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Job Interview Coming Up

BigBearBigBear If your life had a face, I would punch it.Registered User regular
edited June 2009 in Help / Advice Forum
Well, I feel pretty lucky right now. I applied to this sales and marketing firm over in Braintree, MA, and they want me to come in for a 20 minute pulmonary interview. I don't have much experience in sales, but I guess they like my writing and communication skills.

So, anyway, this is my first official job interview since I got out of college. Anyone have any tips on not looking and sounding like an idiot? I assume that showing up on time and showng up in a suit and tie are obvious points, but does anyone have any additional tips on making myself look more presentable to the manager interviewing me? This job has some really good benefits and they are willing to train too since it's entry-level, so I'm really hoping I give off a good first impression.

BigBear on

Posts

  • YodaTunaYodaTuna Registered User regular
    edited June 2009
    BigBear wrote: »
    Well, I feel pretty lucky right now. I applied to this sales and marketing firm over in Braintree, MA, and they want me to come in for a 20 minute pulmonary interview. I don't have much experience in sales, but I guess they like my writing and communication skills.

    Lung test? Ha.


    So, anyway, this is my first official job interview since I got out of college. Anyone have any tips on not looking and sounding like an idiot? I assume that showing up on time and showng up in a suit and tie are obvious points, but does anyone have any additional tips on making myself look more presentable to the manager interviewing me? This job has some really good benefits and they are willing to train too since it's entry-level, so I'm really hoping I give off a good first impression.

    Wear clothes that are one level above what you will be wearing at a normal day at the job. Suit is probably good for a sales job. Make sure you bring two copies of your resume. Give one to the interviewer. Shows that you're prepared. Good hand shake is important. Don't be a limp wristed sissy. Research the company before you go. Have questions prepared to ask them, show that you're interested. If this is only one of two or more interviews, don't talk about pay rate unless they bring it up first.

    Good luck.

    YodaTuna on
  • GrundlestiltskinGrundlestiltskin Behind you!Registered User regular
    edited June 2009
    Not to say this is necessarily the case (you mentioned benefits, which they tend not to do), but make sure it's not one of those direct marketing companies. There seem to be a lot of them in the Boston area and they seem to prey on the fresh out of college crowd.

    Other than that I'd say wear a suit, know your resume, make good eye contact, sit up straight, and have a few good questions to ask about the company at the conclusion of the interview.

    Grundlestiltskin on
    3DS FC: 2079-6424-8577 | PSN: KaeruX65 | Steam: Karulytic | FFXIV: Wonder Boy
  • mightyspacepopemightyspacepope Registered User regular
    edited June 2009
    If they tout themselves as a "sports marketing" or "event marketing" company, cancel the interview. They're going to want you to go to places like colleges or retirement homes to try to sell them tickets to sports games and the like.

    mightyspacepope on
  • ErandusErandus Registered User regular
    edited June 2009
    Eye contact, eye contact, eye contact. Can't be stressed enough for a sales position. Don't cross your legs, or put your ankle up on your knee or fidget. You need to look comfortable and relaxed but not sloppy. Keep your feet flat on the floor and your hands on the arms of your chair when you're not talking. Look who your speaking to in the eye when you're speaking, and look in the eye anyone speaking to you. Try not to "uhhh" and "errr" to much if you can help it, and while you want your answers to be specific and informative, try to avoid being long winded. Succinct is what you're looking for.

    Erandus on
    [SIGPIC][/SIGPIC]
  • BigBearBigBear If your life had a face, I would punch it. Registered User regular
    edited June 2009
    Well, it looks like the company I applied for, Northeastern Consulting, ended up being a soliciting scam. I sure as hell ain't going there tomorrow.

    I appreciate you guys suggesting I do more research, it looks like that's something I'm gonna have to be a little more careful with in the future.

    OKay, so now I'm definitely not showing up for that interview. Thing is, since I mailed them my resume, they now have my phone number and email. Should I be worried for any reason?

