UKC

I know it may seem I use the board for more general (none climbing) posting, but you guys are a good bunch of people from all walks and usually have intelligent pointers and advice, and so thanks.

You might know that I have not been through the whole job search and interview scenario for 20 years and so, and I have not worked in the UK for as long, and so I am not finding this very easy to get my head around, nor know if I am going about things the right way.

I had an interview yesterday, I went for a lead generator job, at which I feel I may have talked far too much (first interview nerves), but came across pretty confident and easy to get along with. I was tested over the phone in which I was asked what makes the companies product and service stand out against its competitors, which threw me and I froze and asked to start the phone call again. I mean how can I know anything abut the product or its competitors after an hour long interview. Anyway, I managed to get through the second attempt, but there were no curve balls thrown after the first disaster.
On returning home I was thinking how easy I could do this job and I was very upset with myself that I didn't crack the phone test, but anyway........... I was told that they still had more interviews and they would be in touch after the weekend.

And so here is my query. I am considering calling them and asking them if they give me a chance to prove myself, and if I do not perform over a certain time then don't pay me, I will walk away and no one has lost out. The business has no loss and I have only done a week or twos (or even a months) work for free which I am completely happy doing to get the opportunity for a job. Is this unusual, mad or just a stupid idea?

Thanks!

In reply to Dominicandave:

Email the person you met for the interview and tell them (formally) that you enjoyed meeting them, that the role appeals to you, and you're looking forward to hearing from them after the weekend.

Don't tell them you'll work for free - you're only devaluing your skills and experience.

In reply to Dominicandave:
I think interviewers ask that question to see if you've done any research into the company before applying for the job, and partly as an oblique way of finding out any reasons for applying, other than just wanting a job.

I don't suppose it could do any harm to try your idea of proving yourself, but you might miss another opportunity while you do. It could be that there are other people who have done research into the company, and it's them who'll get the job.

In reply to Dominicandave:

This is a standard starter question these days, it's to prove that you've done your research in to the company interviewing you and that you know more of them than just the job spec. It's probably the most important part of the start of the interview process as it shows that you are interested in the company and what they do and not just the rewards of the role. It's also done early on so as to give the interviewer an understanding of your ability to think creatively about their company, come at them with fresh ideas and single you out as worth taking further in the interview process.

As said previously, no harm in dropping an email like JMGLondon suggests - this reminds the interviewer of who you are and pushes you back to the top of the pile.

If you don't get the job however don't worry, use the experience as 'interview experience' and learn from it so that you're better prepared on your next interview.

There's a gamut of interview prep guidance on that there interweb - have a Google and make some notes on the top things to do.

And..good luck!!!!!

In reply to Dominicandave:



I guess you've had time to reflect on how that appears. You have to do some research and know a bit about the company. If you're aspiring to generate leads for them you have to understand the product and the competition.

Yes, you can offer for free, but I think you may have blown it.

In reply to JJL:

Not the easiest thing in the world, finding a job, any job in the UK these days. I went for this as it seems to be the most advertised job out there. I'd have thought just going for everything would have brought me more than just one interview up till now. Blown that? on reflection I have, but I didn't get any information on the company until the evening before the interview, the company was advertised under one name and that is not the new name of the company and so there was little or no info to research. It's a new company, and so everything is a little up in the air. But yes, anyone who has more experience than one interview will have walked it compared to my efforts.
It's bloody hard work finding work here in the UK, a job in itself.

In reply to Dominicandave:

I think the thing you need to remember is that it is ok to say "I don't know" in an interview. It certainly sorts out the bullsh1tters much quicker. That said, one of the golden rules of interview preparation is to research the company you are interviewing at and perhaps seeing where their products fit in the marketplace is something worth investigating.

Don't be too down on yourself. The process of getting a job is a journey and interviews that do not have a successful outcome (you don't get the job) should be turned around and made into a positive experience. After all, you will know for next time.

Head up, move forward and good luck next time if you weren't successful this time.

In reply to Dominicandave:

I've always followed up an "I don't know" with a question asking what the answer is. I'm convinced this got me and offer of a job once. It showed I wanted to know the answer, and that I was willing to ask questions.

Thanks.
And so I have passed a phone interview for Sky, and now am trying to prepare for the interview in a couple of day, but besides reading their website I really am not at all sure what I am supposed to be concentrating on. I called the HR team to ask what I should be concentrating on and they just gave me two websites to look at, but I can't exactly take it all in in such a short time. And these are the sites I looked at to get through the phone interview which I think I did really well on (but I understand wasn't exactly hard). I understand the day will be 2 1/2 hours and split into two sections, but besides that not what they will involve and so....................

