Job Interviews, a decision moment 2

[crankPT]

Hello to all,

I writing here to get some sort of advice from you, perhaps you thought the same or have been in the same position. I trying to keep positive but sometimes is really hard, or is just a reality that i didn't knew about.
I want change my job. I'm a QC junior engineer in Europe, with 7 years experience in industrial/shipbuilding piping inspection and NDT inspection as well. I am ISO 9712 Level 2 in MT and Level in UT, which for the current market in my country is good. I started a master's degree in Energie (Mechanical Eng. field). I work as an inspector and have good relations with external surveyors and keep most things on track. The problems start when is almost policy of the company to have a QC department to basically know how to deceive the certification surveyors, and other policy is the workflow is loaded instantly that you don't have time to do proper inspections, i.e., you analyse very briefly the P&ID's to see, DN's, purpose of the pipes, material, treatments, work pressures etc etc. All this leads me to find a new job.

The things is that, i sent around 30 CV's in these last 2 months, i sent , and i've been in probably 5 job interviews in big companies, but i was not selected anytime, i have a tendency to overthink the things to say and sometimes is not me that is talking and the HR guys see that i am worried and want to change job so fast that i am nervous. Which leads me to think that: or my soft skills/presentation is not good; or my CV is just one more and that they are just trying to find the better one; or as the market is so low that they are careful. These things lead me to think that is more important the job interview than the CV itself. And i am a guy that have been psychologically down (my wife has depression, this COVID thing in the last years affected my time with friends, my self esteem has not been very high...whatever) and i feel a bit lost really.

Thanks for reading.

Best regards

 

[GregLocock]

5 interviews from 30 applications is great, so yes, I'm afraid it is your interviewing skills that are letting you down. I have no advice there I'm afraid, maybe do a public speaking course?

Cheers

Greg Locock


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[LittleInch]

It's not clear if you are just sending CV's to companies hoping to get employed or if you are responding to actual open opportunities?

But 5 out of 30 shows quite a good rate of return.

I suspect you have lots of reasons why you want to leave and that this becomes the key thing you end up talking about instead of why you want to join their company. I've interviewed people many times when I found out all the issues and reason in their current job, but had no idea what they were looking for in the position I had open.

First port of call is normally using all your contacts, friends and ex colleagues who are now in different companies to see what opportunities they have. PA personal recommendation from someone is worth 50%.

So dial down why you want to leave and just say that you feel you have outgrown the position or that you're not being supported, but don't go too far. No one wants to listen to someone moaning about being overworked or don't get on with the management, they then think you'll be the same for them in 6 months time. If the questions get a bit too much just say that you don't want to betray any internal company issues, but you now feel the time is right to move on and explore other opportunities which fit better with your qualifications and experience which you don't think are going to be there in your current role.

Then say what skills you've developed in the last 7 years, dealing with different people and professions, your qualifications and current training / degree course. Just always try to pre think of a positive response. You've now been to 5 interviews so everyone tends to ask similar questions - be a bit more prepared in your own mind what you need to say and NOT SAY....

Leave out the depression and Covid stuff. Again no one really wants to know and could act against you. Just say things were difficult in Covid within the family, but you've pulled through and are now slowly getting back to a more "normal" lifestyle (even if you're not).

Try a coach / friend or read a few books on techniques and practice a few answers so you don't have to take too much time thinking about the response in an interview.

Good luck.

Remember - More details = better answers
Also: If you get a response it's polite to respond to it.

 

[CWB1]

Ignore if not applicable, but one of the soft skills that many struggle with is effective communication using few words. As you go up the food chain management has less time and need for detail. The CEO doesnt have time to talk or read engineering. Your manager doesnt have time to review every detail of your work. More applicable to interviews is that MANY people ramble, they provide so much detail that the answer is either missed completely or misunderstood by others. Doing so also usually has the effect of overselling, turning an interview from a comfortable conversation into an uncomfortable sales pitch. Practice being direct! If asked a series of yes/no questions most of your answers should be "yes" or "no" with no detail added. If asked a technical question, find a way to simplify an answer into 1-3 brief sentences.

I would piggyback on Greg's suggestion about a public speaking course by recommending you join a public speaking club like Toastmasters International, their educational materials are better and more fun than college courses. I'm a member and not only has it improved my speaking and writing abilities, but elderly members' have passed along some of their ability to handle difficult situations with stoicism, charm, humor, and polite jabs when appropriate.

 

[TheTick]

As CWB1 said, be direct. Be clear.

Most of all, ANSWER THE QUESTION. As an interviewer, one of the biggest red flags is if the candidate does not understand the question or (worse) understands but gives a deflecting answer.

Anyone might ramble when they are nervous. I try to give some leeway. But if a candidate can not get to the point and wrap it up, that is a big problem.

 

[SWComposites]

Do not discuss your current companies policies at all; do not make negative statements (or anything that could be thought of as negative statements) about your current company.

Many (most?) companies expect their QA departments to quickly make problems go away; its not a great thing but it is what it is.

In an interview you should focus on your technical capabilities, your experience, you skills at working with internal and external inspectors/surveyors, and then reasons why you are interested in the new company to grow your career - more responsibility, different capabilities, new products, etc.

Maybe you should look into jobs with independent surveyors or certification agencies. Make use of your contacts there.

And listen to the other good advice posted above.

 

[crankPT]

First of all i want to thank you for the replies and all the constructive comments. You were striking right.

Secondly, sorry for killing the English language in some places

I am going to write my third point trying to address all of the comments:
a) Yes you are right, i am struggling with my direct, to the point, constructive way of talking. I have been more of a rumble guy. I have to address that.
b) Thank you for the feedback on the number of interviews, my thought was completely the opposite.
c) Looking back, i can see why the response has not been positive, i think i want to leave so hard that i think i don't show i want to get in in the new company. It's like i am so concentrated in getting out, that i dont't focus in the new company. Which make me so nervous, that i don't know explain to the HR guy why i want the job, but thinking now, is that i just want to leave.
d) My health is not been very good, i was diagnosed with Epilepsy, which is not controlled yet. This implies many things, because most of big companies are a 45 min commute away, my current company is 15 min away and i can have a lift with friends from work. The law in my country does not allow driving one year since the last episode and while is not controlled. This is another weight in my mind.
e) I think i have to work in loose ends. Improve and control the disease; finish the master's degree but it's a 2 year commitment and i think that i should apply myself in a certification to my job like (API570 or weld inspector); Work on my public speaking;
f) And a American friends say "Keep my s**t together" and move on;

Thank you all, this thread was helpful, i never thought about the public speaking difficulty and the impact it can have, after all.

 

[TheTick]

Keeping your $#!+ together when it is not together is a powerfully daunting task.

Like most things in life, it happens one little thing at a time. How does a piranha eat a pig? One bite at a time. Be a piranha, not a shark. Bonus if you can find some piranha buddies to help you.

 

[IRstuff]

b) Thank you for the feedback on the number of interviews,

As in American baseball, a 15% hit rate on proposals, which are kind of like job applications, is doing tolerably well. I've read horror stories of sending out hundreds of resumes and getting bupkis.

As possible already mentioned, a proposal is telling the customer two things they want to know, "Why me," and "What can I do for you?" In both cases, this does require, as with customized cover letters/resumes, your due diligence in investigating the companies and customizing your selling pitch to the needs of the company in question.

TTFN (ta ta for now)
I can do absolutely anything. I'm an expert!

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