    BigBear on
  • GrundlestiltskinGrundlestiltskin Behind you!Registered User regular
    edited June 2009
    BigBear wrote: »
    OKay, so now I'm definitely not showing up for that interview. Thing is, since I mailed them my resume, they now have my phone number and email. Should I be worried for any reason?

    Nope. Places like that tend to cast a pretty wide net and just take whoever they can con into signing up on the spot. They probably won't give it a second thought.

    Edit - Looked at the report, good old BSI is still at it - they were recruiting back when I was fresh looking for a job out here in 2006. "Event based marketing" = run.

    Grundlestiltskin on
    3DS FC: 2079-6424-8577 | PSN: KaeruX65 | Steam: Karulytic | FFXIV: Wonder Boy
  • ErandusErandus Registered User regular
    edited June 2009
    I always thought it would be fun to go to an interview like that just to call them on their ridiculous bullshit.

    Erandus on
    [SIGPIC][/SIGPIC]
  • GrundlestiltskinGrundlestiltskin Behind you!Registered User regular
    edited June 2009
    Tracked this down in my inbox, an email I sent out in 9/06 due to a similar job hunting experience:
    So basically, I've been out here looking for work for the last month. I decided to pursue something in marketing, advertising, consulting, or something otherwise finance related, so I started looking for related entry level positions on Monster.com. Over the course of a few days I had applied to several companies in what I perceived to be a variety of areas. The ones I will discuss are the ones I had interviewed with, namely Executive Advertising, Nova Marketing and Promotions, and Innovative Marketing Group.

    The story starts about the middle of last week, as I went to my interview with Executive Advertising out in Quincy, MA. I was stressed out, it was my first interview in a while and I was eager to make an impression. I eventually tracked the office down in the basement of this office building, pretty much a hole in the wall kind of place. The first things I noticed were the size of the office (there couldn't have been more than three individual offices plus the reception area) and the choice of waiting room music (modern rock). While I waited in the reception area I filled out a form and attached a printed copy of my resume as requested. I was later greeted by the office manager, a guy who was probably in his late 20s/early 30s. He explained that this meeting was just a preliminary interview, a chance to put a name to a face (his exact words, this comes up again later) and talk a little bit about what they did down there at EA. According to the manager, let's call him Jim, EA represented a lot of big names in sports and entertainment such as the Boston Celtics and the Minnesota Timberwolves. Their job was to increase foot traffic for these clients, by selling off packages of surplus inventory; in those cases the surplus would be unsold venue seats, but in other cases it would be unused tee times at golf courses, unsold movie tickets, things of that nature.

    The motto of Jim's business was "learn one, do one, teach one," and his business had four levels. If hired, I would start off in entry level sales while (he emphasized this) being cross trained in all different aspects of the business so I could get myself on a management track. I would be entry sales for about 4-5 weeks while being trained in all of this, and then eventually become a salesperson/trainer myself. This period would last about 6-8 months as I learned the business inside and out, taking on more responsibility within the company. After that I'd become an assistant manager, shadowing the manager of EA for a few weeks before learning enough to help the company expand by leaving to manage my own branch. As I could clearly see, there was incredible potential for advancement, and even more enticing was the fact that the potential was palpable; the time periods for each stage had been spelled out. I asked a few questions about salary but Jim was very evasive on the subject, and I refused to push the issue lest I hurt my chances. Jim had a few more interviews that day but told me that I would get a call between 4:30 and 6 that afternoon if they were interested in bringing me back for a second round interview. I didn't get a call.

