Give me some interview tips?

I know this is probably the furthest thing from most of your minds, which is, arguably, for the best. I should be focusing more on my health as well, but I gotta get set up for a future without family to rely upon.

That said, while, again, I know you guys have more important worries, you are my friends, my family, so I figured it wouldn't hurt to ask y'all. No, I want to ask you guys. I want your words.

I'm due for a "cultural fit" interview this Tuesday at the hospital here in town for a catering assistant position (basically, helping to prepare food for delivery/delivering it to patients), and I'd very much like to get hired on there.

I'm currently preparing answers to a lot of the common interview questions, because I know my brain would shutdown if I were asked them on the spot without preparation. It's hard to answer them even now. So, yeah, going to be doing my best to get a natural act down by Tuesday.

Though, the way I understand it, cultural fit interviews are more to a gauge a person's personality, before you get invited to the second more professional interview, so I'm not sure how many of them I'll be asked. I'd like to be ready, regardless.

Also, references, I need one more. I'm going to be asking everyone I can.

So, yeah, any tips, suggestions, etc.?

Dress nice, smile, be as open, social as possible, those I can manage. Prep for the questions. I might seem a little simple, but at least I'll look and appear a nice person.

What else?

Yeah, I'm working on "30 of the most common interview questions" right now. I've got responses for about 10 of them. I'd like to spent one of these nights in the next few days going over them with my grandmother, so I will at least be able to remember bits and pieces.

I mean, I'd like to think I am a people person, just not as fun to be around as they'd like - dull, but I get what you mean. You want genuine responses, nothing too generic.

It's crazy how intense some of these interviews can be, yeah. I'm pretty sure the ones for more specialized occupations require more, but I think positions like the one I'm going for only require two, the cultural and then a more traditional interview.

Sorry you haven't made it yet, man, but keep going for it, you know? That's what I'm doing.

Definitely hard..

All this thinking's gotten my Lyme stirred up and it's making me wanna feel depressed as ****. Can't let it win doe. :O

Thank you, sir!

I just started looking for a job this week too. I'm not in "remission" but I hope I'm well enough.

To be honest I really don't think very many people ever recover to the point of being 100% well and never having to think about Lyme again. Among the success stories you see mostly people like BetterHealthGuy who seems to be constantly trying to eke out a few more % points of well being. Even Brian Rosner who wrote a few books on Lyme treatments seems to still be trying random things.

So I decided to just enter the job market and hope for the best. My savings are going to run out sooner or later and I'd rather have a bit of a buffer than wait until I have no choice. I might get a hyperbaric chamber to try to suppress whatever is left without triggering massive herxes like many other treatments do for me.

I am actually terrified right now when I think about trying to work for another few decades while battling these infections. I guess I'll just take it a year at a time and see how much will to live I can muster.

More to the point, I've been looking at behavioral interview questions. I struggle with trying to remember these instances on the fly, so it's good to have a few pre-canned stories you can spout when they ask you: 'tell me about a time when..'

You have been given some awesome answers.

Preparedness is paramount!!! The interview committee can spot someone that is prepared in a heart beat. And this preparedness scores big points.

Try and relate your answers to something that you have done in your past. If it is a conflict question. Relate it to an argument you had with a friend and maybe you both agreed to disagree and shook hands.

Teamwork, Leadership and Problem Solving are the big behavioral questions.

As for a reference - friends, teachers, church members, and don't forget your doctors/dentist. Docs can't disclose medical information, but can be a character witness to your punctuality and demeanor.

Now go prep some more. You cannot over prepare for this. Practice with grandma or in front of a mirror.

Super good luck and everything is crossed for you!!

Artermix, I don't know, I feel like I'd just wanna be honest about those questions, man.

I want to drive a black car (though, my current one is spruce silver).

If I were an animal, I'd want to be one of those snow bunnies. Why? Because, they're super cute.

If I were a flower, I'd be a black petunia.

Haha, I get what you mean though. But, really, if an employer were to judge me heavily based on my answers to questions like those, I'm not sure how fit they would be to really be hiring people, you know? Like, look at the parking lot.. is everyone driving a white car?

As for the rest, I've already got plans to do that. Mentioning what I'm doing to work on those weaknesses and how that could be applied in the workplace. Mirroring their company values with my strengths. Stories about times where I had to deal with a problem? I'm planning to mention how I used skills related to things that are taken directly from the job listing - "ability to perform detailed assignments, follow directions, work under pressure, and readily adapt to change in routine and work assignments." I will use those words or very similar.

I have to get through the questions before I can practice. I'd meant to get up at like 8, but my body wasn't having it. I need to right my sleeping schedule.

Anyway, that's what I'll be doing for the rest of today and tomorrow.. and Tuesday morning.

Though, I'm really hoping I can skate by with not having to answer too many of these during the cultural fit, and having them decide I'm worthy of a second interview, so that I can have more time to prep.

Also, a great big thank you, guys! You da best!

Oh, and PROJECT.. you're right, you gotta do what you gotta do to keep the bank account afloat. Part of me would much rather just kick back at home and try to figure my health out, but I can't do that. Do your best. It hurts, but you might surprise yourself.

If I'd listened to my Lyme/co, I wouldn't have gotten back in school (good grades, so far), I wouldn't have applied for these jobs (pretty sure I got one of them, at a nursing home), I wouldn't be alive.. actually.

It may seem backwards, impossible at times even, but we gotta do some real living in between the aches and pains, or at least try our very best.

Post Edited (NotQuiteAntonio) : 10/9/2016 12:21:47 PM (GMT-6)

I wish I had suggestions for you, Antonio, but as you likely know, I haven't been able to work in a long time, so any of my answers would be completely outdated!

But I do want to wish you the best of luck!!! Please do let us know how you feel you may have done with this interview!

/biginterview.com/blog/behavioral-interview-questions

My husband was on the interview panels of many companies in the state of CA. He sat on so many interviews up and down the state and he told me to share this site with you.

Click on the links and see what each possible interview question suggests.

He said that each answer should end in a positive manner.

I agree with bluelyme!!

You got this!!

you have already got good advice, so I just want to wish you luck

Just picture all your interviewers in their underwear.... if you are nervous.