I know it's also individual and H.R. has their own individual biases when dealing with potential hires. But having a job/work is so VITAL to your survival and that's what sucks about it!
I have two associates degrees, a certificate in RE and a Life Agent License as well as over 15 years in customers service and cashiering, a couple years in telemarketing (cold calling) and sales... I'm 36 going on 37 early next year and so I know I'm not in my prime anymore but I don't care, I'm still very proud to have made it this long in life!... I just don't know what I really am doing wrong. I know that in past interviews I have told the hard truth (badmouthed?!) a past employer or two but since I truly realize that yeah fine, that's a big turn off or no-no as my father said...but what else?! I am TRYING my best! I dress to impress and I answer their questions respectfully and with tact and I use big professional words! ...I just don't understand! Please help!
I am planning to go back to school to get my B.A. by the way but I also need money!
I've been in tears these past couple hours (off and on)! I even cried at Walmart when talking with a past coworker (and friend?!)... I already have trust issues with people. I know how JUDGEMENTAL they can be!... At least the last person who interviewed me was direct and honest and maybe tried to give me some helpful tips on how to interview better but I still land the job!
Update:Please can somebody give me some tips on how you got your job? Thank you.
Update 3:"-You come across in your question as rather immature. You are proud to have made it this far in life? You badmouthed previous employers despite being told by your father it was a bad idea? These are odd statements from a person in their mid-30s, and more consistent with someone in the early 20s. "
Why? What if I AM proud to have made it to 36?! What's wrong with that?! I don't think that statement should come out of someone who was in their early 20's because that's simply a dumb statement
Update 5:This is only my second interview by the way in a long time (a little more than a year).
Update 7:"Based on your question you appear to have a bit of an attitude and are a bit dramatic." No, I'm not dramatic. Just hurt. Interviewing takes a toll sometimes on your self esteem! If a potential hire doesn't get called, that means they weren't good enough for the job usually! ..And that is why I appreciated this last interviewer's directness because you don't really see that often. She was my same race too so I thought that was cool.
Answers & Comments
Verified answer
Practice interviews are key. Get someone and practice with them.
It's based on how you represent yourself to the interviewer. Are you relaxed, did you research the company and can ask legitimate questions about the job you want, can you answer the questions easily and get a professional rapore going with the person, are you staying on topic?
Frankly, the jobs I nailed were the ones I went into the interviews with the feeling that I didn't care. My stress levels were completely gone and that showed. Desperation is a real interview killer.
Your age really shouldn’t be an issue unless you are conducting yourself in a manner inconsistent with your age. Just from reading your question there are several things that strike me. And please, take this feedback as intended, since you did ask the question.
-You come across in your question as rather immature. You are proud to have made it this far in life? You badmouthed previous employers despite being told by your father it was a bad idea? These are odd statements from a person in their mid-30s, and more consistent with someone in the early 20s.
-Use of big professional words isn’t the way to impress most interviewers, unless you are interviewing for a high level or very technical role (which it doesn’t sound like). In fact, trying to use certain words to sound impressive can actually backfire.
-Employers are looking for several things in an interview and with a candidate. They want to see how you will fit with the team they already have, they want to get a feel for your personality, depending on the type of job, they may want to get a feel for how you would handle (or have handled) certain situations. They want people who are genuine in how they present themselves. People who come across as overly rehearsed or prepared tend to not be perceived as well. By the same token, an experienced interviewer can tell pretty quickly when a candidate is giving a genuine response rather than a practiced response that’s been crafted to sound good. If you’ve been interviewing for ten minutes and then get asked a question and all of a sudden start using words and phrases that are completely inconsistent with the way you’ve been talking so far, that’s a red flag.
I haven’t interviewed you, so have no idea what you are doing during the interviews that is creating the issue. Based on your question you appear to have a bit of an attitude and are a bit dramatic. If you have over 15 years of experience, you have been able to get jobs before, so what has changed? How long have your jobs been? All very short tenures or have you worked a few places for 3+ years each? Having a lot of jobs with very short duration can be a red flag, but then how you address that in the interview also matters. If your reasons for leaving pretty much every job are them being “toxic” or “not a good fit” or other things that basically lay the blame on the company, well, that’s a red flag too. While it’s understandable that one company might be a bad fit, when many companies are bad fits it usually isn’t the companies, it’s the employee.
That last person who interviewed you and gave you hints and tips, what was their feedback? You should probably take it to heart, since they are someone who actually interacted with you and has perspective.
read up on books, do your research, and practice with a family or friend who has expirence.