Job interview?

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A friend of mine has AS and is having a very difficult time finding a job. (He is an electrical engineer) He has told me that he can't respond well to the social type questions. Has anyone gone through a similar experience? And does anyone have any tips I could pass along to him?

I have told him about this site and about these forums, hopefully he is reading them.

Caren

although I don't recomend doing this, the only way I found myself being able to get a job was to lie at the interview.

After I got out of highschool, I had gone thru almost a dozen different interviews at various places, each one rejecting me. As I went thru interview after interview, I began to notice various things that the interviewers said and did when they questioned me that would clue me in as to how they felt about me.

Words like "well", "ummm", and "ok", that are long and drawn out are usually a sign that the interviewer heard something he didn't want to hear. I was then able to formulate stragedys to deal with those situations, sometimes these stragedeys included pre-planned responses to opinion-based questions that weren't exactly truthful, but was what the interviewer wanted to hear. Others were comebacks to those long, drawn out wells, umms, and ok's, designed to try and make the interviewer feel better.

As a result, I found my job stocking shelves at our local grocrey store. I've been doing it for 5 years now, and although it's been a very shaky 5 years, with myself coming close to being fired several times. I've managed to hang on and get myself thru four years of going to college part-time.

Scoots5012, maybe you could write, in your spare time, an instruction manual for interviews explaining strategies that you developed? I do not have a very big experience with interviews, so such a document would be very helpful.

I've always found that interviews are a test of your ability to read people. I was lucky enough to be brought up by parents who were fully aware of my limitations and also not prepared to allow me to let them get in my way. As a result we worked out coping strategies for variuos situations most of which involved reading people and telling them more or less what they wanted to hear. I've lied my way through more interviews than I can count and ultimately come through them with flying colors simply by studying voice modulation and facial expressions.

A funny suggestion but one that might work, try playing poker for matchsticks with young nieces, nephew, siblings or cousins (whoever you can play against under the age of 13). Kids have less control over their facial expressions and get visibly excited when they're holding good cards. Learning to read their reactions may help you to read adult reactions which are the same just more subtle.

If all else fails follow the instructions in a "How to project yourself effectively in an interview" type book to the letter even if you're not sure why you're doing or saying what you are. With practise and persistance you'll begin to learn what people are looking for and if you honestly think you want the job then you'll be able to react appropriately and get it.

Hope this helps someone.

Thank you Scoots5012 and Nick_14. I hope to read more thoughts/ideas from others too.

Caren

I usually only answer with 'Yes", "No" and if they ask me anything specific about the company, I'll tell them what I know.

If you get stuck on the question I had a few times in the past "Where would you be in 10 years from now?" - I'll say "Higher up the career ladder"

I would like to suggest him to develop some theoretical knowledge and practical knowledge as well.Everyday he should go through the subject related questions and answers.After that he can able to get a job.Thanks.
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gomez

As a currently barely employed (and not really in my field) computer engineer, I can give you what knowledge I have gleaned. I cannot guarantee that it will be useful. However, it may well be.

- Usually, your interviews will include other engineers. For the most part, they have a geeky nature hidden inside. Include a story or two about some problem you solved, or some project you did, that has a real cool and geeky appeal.

- When they ask about previous work experiences, and what your ideal work environment would be like, they wish to hear about the people. This is counter-intuitive for me, and took about two years to figure out.

- When asked a technical question by an engineer start rambling off ideas and solutions as they come to you. When you are dry, say, "That's all I can think of right now. However, in a work situation, I would likely research the issue in more detail."

- If talking about "soft" experiences bothers you (as it does me. I feel that I should be discussing technical aspects, damnit!) include some technical words into the conversation. I was asked about a confrontation in previous employment, and I related the story about a colleague who shouted everything (I think without realizing it). I resolved it by telling him straight out that he needed to quiet his voice. The successful resolution (to everyone's relief) was a 6dB reduction in his voice amplitude.

- If you don't know the answer for a problem, discuss how and where you would find information for a solution. This is not like a test in school. If you can describe in detail how you would find the information, it is almost as good as knowing the actual information.

That is the information that is I currently can impart. However, in a work situation, I would research the issue in more detail.