    Later on that week I drove out to my interview with Nova Marketing and Promotions (NMP) in Woburn, MA. I was determined to do better this time. I got to the office a few minutes late, part of some sort of office suite strip mall (right next to a porn video company, apparently). Again I filled out a form and attached a copy of my resume while I waited to be interviewed. Again I noted the size of the office (there couldn't have been more than 2-3 individual offices) and the waiting room music (techno/dance music). Again I was greeted by a young office manager, probably late 20s/early 30s. The manager of NMP, let's call him Jim, told me that his firm represented several nonprofit organizations such as D.A.R.E, Toys for Tots, and the Child Protection Enforcement Agency. Their job was to run promotional events to raise awareness for these nonprofits. It was a great opportunity to make money while doing something good for the community, and I was pretty excited about it. Jim wanted me to know that this was just a preliminary interview, just a chance to put a name to a face, and that while he didn't really have time to answer any of my questions I would have a chance to ask them were I called back for a second round interview; I would hear back between 4:30 and 6 if that were the case. Around 7:30 that night I got a call congratulating me on being selected for a second round interview, asking if I could clear my schedule and come in from 10:30am to 6:30pm on Monday to see how the business worked. I had another interview scheduled for Monday (with Innovative Marketing Group) but I figured I would just postpone it. I was just so excited to have the opportunity for a second interview.

    Monday morning I showed up to find six or so other recent college grads in the reception area. One by one we were brought into the manager's office and paired off with one of the office's "top training managers" to go to a promotional event and check things out. I was paired off with a girl named Mallory, who had apparently been with NMP about four months and loved it there. As we drove to our promotional event she gauged my knowledge of marketing and asked me a bunch of questions ranking the importance to me of friendship, family, a fun workplace, and advancement on a scale of 1 to 10. Our "promotional event," as it turned out, was us setting up a table in front of a Starbucks in Cambridge and trying to "raise awareness" by getting passers by to buy D.A.R.E t-shirts, kid IDs, coloring books, and piggy banks. Our pitch was that D.A.R.E had recently lost a lot of its funding, and that we were working on behalf of D.A.R.E to raise money and keep the program in schools. Mallory approached each pedestrian on the sidewalk with a friendly greeting, asking if they'd like to stop by and see what we were doing to help the kids. Over lunch (I paid for my own) Mallory explained the business structure to me: Four stages (entry level, training manager, assistant manager, manager/start your own office). Obviously, I couldn't help but notice the amazing similarity to the corporate structure of the last company I had interviewed with. She also answered my questions about pay; during the entry level period I could expect to bring home between $350-$550 a week pre-tax, with a "safety net" of $320 a week. The company offered no benefits because, as a small company, they could not afford health care for their employees. However, there was so much potential for advancement that it was totally worth it.

    Anyways, I stood outside that Starbucks for about seven hours trying to impress my training manager by selling D.A.R.E t-shirts to passers by and trying to raise awareness in the community. I guess I did a reasonable job, because I was invited back to the office to take a quiz and potentially meet again with the office manager pending my training manager's recommendations. While I sat there there was something of a dance party going on in the next room amongst all the training managers who had returned from their promotional events. They were also involved in some wierd game that involved yelling "HEY!!!" at every employee who entered the office, and this other game; someone in the group would yell, "Hey guys!" to which the group would respond, "Hey what?" The person would then run across the room and ring a hanging bell and everyone would yell "HEY!!!!" and cheer. Apparently this was a daily routine, and seemed almost ritualistic. I passed it off as some management technique to keep moral up. Eventually my training manager asked me to come outside with her. She asked me a few questions about my quiz; I had written down that I was interested in starting immediately, would I start the next day? When I replied that I would need some time to think about it, she went to talk to her manager about it only to return stating that they were really only interested in bringing people back for third round interviews who were "seriously excited about the company." She told me I could get back to them later that week but that there were no guarantees. I left as quickly as I could.

    Out of sheer morbid curiousity I decided to go to my third interview today with Innovative Marketing Group (IMG). After entering their hole in the wall office I filled out the standard form and attached my resume as I listened to the apparently requisite loud rock music in the waiting room. I was greeted by Jim, the late 20s/early 30s manager of the office, and was told that this was just a preliminary interview, a chance to put a name to a face. He talked about IMG's big sports/entertainment clients (like the Boston Celtics and the Timberwolves) and about his business selling surplus seats etc. He also explained his four step corporate structure and the exciting management track I could follow. Based on my past interview experiences I was slightly more belligerent in my questioning, pushing issues like salary and healthcare. Jim avoided the questions as much as possible. He said I'd get a call between 430 and 6 if I was chosen for a second round interview, but unsurprisingly I received no call. I think he sensed that I was onto them. Incidentally, I also noticed a business card for Executive Advertising on the receptionist's desk on my way out. My suspicions about connections were pretty much confirmed at this point.

