar but to be honest the speakers they had there for the interviewing skills portion seemed to be flakes. I took notes and such and after reading what was posted on here and what my notes say I would have to admit the advice on here is better than what I received at the seminar.

 

Honestly, the guy they had show up started off by telling everyone he was getting divorced from his wife after 25 years and spent an hour and half on that subject. Then he proceded to tell everyone how crappy the economy was and it's too bad we were retiring right now becuase 25 - 50% of all retiring vets will end up homless within 5 years. He also said that most companies like to hire former military because of certain qualities we have learned but that a lot of companies also don't like to hire military because we are "trained robots". His words..not mine. This is just a portion of the notes that I took..I still have 6 more pages of information like this that he provided. That is why I am asking on here for information because as I stated before, this quy was a flake.

[Laguna]

Wow, I'm sorry you had ****ty speakers.

 

Just go in confident and let your work still speak for itself. They're going to ask you questions like "what is your biggest accomplishment", "tell me about a time you worked on a team and you all reached a goal together", etc. Just prepare for questions where they want stories and they want factual evidence to stand behind your resume.

 

If you want some resume look over, let me know. I can shoot you mine as well since I am also prior military if you want to see how mine is done.

 

Shoot me a PM with your e-mail and we can talk.

[WildBillsBlueC6]

The first time you interview seldom goes the best it can, so something that you can do to help is go interview for a few jobs that you don't really want. Do that a couple of time and when you get to the interview that you care about you will be more relaxed.

[NeonSRT-4]

Wow, I'm sorry you had ****ty speakers.

 

Just go in confident and let your work still speak for itself. They're going to ask you questions like "what is your biggest accomplishment", "tell me about a time you worked on a team and you all reached a goal together", etc. Just prepare for questions where they want stories and they want factual evidence to stand behind your resume.

 

If you want some resume look over, let me know. I can shoot you mine as well since I am also prior military if you want to see how mine is done.

 

Shoot me a PM with your e-mail and we can talk.

 

E-mail sent via PM.

 

Thank you.

[70'sChevyGirl]

First off...make sure you are applying for a job that you are going to enjoy. If you have a job that you are not happy working at then its not worth the effort.

 

What skills do you have? Maybe some of us can help recommend some type of job position that you may have never thought of.

 

The above tips are great plus:

 

Greet with a firm hand shake. Smile and be pleasant to everyone, as you never know whom you might run into. Could be the CEO and you would never know it.

 

Don't use Slang words while your speaking and shut off your cell phone!!

[Marylander]

Structure your talk to project what you bring to the company (and how they will benefit) instead of just talking about yourself and past experiences. Be confident and be honest (if you don't know something, don't BS -- honestly say that you will get back to them with an answer or would be willing to learn how to do whatever).

 

Don't forget the little things, too: Show up on time, dressed appropriately, don't slouch, be polite, yes sir/madam, say thank you and follow up promptly with another thank you note or email. These are the impressions that usually stick, and any good employer will give as much (or more) value to character as they do to experience.

[NeonSRT-4]

First off...make sure you are applying for a job that you are going to enjoy. If you have a job that you are not happy working at then its not worth the effort.

 

 

What skills do you have? Maybe some of us can help recommend some type of job position that you may have never thought of.

 

The above tips are great plus:

 

Greet with a firm hand shake. Smile and be pleasant to everyone' date=' as you never know whom you might run into. Could be the CEO and you would never know it. [/color']

 

 

Don't use Slang words while your speaking and shut off your cell phone!!

 

The biggest skill set I have is administration. That is what I did when I was in the Navy. As far as the cell phone goes, that won't be a problem, I don't have one. I did have one but in the 3 months that I had it, nobody called me or texted me (yes I gave my number out) so I cancelled my contract. I use the wifes number if I need to give out a contact number.

[Z71_Denali]

if you don't know an answer to a question, it is better to say, "I don't know but i can find out for you, and let you know later." than to B.S. them

[Laguna]

if you don't know an answer to a question, it is better to say, "I don't know but i can find out for you, and let you know later." than to B.S. them

 

Were you in the military or was someone who was in the military relay this quote to you?

