it's not because Google gives you "obsolete" info but reason is you're not 'searching' it right.

If you go to thestar.com I'm very sure you will get loads of business and banking info till you're overloaded. Then proceed to Bank Negara website and practically surf EVERY SINGLE local banks' (CIMB, Maybank, RHB etc) sites for information. Now tell me, are you still unable to find any report and information?

I think it's the Malaysian culture. The interview is yours, and you should take the effort to get it done. You really ought to thank underpressure for the reply... If you don't do the research on your own, it's very easy for the interviewer to find out that you know nuts about the industry.

I think if you did freelancing is alright, as long as the job you're interviewing for - is connected to your freelance job. Show them your portfolio.

May I ask... what's the reason you're going back to the 9-5pm job when you're freelancing?

I can foresee that you'll have a tough time convincing the interviewer(s) on why you're going back to 9-5pm yet proving yourself 'valuable' to the organization. They would be skeptical in the sense that you're back to the stable job because you're not good enough as a freelancer - thus no clientele to serve. Be ready to be bombarded with questions like that...

slushie>> that's pretty vague. How "honest" were you with what issue? And does it have a high impact or influence towards what you'll be handling?

Also, it depends on interviewers I guess. Some appreciates your honestly while others might scorn at your record.

You mean as in you applied for job A and job B in the same company? Even if you don't tell, HR will know ^^;

I don't see how it's a problem. You can just tell the interviewer that you're interested in both functions but not sure how you'll fare in the other one (which is not related to studies). Just mention you applied because you have profound interest and would like to know more - if it's possible to rake in an interview for it.

Yes, some times applying for 2 positions within the same company also could show that you're not sure about what you want. The interviewer takes it as the latter.

Relevance is preferable but it's not compulsory. Lots of people jump field and enter jobs that's not related to their studies/ previous position. Internship is fine, it's general.

Hmm well in any case you've gone for the interview and tried your best. Don't dwell into it further, focus on job hunt while you wait for her reply on interview result.

Yeah, you answer in the sense of showing "evidence" or previous cases of being creative and the idea/ work is accepted by your boss.

underpressure>> thanks

I think it's a good habit to be prepared in any way and under any circumstances for any position ^^ just some suggestions:

1. Since you're fresh out of Form 6, you can talk about your school, what sort of co-curriculum activities you joined, how active you are (talk more if you're an active member/ person), family members, school experience etc. keep it short, under 3 minutes in my opinion then stop. the interviewer will ask you more questions if he/ she is unclear about certain things or even wish to know further. do not dwell in any particular topic, touch the tip of it and let the interviewer ask further if he/ she wants you to highlight more.

One more thing, you can also talk about future plans. for example, why you want to work in this particular restaurant/ cafe and why etc. Also you might want to let them know how long you'll be working (eg. until you're posted to the University etc) and such.

2. This is really highly dependent on how good you are. I agree about not over rating as it might show that a person could be over confident. unless say, you you're extremely proficient in English (both written and verbal) and you rate yourself 7. this could show that you are not confident enough. Ask yourself this question and rate yourself comfortably. If the interviewer does not agree with your rating, then explain to him/ her why you'd rate yourself that way (if the topic ever rises).

3. Ah well... even after going for quite some interviews, I still get a little shaky and nervous so don't worry, it's a common problem. I'd suggest days before interview, come up with questions that interviewers might ask (eg. google internet or even read through pages from this topic) and write them all down on your notebook. then write down your answers and practice them over and over again. you don't have to memorize your answer but read through them many times so you'll naturally know what to say when you're asked that particular question. to practice and boost yourself up a little, sit/ stand in front of the mirror and speak. another method is to ask your friend to help out. pretend that he/ she is the interviewer and try to answer as naturally as possible.

do this over and over again to overcome the "erm... uh... or 'apa nama'..." problem XD

:3 your best reference would be JobStreet. If you ever applied for jobs there, you'll be able to find out how many people also applied for the same job, their education level (lower, same or higher than yours) and expected salary level (lower, same or higher than yours). More popular jobs has higher application rate. I have seen 600+ and more for MNCs in just 3 weeks' of the job posting.

Oh... the interviewer said you lacked confidence? What do you think? you think you did well or do you think he's right?

In my opinion, if you don't appear more confident, even if they called you up for interview the next time... you might be rejected with the same excuse right? It's hard to tell what are your chances... normally if you're rejected, your resume are being KIV-ed. but don't let that stop you. apply again and see how it goes. In the meantime, practice more and try to appear more confident. All the best!

This post has been edited by sweet_pez: Jan 10 2011, 04:46 PM

Common questions are called "common questions" because it's usually the same thing ppl ask. It's hard to update. What would you suggest?

If you go through all 67 pages of this thread, you'll find your answer.

As for being nervous, well, everyone experiences that. Sometimes you can't expect to get a job after 6 interviews. Apply for more, go for more. Try up to 20 interviews and if you say you still don't get a job, I'd say, something is wrong somewhere.

Go for JobStreet's Career Fair and meet your potential employers. Also, send your resume to various job recruitment company.

