Get Through Those Tough Job Interviews!

Step 1: Practice

One of the most important things you can do before an interview is to start practicing your interview skills. Have someone you know practice interviewing you. Have them talk to you about their pretend company. It may even pay to dress up for the part so you will feel more comfortable when you do go in for an interview. Have them sit across a table from you and start asking questions about anything and everything from your crime to your work history. Just being able to open up to these topics and talk about them will help you get ready for an interview.

WHY PRACTICING IS IMPORTANT.

Practicing and being interviewed by others will really help you reduce your stress and anxiety before an interview. The last thing you want to do is be extremely nervous at an interview. By practicing interviewing more often you will get a better idea of what the employer wants to hear you say and you will have a pre-programed response in your brain that will lead to more confidence. That confidence will land you the job.

Another reason why practicing is so important is because it will really make you feel as though you are making progress towards your goal of getting a job. This feeling will make you feel better about yourself and your situation. Just knowing that you have what it takes to get that job will really help you keep your head up and get you excited for your future.

Step 2: Think about questions they may ask you

 

DURING THE INTERVIEW

Now no one can predict what an employer will ask you at the interview, but there are a few basic questions that come up often. Here is a little list of the common questions asked and ways we personally feel are the best to answer them

Why did you leave job _____?

You can explain how even two you loved the company and you had such a great time working for them you had something up where you where the new job was a better option. A shorter drive and better pay. Maybe it was closer to someone you loved that need you to take care of them. Always make it a positive reason and never trash talk pervious employers. An employer does not want to hear you talk about other employers. It will make you seem like a troublesome employee that may cause problems in the future.

What job skills do you have?

At this time you can state a things very few people say at the interview. We suggest do this by asking a question to the employer. “Are you asking for skills other than the ones needed to perform the job if I am hired?” They will almost always say yes. They do this because it give them an opportunity to make an opinion of you based on what you say. Fortunately for you this also gives you an opportunity also. You can talk about how you understand the company needs to make money so it can pay its employees. Talk about how most employees don’t understand this or care, but you care and really want the job so you will reward the company with hard work. Or maybe you may say “other than the basic dependability, hardworking and loyalty,  I understand that when a business makes money it has money to pay the employee. I also know the harder I work and the more money I make the company, the more money the company will have to pay me in the future when I get a promotion.” Statements like this set you aside because you are presenting yourself as someone who wants to move up and build the company. Not many people want to do this but you do because it will give you a paycheck every week.

It says you were convicted of a crime. Please explain.

Now this is the big one. There is no way to sugar- coat this one at all. It’s a tricky one to master. The way one person has done this is by explaining that he was 21 and had sex with a girl at a party who happened to be underage. That’s all he says unless they ask for the age and then he is honest. If you have a case that is harder to explain just think of a way you can explain it in the least amount of information possible. By saying the minor details of your crime you will be able to quickly redirect the conversation into something more positive. Here is an example” I was 21 and I had sex with a underage girl at a party, since then I have had a year of consoling and I am a new person now. I know this does not excuses my past but I am ready for my new future and I want it to be with this company.” By doing this you explained the crime and redirected it in a positive way that will benefit the company. Also do not be afraid to ask them to check your references. Do appear to be hiding anything. Be very blunt and straight forward sometimes if you have a really bad crime you may not want to mention the age of the victim. Some people don’t care, others do. Be as honest as you can without letting to much details out. Accept the responsibility and move on.

What is your worst quality?

Say “sometimes I pick up the slack for others without saying anything and I can be a bit of a pushover. I am working on becoming more assertive” This way you state a negative that’s also a positive and does not affect the company’s performance.

What was it like to work for your supervisor?

When asked this question it is important to remember that while you may have not liked previous supervisors it will not leave a good impression if you say your true feelings about past supervisors. Instead it is much better to talk about how great of a team you were together and how much fun it was to be able to see the progress you made together with the company.

What do you expect from a supervisor?

There are many things you can say you expect from a supervisor. Some of which may be negative some may be positive. It is best to say the positive things and leave the negative things out. A good way to say this is, “I expect a supervisor to be a team leader. Someone who can gather up all the workers and point us in the right direction to assure that we get our jobs done on time.”

What are problems you have encountered at work?

Let’s face it everyone has problems at work. It is unavoidable. The reality is everyone will most likely have a problem at work every now and then. The trick is to let the interviewer know that you have had problems. But these problems were not caused by you. Maybe you noticed someone who is doing their work in a very unsafe way. Violating the company rules. This then becomes your problem because as an employee it is also your duty to keep yourself and everyone safe. These are the problems the interviewer will want to hear about. They will never and I mean ever want to hear about problems you caused with customers or other employees. So just keep the topics about how you were scared for others safety or something else that’s positive.

Who was your best boss and who was the worst.

This is a trick question a lot of employers may ask you. They want to see how positive you are if you can explain to them that every one of your bosses were somehow someone you looked up too they will be very impressed.

What have you been doing since you got out of prison?

A lot of employers want to know what’s changed about you now that you are a free man. They want to know what you have done now that you have another chance at freedom. The best way to answer a question is, “Since getting out of prison I have spent every day trying to better myself. Aside from getting a job I am constantly looking for ways to improve myself so that way when I am hired at a company I will be the best most capable worker I can be.”

How much money are you looking to make?

It should be said that you are looking for absolutely anything. This will show that you aren’t greedy and are willing to work.

Do you work best by yourself or with a team?

Your best way to answer this is to explain how that as a team you may be able to accomplish more but for smaller tasks you are perfectly capable of handling them by yourself. Explaining how either option is fine with you is the right way to go.

How do you evaluate success?

Success should always be evaluated on the results of whatever it is you are doing. If you have gained knowledge, completed a project on time or made a difference where you work then that is success.

Why should we hire you?

The correct response for a sex offender is, “You should hire me because unlike many others I am grateful to have the opportunity to work for a company like this. I will never speak out against the company or bad mouth my superiors. I have loyalty to those who help me support myself.”

How long do you expect to remain employed with this company?

The length of time you want to tell employers that you will stay with the company should always be for as long as possible. It is cheaper for a company to keep a person on staff then it is to constantly replace them. Just say once you have the job you will stay put because it’s where you want to be in life. Even if it’s at a place like Denny’s. Just explain you picture yourself working there for a very long time.

Do you work well with others?

Working well with others is extremely important. If you can’t get along with people and are constantly bickering you are wasting the company’s time and money. The best thing to say is that you tend to stick to yourself and be as professional as possible to avoid any conflicts or downtime in the workplace.

 

If this article has helped you out in anyway please share this on your social media accounts or email it to other sex offenders that you may know. Together we can put an end to sex offender unemployment.