Need tips for job interviews!

Re: Need tips for job interviews!

I would just say the company was downsizing and did so by terminating their older, more experienced, staff. You are not claiming age dicrimination, but you are also not putting yourself in a negative light. Then you build on it by bringing up your years of experience in the auto industry and tie it to the sales experience that you have gained at your Sears job. Whatever you say, NEVER say you were too old. Make the interviewer work at arriving to a conclusion. Don't make his/her job easier by supplying a quick conclusion for him/her.

Re: Need tips for job interviews!

What Edwin says. No reason to get flustered, perhaps they need you.

Also, the fact that someone else was hired at your previous interview, doesn't necessarily mean you "flubbed". Never forget that your a-priori chances are only 50% if there's even only one other applicant (33% if there are two, and diminishing fast if there are more). That's life.

People are often optimistic if they reach a "last round", but tend to forget that there is at least one other competitor left, so other things being equal their chance still isn't better than 50% indeed. The guys who are hiring MUST choose - so you'll never learn what exactly were the reasons to take the other guy (they may even have been using a dice at one point ).

Your Toyota experience fully qualifies you for the Nissan job. That's all that matters now. If there are more guys like you applying - well simply wait and see who gets the job.
But do your best first, nothing more to do on your part.

(Telling them your previous company had to downsize, may make them secretly proud and gives a smirk, so they might even be slightly more on your side. Just don't overdo it. )


Cees

Re: Need tips for job interviews!

As an ex-manager in a large corporation I've done hiring, but never for sales related position; so take this with a grain of salt.

I would stay away from qualifying the downsizing (as with they were doing away with older staff); *anything* negative looks bad on you. Doesn't the sales manager set the tone in these kinds of sales jobs? If so, I'd just say the sales manager wanted to go in a different direction with his staff. And if your sales record was good, just move right into that. ("The sales manager had a different idea for staff make-up as I was producing good results. I was #x in total sales and exceeded quota 9 of the last 12 months.") Also, knowledge of their product line would probably be a good thing.

On a different note, I think the biggest factor a new employer would be concerned with is how well you (as an "old timer") would fit in with a yonger sales force and newer styles of selling. I don't know the industry, but has the technique for selling changed over the last ten years? If so, spit back to the interviewer that you are just ga-ga for these new sales techniques!

And finally, you might want to work in how you have such a good rapor with both young and old; young because you present a father figure of trust, old because of peer trust.

And because you're in sales I'd say that at no time can you look like you've lost confidence. Find a friend who's 30-35 (the age of one of these sales managers) and practice your response with him/her until you can pull it off without blinking.

Good luck!

Re: Need tips for job interviews!

My first thought when I read this was that actually they might have been looking to do exactly what Edwin said: downsize staff and do so by eliminating those at the higher end of the pay scale (those with the most years).


Just because you didn't get the job DOES NOT MEAN you screwed up somehow. I have interviewed people for positions before and oftentimes you have more than one qualified person respond...which means that someone who is perfectly qualified and would likely do well at that position gets a "no" because someone else had more experience or had been trained in another area which might make them more versatile to the employer, etc.

It is not unreasonable (and often quite productive) to go back to an interviewer after you've been rejected and say thanks for your time, I'm disappointed I didn't get to work for your company, is there anything you could recommend for me to do that might improve my chances next time?

This will open up a dialogue between you and the person in charge of hiring and can give you good feedback about your interviewing skills (tell the person to be frank). You can also ask them to grade your resume, appearance, etc. If they are willing to talk to you (and why wouldn't they be?) this could be extremely useful information for you to nail your next interview with someone else.

It might ALSO allow you to develop a better relationship with the person. It might also allow you to find out if other positions might be opening up in the near future. And it will definitely show that person you are really interested in a job at their company (this isn't done all that often). They just might remember your initiative the next time something opens up!


Lose that answer immediately. It is negative and based upon your own description you don't know that to be true.

Tell them you were let go because (in full truth based upon your OP) the management at the company was making cutbacks and you made their cut list. You cannot be sure why, but your suspicion is that they let go those who had been there the longest and were making the most money. Then add that you were devastated (emphasizing your 35 loyal years) because your first love is cars but that want to take this transition as an opportunity to make a career shift from working on cars to selling them and transfer your knowledge of how cars work into an ability to match-up the right car with the right customer. After giving the direct answer to their question, it is always good then to "change topics" into something positive about you...thus directing attention from why you were let go to why you would be a good fit for them.