    After some research, I've determined that all of these firms are loose affiliates of DS-Max companies (Direct Sales to the Maximum, more specifically selling surplus inventory in an effort to Direct Market the client). Any actual connections to the clients seemed tenuous at best. In the specific case of Nova Marketing, who represented non profits, less than 20% of the suggested retail value of the items I sold actually went to D.A.R.E; this was also written off as a tax allowance. As near as I can tell, these companies prey on young 20somethings who are fresh out of college, naiive, and desperate for work/advancement. Their managers are trained to be as manipulative and evasive as possible, and create and office cult that reinforces employees that they're not doing anything wrong. They also push applicants that meet their criteria to agree to a job on the spot and start the next day, preying on job insecurity to start the applicant down the corporate cult path. The corporate structure is really nothing more than elaborate pyramid scheme; you progress through the ranks and then go off and start your own, loosely affiliated pyramid. The benefits to this structure are twofold: one, the first pyramids in a new market stand to make enormous profit (they work out of hole in the wall offices, sell surplus merchandise, and pay their employees next to nothing for limitless hours of work), and two, the affiliate system prevents the company from getting so big that they'd be legally responsible for providing benefits.

    Grundlestiltskin on
    3DS FC: 2079-6424-8577 | PSN: KaeruX65 | Steam: Karulytic | FFXIV: Wonder Boy
  • BigBearBigBear If your life had a face, I would punch it. Registered User regular
    edited June 2009
    Tracked this down in my inbox, an email I sent out in 9/06 due to a similar job hunting experience:
    So basically, I've been out here looking for work for the last month. I decided to pursue something in marketing, advertising, consulting, or something otherwise finance related, so I started looking for related entry level positions on Monster.com. Over the course of a few days I had applied to several companies in what I perceived to be a variety of areas. The ones I will discuss are the ones I had interviewed with, namely Executive Advertising, Nova Marketing and Promotions, and Innovative Marketing Group.

    The story starts about the middle of last week, as I went to my interview with Executive Advertising out in Quincy, MA. I was stressed out, it was my first interview in a while and I was eager to make an impression. I eventually tracked the office down in the basement of this office building, pretty much a hole in the wall kind of place. The first things I noticed were the size of the office (there couldn't have been more than three individual offices plus the reception area) and the choice of waiting room music (modern rock). While I waited in the reception area I filled out a form and attached a printed copy of my resume as requested. I was later greeted by the office manager, a guy who was probably in his late 20s/early 30s. He explained that this meeting was just a preliminary interview, a chance to put a name to a face (his exact words, this comes up again later) and talk a little bit about what they did down there at EA. According to the manager, let's call him Jim, EA represented a lot of big names in sports and entertainment such as the Boston Celtics and the Minnesota Timberwolves. Their job was to increase foot traffic for these clients, by selling off packages of surplus inventory; in those cases the surplus would be unsold venue seats, but in other cases it would be unused tee times at golf courses, unsold movie tickets, things of that nature.

    The motto of Jim's business was "learn one, do one, teach one," and his business had four levels. If hired, I would start off in entry level sales while (he emphasized this) being cross trained in all different aspects of the business so I could get myself on a management track. I would be entry sales for about 4-5 weeks while being trained in all of this, and then eventually become a salesperson/trainer myself. This period would last about 6-8 months as I learned the business inside and out, taking on more responsibility within the company. After that I'd become an assistant manager, shadowing the manager of EA for a few weeks before learning enough to help the company expand by leaving to manage my own branch. As I could clearly see, there was incredible potential for advancement, and even more enticing was the fact that the potential was palpable; the time periods for each stage had been spelled out. I asked a few questions about salary but Jim was very evasive on the subject, and I refused to push the issue lest I hurt my chances. Jim had a few more interviews that day but told me that I would get a call between 4:30 and 6 that afternoon if they were interested in bringing me back for a second round interview. I didn't get a call.