[whiterp199]

There is some good advice here. I would also try to be yourself. Don't put up a persona that is not who you typically are just because you might feel you need to. Also never lie.

 

The first couple interviews will be a little tough I would go to as many of them as you can whether you are very interested in the job or not at least then you will get experience.

[Z71_Denali]

Were you in the military or was someone who was in the military relay this quote to you?

 

nope, learned it from an interview class i took in college... and my wife's a recruiter, so she talks to people all the time about resumes, interviewing, negotiating salaries, etc.

[Laguna]

nope, learned it from an interview class i took in college... and my wife's a recruiter, so she talks to people all the time about resumes, interviewing, negotiating salaries, etc.

 

That was something drilled into us in Intelligence school, was just wondering.

[Z71_Denali]

its okay to brag about your accomplishments to a degree, when in an interview. your trying to sell yourself to a company on why they should hire you over the next 100 people in line for the same job. as long as you don't sound arrogant, or cocky.

 

most importantly, RELAX. let your accomplishments speak for themselves, smile, have manners, dress nicely, and be yourself. its kinda like going on a date except the relationship is completely platonic

[Feets31]

Your local community college or maybe even four year college would likely help you.

 

Interviewing questions now are along the lines of:

 

Tell me about a time when you took a bad situation and made it better.

 

Why are you the best person for this job?

 

How do handle stress?

 

If you could change one thing in your life, what would it be?

 

Where do you see yourself in 5 years?

 

What would you do if your boss asked you to do something illegal?

 

Good luck!

[eric@thompsonracing.us]

Practice, Practice, Practice. And not in your head, you need to physically talk to someone. It's fine to start with your wife, or someone you trust, but try to find someone you'll be less comfortable with. Video it if you can.

 

Be Prepared. Have all the information you need ready, ahead of time. Have the address punched in your navigation days before. Know the recruiter's name, know the background of the company. Have your resume in hand, multiple copies, don't rely on the recruiter. I've had multiple people forget something or get a time wrong and blame a recruiter for screwing it up. It's your interview, not theirs. If someone blames a recruiter, that's a game killer in my book.

 

One of the biggest problems I've had in the last 5 years is finding people who truely want to work. As stupid as it sounds, it's a major problem in this country. Show up early, well dressed and show a genuine desire to bust your a**, day in and day out.

 

The ability to learn, adapt and improve is also key. If you can show them the old dog can learn new tricks, you'll get points. No one wants to hire someone stuck in their ways.

 

I've hired numerous retired military in the last 3 years. Going into an interview with a military background will give you an advantage. Use it to your advantage.

 

Good luck!

[eric@thompsonracing.us]

Along the lines of Ray's advice, don't exaggerate, and NEVER lie. You will get caught.

[Diggerdan11]

Everyone on here has posted great advice. I have conducted literally hundreds of interviews, and have only been interviewed once. Now the people I have interviewed were minimum wage fast food workers so I have had son pretty interesting interviews over the years (so glad I do not do that anymore).

As stated before, be prepared for the questions you’re going to hear at every interview. What are your strengths? What are your weaknesses? What can you bring to the company? Where do you see yourself going with this company? Etc……

<?xml:namespace prefix = o ns = "urn:schemas-microsoft-comBe open and honest. Make sure you ask every question that comes to your mind. There is no such thing as a stupid question, except when asking about money. You don’t want to leave an interview thinking “man I should have asked him that.”

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Make a generic resume, and then for each job you apply for tailor your resume to exactly what you think the interviewer will want to see. Read the job posting and make sure you know every job qualification and be able to answer why you meet those qualifications. Make sure you have examples why you meet those qualifications. Use examples from your military experience, and related it to the civilian world.

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Make sure your confident but not cocky.

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I never hired anyone even if they were the most qualified if they did these things:

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Did not make eye contact.

Did not have answers for the “normal interview” questions.

Said I don’t know to many times.

Did not ask questions when I asked if they had any questions for me.

People with no confidence and people with so much confidence they sound cocky

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