Losing One's Touch

[oliverson]

Currently benched (3 weeks) and I'm not having problems getting interviews but there's a worrying trend and it's been in existence the last couple of years if I'm honest.

At what point does one start to lose one's touch in the area of being able to answer taxing interview questions quickly and correctly?

I'm in my mid 40's now, working in the finance sector and these last couple of years despite making it throught to final stage interviews repeatedly, it's that old achilles heal that trips me up, time and again, with disturbing regularity - the 'problem solving question'.

I'm losing (lost) my ability to sit there under scrutiny of two or three people and come up with an answer there and then. Only now it's not just the single question I have to struggle with, it's the baggage of all the questions of all the recent interviews I've had. Every second I'm focusing on seems like a minute. Every minute an hour.

Most of my contracting colleagues don't get these kinds of questions. Guess I'm just unlucky. But it seems that all the good stuff - phone interviews, coding exercises, online tests, strong CV, in-demand skills, are completely negated by one single question. All the reasons they should offer me are irrelevant because of one single negative.

I thought I'd try my hand out of the London finance market and found a decent opportunity outside of London but on London rates. Despite the interview going very well, and I'd have bet money on an offer, the client turned around and said I'm probably better off working in the City and that working there would only frustrate me! You just can't win can you?

So, my question to you, and I hope others out there perhaps in a similar situation will be forthcoming is this - at what age do you/did you start losing your touch? Second question is WTF can I do about it? (and don't say retire!)

[Jason]

This sounds like a confidence issue. First forget about age. Second practice. Get some books on Case Interviews, do the exercises in them, and practice practice practice. Get friends to be the interviewers for you and rehearse. The ability to deal with this sort of interview and question is like your muscles dont use em and they wither away.

[cojak]

No, retiring isn't the answer.

You're getting yourself entangled with the baggage of previous interviews and it's becoming a self-fulfilling prophecy.

Focus externally on the moment (what does the client need?), not internally (worrying about past failure).

Have a look at this, I think it may get you over the yips....

Fearless Job Hunting: Use Powerful Psychological Strategies for Getting the Job You Want: Amazon.co.uk: Bill Knaus, Sam Klarreich: Books

[SteelyDan]

I think with 'losing one's touch' you might be being a bit hard on yourself.

Problem is, the older you get, the more you have done, the more your head is filled with stuff, and trying to access this info at the right time and place can become difficult. You can never legislate for the wide variety of questions you can get asked at interview, and frankly some of them are so stupid that they can take you by surprise at times.

There are a few ways to try and combat this; one obvious way is by knowing my CV inside and out before I go to interview, but even then there might be a question that you think, where the eff did that come from?

Nil desperandum.

[stek]

Not had an interview for ages, last four or five have just been little chats basically to see if I'm not mental.

We're not employees - would you interview a plumber to do your central heating? We provide a service so really an interview is not necessary and maybe a pointer to disguised employment....

[cojak]

Not had an interview for ages, last four or five have just been little chats basically to see if I'm not mental.

We're not employees - would you interview a plumber to do your central heating? We provide a service so really an interview is not necessary and maybe a pointer to disguised employment....

Don't wish to go off-topic but an interview is not a pointer to disguised employment - it depends on the role.

[SteelyDan]

We're not employees - would you interview a plumber to do your central heating? We provide a service so really an interview is not necessary and maybe a pointer to disguised employment....

What world do you live in Stek? Interviews (whether tele or in person), in my experience, are the norm especially if you are going through agents and responding to a jobswerve/other role.

As for maybe a pointer to disguised employment that's a dubious statement.

[oliverson]

Not had an interview for ages, last four or five have just been little chats basically to see if I'm not mental.

We're not employees - would you interview a plumber to do your central heating? We provide a service so really an interview is not necessary and maybe a pointer to disguised employment....

I completely agree with you here except that in London finance it is definitely an interview process. My experiences outside of London are more like the chat about what you've been doing, what the client is wanting to do and if there's some synergy there you'll probably get an offer.

On this subject I can see why HMRC believes that contractors are disguised employees. My findings in London are that they aren't far wrong. That's not so say there aren't contractors elsewhere who have been on site for several years. I know a few of those too!

[TheFaQQer]

So, my question to you, and I hope others out there perhaps in a similar situation will be forthcoming is this - at what age do you/did you start losing your touch? Second question is WTF can I do about it? (and don't say retire!)

Sounds more like a case of lack of confidence and / or stress. You are worrying too much about the performance and answering the "killer question", which in turn means that you fluff the question (or think you have). If you think that you've messed it up, then you are more likely to do badly on anything you are asked subsequently.

If you think you've done badly, tell yourself "F*** 'em - I don't need this. I work for myself, so I don't have to deal with this irrelevant crap that you are trying to trip me up with". Of course, don't come over too relaxed, or you won't get the job because of that.

[TheFaQQer]

would you interview a plumber to do your central heating?

No, I would explain my problems and ask him how best to solve them. The plumber analogy is a bad one here - I'm unlikely to know what (s)he might find that could cause problems - most, if not all, of my clients know what problems are looming with respect to their projects.

When I got a builder in to do the cellar conversion, I wish I'd had the forethought to ask what he might do in a given situation (like finding that the cellar floods when it rains too much), but I didn't "interview" him and got screwed in the process.

We provide a service so really an interview is not necessary and maybe a pointer to disguised employment....

Bollox.