Besides that they are asking me really personal questions again. And a new one, an experian credit check. What the hell can they want with that? How can my credit situation effect my chance of having a job?

Anyway, any input appreciated.

In reply to Dominicandave:

2.5 hours will be pretty high level. Split between soft skills/values and technical competency.

Behavioural demonstration - e.g. can you give me an example of when you managed a team/faced a difficult decision/were under time pressure. How did you manage the situation, what was the outcome? (expect 5 questions - very easy to prepare for)

Do you understand the companies values e.g. what do you think are the biggest challenges for our company? what would you want to change? how do we compare to our competitors?

Technical will be role dependent.

There will also be some left field questions (measure response under pressure and/or cross correlate previous responses to see how honest you are being in the interview vs your CV vs your Linkedin Profile).

You should also have some questions for them

Cheers
LD

In reply to Dominicandave:

I'm half awake and about to jump on a train so won't ramble on. But one bit of info that might raise your spirits.

It seems pretty much every job from scrubbing bogs up now involves a high level interview and a demand for experience. But that is just a trend, and it doesn't mean the interviewer understands what they're asking and why, and doesn't mean you have to answer everything like a pro. There's still plenty of interviewers who hire based more on personality and more traditional signs of competence.

Unfortunately the big companies aren't always easy to get work with due to recieving huge numbers of applicants and due to having a very specific demands of a CV to narrow the numbers before even considering people.

In reply to Lurking Dave:

Thanks, and this credit check info? Won't be an issue but seems very intrusive.

In reply to Dominicandave:

Come up with answers for questions like "What are you good at and what are you bad at?"

What does your future job entail? Do you have first hand experiences from the past that you can use in your new job? If so, spend a bit of time working out what you might say.

I had a year of doing nothing in a job. When getting a new job, I had to come up with a story for how I had spent the year. I didn't exactly lie, but I did embellish the small role I did play in that year. Had I not thought about this prior to my interview, I would have probably fallen to pieces as I am not very good at lying.

Still no one come cross this experian credit check? Odd!

In reply to Dominicandave:

What's the job? I've occasionally seen companies do a credit check if the job will be one that places you in a position of trust, with access to bank accounts etc. Essentially they're looking to see if you have any bad debt that you may be tempted to pay off via fraudulent activity.

In reply to hokkyokusei:

The job is Customer Retention Adviser and so yes, I would have access to peoples account details, but its a bit invasive all this.

In reply to Dominicandave:

The customer retention role in Sky is big deal. You are their last line of defence when a customer says they want to quit. The customer retention adviser has access to a lot more tools than the 'normal' customer care team. You need to be able to empathise with the customer and then create a proposition that allows them to commit to another contract.

You will need to understand why customers might want to leave Sky. What are the weaknesses in Sky's customer proposition Vs the competition (Virgin, BT etc..).

When I have spoken to the retention teams at Sky they have been a cut above the normal call centre staff. They were clearly more agile and empathic and very professional. I was left feeling like a valued customer by the process and Rupert got my cash for another year (and I got a kick ass deal!).

Good luck with the interview process.

In reply to Dominicandave:

That is not a job I would choose to have. It is going to be extremely stressful, particularly if your pay is depenedent on your success rate - have they told you that? Are you capable of dealing with annoyed and aggressive people down the phone all day?

In this scenario the credit check makes perfect sense

In reply to Dominicandave:
Sorry to put a downer on things but there is a cost to the company of giving you a chance to prove yourself even if they don't pay you.

Hiring staff costs time, effort and money, if they take a risk on you there is a large opportunity cost that comes from not hiring someone who passes their normal hiring procedures. Also why would they want to deviate away from what they believe is best practice in their hiring procedure? another risk.

That said it depends on the company, smaller one man bands are much more likely to be flexible than big bureaucratic ones and so may listen to your idea.

My advice? Research. Know the ins and outs of the company, learn about their products and their methods of doing business. Learn about their competitors, their products and their methods of business and think about how they are different (and the same). Rehearse your answers for questions like 'why do want to work here? tell me about a time when you showed leadership, solved a problem..'. Know your CV back to front focusing more on perceived weakness over strengths.

In reply to JMGLondon:

The job centre actively encourages the long term unemployed to offer this to potential employers. I've always refused to do this as I am applying for a paid job not a voluntary role and I think that it may just give the company free work so they can let the volunteer go after the set amount of time without offering them a job, which is the whole point of the practise run for a couple of weeks. I'd rather say take me on at minimum wage while I'm training but that is for a set time before training ends. I have a skill that I should be paid to do, not work for free. The goodness of my heart won't pay the bills!