    Later on that week I drove out to my interview with Nova Marketing and Promotions (NMP) in Woburn, MA. I was determined to do better this time. I got to the office a few minutes late, part of some sort of office suite strip mall (right next to a porn video company, apparently). Again I filled out a form and attached a copy of my resume while I waited to be interviewed. Again I noted the size of the office (there couldn't have been more than 2-3 individual offices) and the waiting room music (techno/dance music). Again I was greeted by a young office manager, probably late 20s/early 30s. The manager of NMP, let's call him Jim, told me that his firm represented several nonprofit organizations such as D.A.R.E, Toys for Tots, and the Child Protection Enforcement Agency. Their job was to run promotional events to raise awareness for these nonprofits. It was a great opportunity to make money while doing something good for the community, and I was pretty excited about it. Jim wanted me to know that this was just a preliminary interview, just a chance to put a name to a face, and that while he didn't really have time to answer any of my questions I would have a chance to ask them were I called back for a second round interview; I would hear back between 4:30 and 6 if that were the case. Around 7:30 that night I got a call congratulating me on being selected for a second round interview, asking if I could clear my schedule and come in from 10:30am to 6:30pm on Monday to see how the business worked. I had another interview scheduled for Monday (with Innovative Marketing Group) but I figured I would just postpone it. I was just so excited to have the opportunity for a second interview.

    Monday morning I showed up to find six or so other recent college grads in the reception area. One by one we were brought into the manager's office and paired off with one of the office's "top training managers" to go to a promotional event and check things out. I was paired off with a girl named Mallory, who had apparently been with NMP about four months and loved it there. As we drove to our promotional event she gauged my knowledge of marketing and asked me a bunch of questions ranking the importance to me of friendship, family, a fun workplace, and advancement on a scale of 1 to 10. Our "promotional event," as it turned out, was us setting up a table in front of a Starbucks in Cambridge and trying to "raise awareness" by getting passers by to buy D.A.R.E t-shirts, kid IDs, coloring books, and piggy banks. Our pitch was that D.A.R.E had recently lost a lot of its funding, and that we were working on behalf of D.A.R.E to raise money and keep the program in schools. Mallory approached each pedestrian on the sidewalk with a friendly greeting, asking if they'd like to stop by and see what we were doing to help the kids. Over lunch (I paid for my own) Mallory explained the business structure to me: Four stages (entry level, training manager, assistant manager, manager/start your own office). Obviously, I couldn't help but notice the amazing similarity to the corporate structure of the last company I had interviewed with. She also answered my questions about pay; during the entry level period I could expect to bring home between $350-$550 a week pre-tax, with a "safety net" of $320 a week. The company offered no benefits because, as a small company, they could not afford health care for their employees. However, there was so much potential for advancement that it was totally worth it.

    Anyways, I stood outside that Starbucks for about seven hours trying to impress my training manager by selling D.A.R.E t-shirts to passers by and trying to raise awareness in the community. I guess I did a reasonable job, because I was invited back to the office to take a quiz and potentially meet again with the office manager pending my training manager's recommendations. While I sat there there was something of a dance party going on in the next room amongst all the training managers who had returned from their promotional events. They were also involved in some wierd game that involved yelling "HEY!!!" at every employee who entered the office, and this other game; someone in the group would yell, "Hey guys!" to which the group would respond, "Hey what?" The person would then run across the room and ring a hanging bell and everyone would yell "HEY!!!!" and cheer. Apparently this was a daily routine, and seemed almost ritualistic. I passed it off as some management technique to keep moral up. Eventually my training manager asked me to come outside with her. She asked me a few questions about my quiz; I had written down that I was interested in starting immediately, would I start the next day? When I replied that I would need some time to think about it, she went to talk to her manager about it only to return stating that they were really only interested in bringing people back for third round interviews who were "seriously excited about the company." She told me I could get back to them later that week but that there were no guarantees. I left as quickly as I could.

