Tweet
I think you could say that weakness-interview line if you accompanied with a laugh and a nervous smile. I get nervous in interviews, and I don't think acknowledging is a bad thing, and a little friendly joke may break the ice. I know interviews aren't social ocassions but the best interviews I've had are ones where you can get a rapport working with the interviewer and a couple of little jokes like that can go down well if executed well 
I've also had a couple of instances of the interview indicating the incompetence of the staff at the job you've applied for. One of my first ones was for a small clothing store that was successful for a few years but then died a death, and was run by some rather air-headed ladies. I was 18 a the time, and I was called for an interview, only to arrive to find that they hadn't read my CV properly...I had only had a cleaning job and a saturday job up till this, yet they thought I'd had more experience, and had somehow worked out my age from the birth-date provided as 24. It was a management position, so the interview pretty much lasted 5 minutes. I didn't get it (obviously) but I was glad really!
The other was for a Calvin Klein outlet. The interview actually went really well, and I got a trail shift which went appallingly badly- they didn't tell me until i arrived that they had forgotten they had a huge bunch of inspectors coming in that day and would I possibly come in another day? Keep in mind I had already paid for my train ticket to get here and we had arranged this day because it was the only one I had available due to work commitments! So they deceided to muddle...the first hour was fine, but then the inspectors came in, along with a flurry of customers, and the manager interviewing me basically told me to serve. I couldn't use their tills, so instead I was trying to find stock in a stock room and a store that I was completely unfamilliar with, with customers demanding bra fittings and other things I wasn't trained for. It was a disaster, and I failed. But I personally think that wasn't my fault...I tried my best but I had no idea how their stock room was planned out, or their shop floor for that matter. It may sound like I'm just passing the buck, but it seems to me that it was the manager's fault; she had forgotten about the inspectors, had tried to send me away (didn't try to contact me prior to my arrival!) and then tried to basically make me work for free without training. Of course I didn't get the job!
I've also had a couple of instances of the interview indicating the incompetence of the staff at the job you've applied for. One of my first ones was for a small clothing store that was successful for a few years but then died a death, and was run by some rather air-headed ladies. I was 18 a the time, and I was called for an interview, only to arrive to find that they hadn't read my CV properly...I had only had a cleaning job and a saturday job up till this, yet they thought I'd had more experience, and had somehow worked out my age from the birth-date provided as 24. It was a management position, so the interview pretty much lasted 5 minutes. I didn't get it (obviously) but I was glad really!
The other was for a Calvin Klein outlet. The interview actually went really well, and I got a trail shift which went appallingly badly- they didn't tell me until i arrived that they had forgotten they had a huge bunch of inspectors coming in that day and would I possibly come in another day? Keep in mind I had already paid for my train ticket to get here and we had arranged this day because it was the only one I had available due to work commitments! So they deceided to muddle...the first hour was fine, but then the inspectors came in, along with a flurry of customers, and the manager interviewing me basically told me to serve. I couldn't use their tills, so instead I was trying to find stock in a stock room and a store that I was completely unfamilliar with, with customers demanding bra fittings and other things I wasn't trained for. It was a disaster, and I failed. But I personally think that wasn't my fault...I tried my best but I had no idea how their stock room was planned out, or their shop floor for that matter. It may sound like I'm just passing the buck, but it seems to me that it was the manager's fault; she had forgotten about the inspectors, had tried to send me away (didn't try to contact me prior to my arrival!) and then tried to basically make me work for free without training. Of course I didn't get the job!
I hate the salary requirement question, for exactly the reason you listed. I need a job, but I also need a living wage, and not have to scramble to pay the rent every month or kill myself for a pittance. 
Comment