That is the most important part of ANY job interview: for the potential employee to get across why he/she would best help the company to which they are applying for a position. The people doing the hiring most likely have other jobs at the company and want to get this over with as fast as possible and make a good choice so they don't have to do it again real soon. So if a candidate goes in and convinces them that he/she is the ideal candidate because they have xyz experience, have a long, loyal work record, and are enthusiastic about the open position...that's exactly what the would-be employer wants to hear.

Like a politician...STAY ON MESSAGE. Don't get side-tracked by curveball questions like "If you were a tree, what kind of tree would you be?" Always bring your answer back to your ability to fit their exact need. That is also a good reason, at the beginning of the interview, to let them do most of the talking telling you about the position and its duties and their company. Then feed off that and your background and if you know anything extra about their company or product...let it fly.

All the best Steve.

Re: Need tips for job interviews!

Steve: one more thing. I once read (in a book I will never forget called "Guerilla Tactics in the Job Market") about dealing with the rejection which is inherent in the job search process.

In the book the author took an entire page and filled it with the word "NO"...repeated probably a couple-hundred times...with a single "YES" posted at the very end. The author went on to say that the application process is a terribly negative thing because (as Cees pointed out) the odds are against you. There are ALWAYS more candidates than there are jobs. And family and friends are always asking about your progress and you end up reinforcing the "NO" stigma in every conversation it seems.

So, his point was that you have to make your way through an entire series of "NO"s before you will eventually get your "YES". So you treat that "NO" as a positive in that each "NO" is the next step towards getting your "YES". This helps keep you motivated towards making applications at jobs that interest you and from getting defeated by the process. As difficult as that "NO" is, it is moving you forward.

We learn from everything we do...including interviewing for jobs. By going back and talking to the interviewers you will learn a lot about yourself and the process.

Also, make sure your resume is 100% in terms of spelling and grammar. Those things DO make a big impression because even if they are not important to the candidate or important to the position being interviewed for, they just might be important to the person doing the hiring. Always best foot forward.

And there is always the question about references. Any new company will probably want to speak with someone who will vouch for your work ethic. If this is a problem with the management of the place that let you go, you will need to find someone who is familiar with your work experience--maybe a former supervisor who is no longer with the place you were at 35 years. Make sure you have someone solid ready-to-go.

Re: Need tips for job interviews!

Age discrimination is the elephant in the room. It's not something you realize or think about until you get there.

Most all companies are downsizing. When they downsize they tend to pick off the long-term highest paid employees. Intentional or not, that tends to be the way it goes.

You have a tremendous amount of experience and an excellent track record. The fact that you worked 35 years with one employer speaks volumes of your experience and integrity.

I also would say you were part of workforce reduction. I would not say it in an embarrassed or negative way. I would say that after 35 years, the dealership decided they wanted to reduce some of the mechanics and you were one. 35 years is an incredible amount of time to be with one employer. I'd even say that after 35 years you welcome something a little different. Most of the time when these things happen to talented people it ends up well.

I think if you speak of it matter of factly and discuss how much you contributed over those 35 years and what you've learned and what you are interested in doing now, you'll be fine. Also, the more you talk of it the more comfortable you will be that change just happens.


Good luck.

Re: Need tips for job interviews!

Maybe the HTF AHL should hire you to dispense car advise, especially toyota! You've been pretty helpful to folks here in the past!

Jay

Re: Need tips for job interviews!

Steve, I don't have any advice to offer above and beyond the excellent advice you've already been given. But I would like to express my sincerest best wishes that you'll find the perfect job. Given the depth of your automotive knowledge, a dealership would have to be crazy not to hire you in any capacity. And I know I'm not the only one who thinks so.

I can't imagine how tough it must be to be interviewing for jobs after 35 years at the same place. In my profession, nobody goes more than six months without updating their resumes and checking the job listings. Your reluctance to "blow your own horn" is natural, but I think your strategy of expressing enthusiasm for the job/product is a great way to overcome/mitigate that reluctance.

And if customers asked for you by name, I think you should put that on your resume. A company lives or dies by its sales force, and a knowledgeable, personable, trustworthy salsperson who creates repeat customers is money in the bank to them. You should be proud to have that kind of relationship with your customers.

Good hunting, and I hope you start getting offers very soon.

Re: Need tips for job interviews!

Exactly. Don't even looking at it as "blowing your own horn." You are just telling a would-be employer how best you can help him by meeting his needs. You are doing him a favor by offering him your services. And that's the truth. You know that you'd do a good job. You've just got to convince him/her (who doesn't know you yet) of that very thing.



