Face To Face Interview successes ?

[Spacecadet]

Up untill this year it was almost 100% plus 2 contracts which I got without even a telephone interview, just prior knowledge (and a helping hand from inside the organisation)

About June time this year I managed to not get 3 contracts after interviews.
First one I was a bit crap (although I suspect given the rate that they got someone local)
Second one the client didn't seem to know what they wanted, I ended up being asked questions which if I had known I would be asked then I wouldn't have bothered turning up
Third was for a short contract (2 weeks) and feedback was I was well and truely trumped by a much better candidate but then it was a skill set where I would be really pushing my luck if I got it.

The only real problem I seem to have with interviews is the sweats. I'm either running late or I'm way too early and have to go for a long walk to waste time and always walk too briskly or I'm just over dressed (Spacecadet's top interview tip: don't wear a shirt thats too tight round the neck!).

[juststarting]

so everybody here is like 100 % successful in face to face interviews , I have no one to have a word with ?

I wonder what could be causing my failures. I mean I knew my stuff , nothing is wrong with me on the outside. It has to be something bigger than that ....

[fckvwls]

so everybody here is like 100 % successful in face to face interviews , I have no one to have a word with ?

I wonder what could be causing my failures. I mean I knew my stuff , nothing is wrong with me on the outside. It has to be something bigger than that ....

Are you unpleasant to look at? Is yous a minger like?

[Zippy]

so everybody here is like 100 % successful in face to face interviews , I have no one to have a word with ?

I wonder what could be causing my failures. I mean I knew my stuff , nothing is wrong with me on the outside. It has to be something bigger than that ....

No, I'm not 100% successful (I is a minger).
I'm guessing but maybe your body language is a bit closed? Do you make eye contact and look relaxed? Do you look happy to be there but unworried?

[juststarting]

Are you unpleasant to look at? Is yous a minger like?

Well since 2 people have asked now I will have to confess. Lets say I represent a minority so the answer is simple - discrimination.

But I also think that 100 % interview success , like some above who claim this , is very rare. After all a client will interview 3 -4 candidates so the odds are lots of people simply fail..

[Zippy]

Well since 2 people have asked now I will have to confess. Lets say I represent a minority so the answer is simple - discrimination.

But I also think that 100 % interview success , like some above who claim this , is very rare. After all a client will interview 3 -4 candidates so the odds are lots of people simply fail..

It might account for a couple but not all.

[Spacecadet]

so everybody here is like 100 % successful in face to face interviews , I have no one to have a word with ?

I wonder what could be causing my failures. I mean I knew my stuff , nothing is wrong with me on the outside. It has to be something bigger than that ....

Its never just about knowing your stuff, infact I try and keep the conversation non-technical when possible.
It's more about how you apply your expertise and what benefits that brings. Sell yourself to them by your successes in terms of results, not how you got to those results.
Let them ask if they want more information but don't bore them with the technicalities if they aren't technical or don't ask.

e.g. your previous contract involved building a .NET application to extend the clients CRM application to allow the automatic sending for faxes (rather than stuff being printed out and faxed manually).

Question. Tell me about your previous contract

Correct Answer. I was involved in a back office automation project which allowed system users to send faxes to customers with a couple of clicks rather than the old fashioned way of printing it out and heading over to the fax machine. Had it up and running and rolled out to 15 sites with about 250 users within 2 months.

Wrong Answer: I built a .NET application which connected the CRM application to the fax server. Had to do some database interogation to a SQL Server database and create a few tables for my application to use.

First answer gives a good overview, immediate benefits and shows that you think of the bigger picture.
Second answer might make you look like a geek who just gets on with what you're programming rather than why you're programming.

Technology in a business is vital but only for the results it produces.
Technology for it's own sake is just a drain on resources.

[TimberWolf]

I don't get as far as face-to-face interviews.

[Gonzo]

But I also think that 100 % interview success , like some above who claim this , is very rare. After all a client will interview 3 -4 candidates so the odds are lots of people simply fail..

I don't seem to interview very well. The only two times that I have had any feedback they were "not probing enough" and "didn't convince me about the depth of your skills".

There is some skill required to sell yourself well in interviews and I don't seem to have it.

I have never had any trouble being re-employed by people that I have worked with in the past so I don't think my work is crap but I do need to work on the interview technique. I was always useless at chatting up women too.

[juststarting]

There is some skill required to sell yourself well in interviews and I don't seem to have it.

I seem to suck at this too. I have too connected interviewing to picking up women and there is common ground. Especially the bit about selling yourself mentioned above , which I seem to lack.

But this skill should improve with experience , in my case I have contracted only 2.5 years ( although I am 30 ) so maybe other contractors with that kind of experience would too report mediocre interview success ?