    Out of sheer morbid curiousity I decided to go to my third interview today with Innovative Marketing Group (IMG). After entering their hole in the wall office I filled out the standard form and attached my resume as I listened to the apparently requisite loud rock music in the waiting room. I was greeted by Jim, the late 20s/early 30s manager of the office, and was told that this was just a preliminary interview, a chance to put a name to a face. He talked about IMG's big sports/entertainment clients (like the Boston Celtics and the Timberwolves) and about his business selling surplus seats etc. He also explained his four step corporate structure and the exciting management track I could follow. Based on my past interview experiences I was slightly more belligerent in my questioning, pushing issues like salary and healthcare. Jim avoided the questions as much as possible. He said I'd get a call between 430 and 6 if I was chosen for a second round interview, but unsurprisingly I received no call. I think he sensed that I was onto them. Incidentally, I also noticed a business card for Executive Advertising on the receptionist's desk on my way out. My suspicions about connections were pretty much confirmed at this point.

    After some research, I've determined that all of these firms are loose affiliates of DS-Max companies (Direct Sales to the Maximum, more specifically selling surplus inventory in an effort to Direct Market the client). Any actual connections to the clients seemed tenuous at best. In the specific case of Nova Marketing, who represented non profits, less than 20% of the suggested retail value of the items I sold actually went to D.A.R.E; this was also written off as a tax allowance. As near as I can tell, these companies prey on young 20somethings who are fresh out of college, naiive, and desperate for work/advancement. Their managers are trained to be as manipulative and evasive as possible, and create and office cult that reinforces employees that they're not doing anything wrong. They also push applicants that meet their criteria to agree to a job on the spot and start the next day, preying on job insecurity to start the applicant down the corporate cult path. The corporate structure is really nothing more than elaborate pyramid scheme; you progress through the ranks and then go off and start your own, loosely affiliated pyramid. The benefits to this structure are twofold: one, the first pyramids in a new market stand to make enormous profit (they work out of hole in the wall offices, sell surplus merchandise, and pay their employees next to nothing for limitless hours of work), and two, the affiliate system prevents the company from getting so big that they'd be legally responsible for providing benefits.

    Both this and the Ripoff Report were huge eye-openers. I can't fucking believe I almost fell for this shit. This is kind of like that scam where you sell knives, only with Celtics tickets.

    Anyway, thanks a lot for the advice. I guess I'm gonna have to be a lot more wary of shit I find on Monster or Yahoo from now on, I just can't believe it's so pervasive. Especially shit that says "NO experience required!" I feel like an idiot, should have known this was too good to be true.

    BigBear on
  • SentrySentry Registered User regular
    edited June 2009
    Job searches are demoralizing, dehumanizing things. Which is why these scams work. Desperation sets in quickly in a job search when you're unemployed, or under-employed, and it's easy to overlook any red flags.

    Sentry on
    [SIGPIC][/SIGPIC]
    wrote:
    When I was a little kid, I always pretended I was the hero,' Skip said.
    'Fuck yeah, me too. What little kid ever pretended to be part of the lynch-mob?'
  • WJamesWJames __BANNED USERS new member
    edited June 2009
    Doing research about the company you're applying for is vital and necessary since they are doing the same with you. Every HR person checks out the social networking platforms to get more information.

    WJames on
  • DeebaserDeebaser on my way to work in a suit and a tie Ahhhh...come on fucking guyRegistered User regular
    edited June 2009
    BigBear wrote: »

    Anyway, thanks a lot for the advice. I guess I'm gonna have to be a lot more wary of shit I find on Monster or Yahoo from now on, I just can't believe it's so pervasive. Especially shit that says "NO experience required!" I feel like an idiot, should have known this was too good to be true.

    If it makes you feel any better, I went to two of these interviews years ago. They had hippy fronts like Green Peace and some other feel-good protect kids from Chris Hansen organization.

    Deebaser on
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