Lastly, be calm and take your time to answer the interviewers. Don't rush to answer them and slowly think while stringing your sentences together. It may seem easier than done (it's true anyway) but practice makes perfect. Practice more in front of the mirror and get used to it. GL

Tommy gave good reply, tweak it a little to customize to your situation, otherwise it's no longer advice - it's already giving textbook reply liao

well, whatever works for you... imho, I suppose those previous answers were sufficient to paint the picture. then again, it's based on my own assumption.

Basically you have the right NOT to reveal your payslip - whether photocopy or original.

Yes, you can. Besides, you can actually refuse to show them at all but this might make them think that you're not being honest/ have something to hide.

if you wish to "show" them only, don't make any copies. Bring the original slip, show it to her, and that's it. Don't let the HR take it away from you. Pay slip is private and confidential, you have the right not to reveal to anyone.

Who are you reporting to? The Head Engineer?

Possibly your 2nd interview will be slightly more 'technical' (but this is also dependent on the position you are interviewing for. Any idea who will be the one to interview you @ 2nd round? That will give you more insights on the type of questions they will possibly ask.

Ahhhh okay, if you're in senior/ managerial position, it's possible the big boss wants to meet you at least once. Reason being, once the dept head decided he/ she wants you in the team, bosses would be prone to do a "final check" to verify if this candidate is the "right" person.

Btw, CONGRATZ

Errr shortlist in what sense?

Shortlisting whereby HR run the screening the process and select a minimum/ maximum potential candidates? Or, shortlist after first round of interview for the 2nd round?

From my understanding and experience, if you're talking about the 1st one, the HR usually check your experience and background. Once they think you're suitable with a reasonable salary, they will contact you (also, after the boss said okay to the selected ones). Again, it's very much individualistic on how much is "reasonable". Most of the time HR will assume it's fine to negotiate from your expected salary because they do realize quite a number of applicants mark up a little higher. Unless you are very firm and put in your resume, "Non-negotiable" to which, I can safely say, will limit the number of calls for interviews. Some of the opinion mentioned here are insights from a friend's sister who is a HR Manager.

MsBelinda>> partially because it's not stated in resume: "non-negotiable" thus the general assumption would be that it's negotiable.

LivingLife, it's very subjective. Also, this thread is dedicated to questions related to interviews. You might want to open a thread for your question.

This post has been edited by sweet_pez: Mar 30 2011, 02:53 PM

Really? What did you answer?

Seriously? I think I have missed out on it in 1st page. And I don't think I've ever encountered this question in my interviews. They usually like to ask me what's my expectation towards the company etc. Okay, that's something new to me, interesting.

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Added on April 13, 2011, 11:24 amIf the same questions is asked with the same group of people, then it is possible that they're checking for consistency.

Usually you don't get the very same set of questions in 1st interview and 2nd interview but some could overlap. Most of the time, if your 1st interview is more technical, then your 2nd interview is more to check whether you're suitable for the post (eg. if it's a managerial position, you will need to manage/ handle people, can you do it? etc) and note that you can adapt to the company culture. 1st interview and 2nd interview - vice versa.

This post has been edited by sweet_pez: Apr 13 2011, 11:24 AM

Well it highly depends, very much situational on the thank-you note thing.

Some recruiters do not have time, they might not be bothered about it and trust me when I say most of them behaves that way.

However some times (very rare?) you might get lucky and are able to enhance the interviewer's impression towards you based on your performance at the interview + thank you email.

Honestly, I think I've never sent one lol. One is, because I usually don't have the interviewer's email (it's just the HR's email) and secondly, I find that if I did well in the interview, they'll get back to me irregardless of the note as I do not believe it will influence their decision.

But yes, understand where you're coming from. It's good to be courteous and thank someone for it. There are people who do appreciate it.

Just to pose another opinion:
1. Fine
2. Fine
3. Dunno -> it's not easy to "describe" a culture. what are you expecting to hear from that question? No one would tell you, "Damn it's awful working here!" unless this person is not interested to hire you besides you won't hear much truths till you experience for yourself, thus it's irrelevant in my context. again, this is just personal opinion
4. Huh? Like? are you talking bout something related to business development? imo i'll only bring it up during discussion/ talk with boss
5. Structure... i think you'll find out when the interviewer elaborate in Q2. Question might overlap a little
6. I don't ask this question anymore; I'll wait for interviewer to bring it up.

Well again, when this person tells you it felt like you're challenging her authority, it could be the method you're asking questions or even how you phrase your question. Look at it this way, if you use subtle language to ask in a casual manner, no one would feel 'threatened' by them. But if, the mannerism in which you pose the question is not right, then yes, she might feel a little hostility as to you're questioning her knowledge/ ability.

Although in your opinion some of the questions are necessary, try to hold back until you've got a chance for 2nd interview when the things discussed are more in depth. Some will argue that if they feel uncomfortable with these questions in the first round, why bother with 2nd round but honestly, we're only hearing matters from your perspective on what happened. it could indeed be the interviewer's fault, or maybe not. Am not saying it's anybody's fault but sometimes interview works a bit different. Everyone's on their best behaviour trying to find out more yet sometimes the chemistry with the interviewer is just not there.

Although I believe the Mod will appreciate your praise, I hope you're not doing this to add post count? o.O do understand that Roundtable don't encourage one-liner response unless it's something with much meaning...