Steve: You and I have only had some drive-by postings on this site...but I am quite impressed with what I've just read of yours in the AHL thread of the kid who wants to buy the '98 Neon. Wow! the people who are suggesting here that maybe you could go into a car advice/column writing or internet advice gig aren't kidding. You write/express yourself well and obviously know an awful lot about cars (making me envious because I know basically nothing about automobiles). That knowledge is a HUGE selling point as you move forward in your job search. Never sell it (or yourself) short! That's not something that can be taught or picked-up quickly. Whoever hires you gets a wealth of experience and knowledge.


If not on your resume, this is another strong selling point you need to bring up during the interview process. When confronted with that question you don't like about why you were terminated, once you've explained that the company was changing direction with their workforce by dumping their senior workers...you could always say something like I hope that doesn't come back to hurt them because it was employees like myself who had customers coming back and asking for them by name to take care of their needs.

With that one sentence you avoid bad-mouthing your former employer (a potential employer would never want to hear that), you explain how popular your services were to certain customers of your former employer (something ANY potential employer would want to hear), and it further works to bolster the expertise and good work you can supply to your new employer.

Again...good luck!

Re: Need tips for job interviews!

You've gotten good advice so I can give you some advice from Marge Simpson: "When you get a job interview, try not to call your employer a punk or a skank."

Re: Need tips for job interviews!

Steve: Already improvement!

Don't be disheartened. You are taking away good things from this experience. We never stop learning, do we?!

I'm not sure what your personal situation is...but if you've got somebody who is close to you who could do a little role-playing...you can run through some of the give-and-take between yourself and a job interviewer. Even if you go through the same questions over-and-over a few times...it will be a great comfort for you to have run through them a few times before the real deal. It would be a lot like preparing for a test...or for an audition to be in a theatrical production. And it sounds like anything that will help put you at ease in that situation would help a great deal. If you think about it...there's a lot of ways in which you can compare a job interview with a dramatic play.

The best way to show the interviewer that you are comfortable with people is to be comfortable with them. And THAT is NOT an impossible task. Just some more experience at that task (the Q & A) will give you more confidence--and that is what some role-playing will do. I know it may sound dumb...or maybe-better-said might be uncomfortable and a silly thing to do...but once you've practiced the standard give-and-take a few times...it'll seem like the most natural thing in the world for you--almost as natural as changing a carburetor. Mechanics do change carburetors, don't they?! Not sure if my syntax is right. I told you I'm pretty dumb about cars.

Anyway, keep re-reading the posts in this thread and reminding yourself that you are the right guy for these jobs. You've got all the ability that's needed. You just need to be able to get that point across to the people in charge of hiring.

================================

A question for you. Have you considered looking into Car Service Sales? I doubt I have that term correct--maybe I mean Service Manager. Let me explain. At my dealership where I get most of the work done on my car, there are two or three guys who "run" or manage the service department. I don't think they do any actual work on the cars...but they sure do know all about cars and what problems different models have, etc (just like you!). They act more as liaisons between the mechanics and the customer...using their knowledge of cars to explain the repairs and, for me, help calm me down about why the repairs are going to cost me an arm and a leg. It almost seems to me--in the limited capacity I have of your experience--that that kind of job would be just perfect for you. They also field my phone calls when I say dumb things when trying to explain the symptoms of my car...and are understanding when I say my budget is tight right now and I have to triage all the different things that might be wrong with my car at any particular time.

Re: Need tips for job interviews!

Steve,

Perhaps you didn't that bad at all, wait until you hear from them.

But one sentence struck me: "Overall I think I gave pretty good answers to all the questions I was asked".
Some of those questions are, of course pure "questions" indeed and you cannot do anything else but supply the proper answer.

Often, there isn't a "good" answer, not like in a quiz. There's a subject, though, and perhaps you know all about it even if you believe you need to look for a perfect answer for a moment.

But think about this aspect too: they need a way to get the conversation rolling. How else can they finally decide?
So they start with a question, but in reality the interview is a two way conversation.

Try to emphasize the "talk" aspect just a bit more in your mind. That's another guy sitting there, perhaps younger than you are, and he has a problem: he needs to make an informed decision, to the advantage of the firm, and find a colleague in the process. He wants to talk about the job.

It's a matter of just a slightly different attitude and relaxing just a little bit.


But from your description, I already understand you did better than ever before, so .


Cees

Re: Need tips for job interviews!

Steve,
Mike's given you some great advice. Here's a few lesser tidbits:

- When asked a difficult question, take a moment. Hold your composure. Take a breath. Repeat the question, perhaps rephrasing it a bit to your advantage ("So, you're wondering why I'm no longer with XXX Motors.") Then answer. Those few seconds let you calm down and not given a panic-stricken, brain fart of an answer.

- Go in expecting the best. Look to enjoy meeting the people interviewing you. Seek the rapport you find easily with customers. I believe hiring decisions are fundamentally about the manager(s) finding someone they are comfortable with. It's an emotional thing, not wholly driven by performance and job requirements.

- Join a speaking group, like Toastmasters, to further develop your communication skills. It will help your salesmanship. It will help your interviewing.

Good luck!

Re: Need tips for job interviews!

Actually, Steve, I just thought of something that I don't think has been mentioned: After the interview, always be sure to send a thank-you note. In this day and age, I think it's perfectly all right to do this via email (others will differ), but if you didn't get the interviewer's business card and don't know his/her email address, a short, handwritten note sent by USPS would be well-received.

In the note, simply thank the interviewer for taking the time to speak with you, and tell him/her how delighted (or whatever adjective you think is appropriate, depending on the interviewer and the nature of the conversation) you were to have the opportunity to discuss how your 35 years of experience can be put to effective use at XYZ Motorcars. If there was something in your conversation with the interviewer that "clicked", be sure to pick up on that. Keep it simple, and keep it positive. Don't try to clarify insufficient answers you may have given, and don't try to smooth over or mitigate any uncomfortable moments there may have been during the interview. The interviewer, like most people, will remember what is reinforced, and forget everything else, so don't even think about mentioning anything bad at all. (And whatever you do, don't beg!) It's a thank-you note, not a make-up exam. For better or worse, the interview is over, so the purpose of the note is to make the interviewer feel good about having talked to you and to give him/her a good idea of how much better it would be to work with someone who's articulate and gracious like you, as opposed to the other shmuck candidates who can't even write a coherent sentence (for example ). It's a touchy-feely thing. The fact that you even take the time to write a thank-you note is often enough to put you over the top.

I'm sorry I didn't mention this earlier, Steve. From now on, be sure to get the interviewers' business cards so you have their email addresses. And it's definitely not too late to drop thank-you notes in the mail for the interviews you've already had.

We're all pulling for you.

Re: Need tips for job interviews!

Another thought. It's good to develop some responses to general questions and have them prepared. For instance, what's the greatest obstacle you've overcome, what has been your biggest challenge and how did you handle it. What's an example of an instance when something did not go as expected and what did you do. By developing responses to these types of questions, you can fit them to the questions in the interview. The best defense is a good offense.
Hang in there...

Re: Need tips for job interviews!

I'm not sure that the following will really add anything to the excellent advice already given, but here goes ...

I'll start with the advice I was taught at school. In the interview, sit with your hands in your lap. Don't gesticulate and maintain a sensible level of eye contact. Learn all you can about the company before you go for the interview.

Never ever expand on answers where you know it's one of your negative areas. People get made redundant because of changes in company strategy. That's a fact of life. Say that. Add on that you thought it a great shame because you had an excellent sales record (or whatever is most appropriate in your record that you want to highlight). Express regret at this. Then leave it there. An interviewer will appreciate that after a long period with a company you may feel upset about the experience and with any luck will leave it at that. But if you start making excuses or use it as an opportunity to blame management for what happened, it sends totally the wrong signals (and you'll get marked down as either always apologising for mistakes or bitching about the boss).

Don't *ever* regard age as a negative attribute. If the firm has a high proportion of older employees already, indicate that you'll fit in with the existing demographic. If a lot of the others are younger, say that you will complement the existing workforce by offering greater experience and bringing a different range of knowledge. Don't intimate though that the younger ones will provide the energy and you the experience - that implies that you're a physical wreck and will let others do the harder tasks. Emphasise that at times an older person may provide a better interface with some customers/clients than a younger person. And add that there'll be times when the reverse is true, so a good cross-mix of ages is a great idea and that accordingly you'd fit into the team.

Re: Need tips for job interviews!

I think you should.

Like Cees so eloquently noted. Don't even think of the interview as a question/answer session. Just think of it as a conversation between two people interested in getting to know each other better for their own mutual benefit. And, that the better you are prepared to give that person the information about yourself, the better off it will go.

Also, Steve...you are in a pretty good place right now. You've got the Sears job to keep you until you find your new job...so you can go on as many job interviews as you want without "having" to find a job right away...or take the very first thing that comes along. The pressure is off, so to speak. So you should look into some Service Manager positions. If any are available...let them know that the best qualified guy in the area just happens to be available!

Go get 'em!