I had a job interview which kinda went ok - what's your take?

[crystal_dance]

I had an interview with a large wall street company for a business analyst position a couple of hours ago. It went great and they said that my experience and qualifications are exactly what they are looking for (they recognized me from the career fair) and for the first 20 mins everything was fine and dandy. Then they asked me if I'd done any project management. I said I'd taken a course last term and did a bit in my last job so they asked me a question, which I knew but didn't know too well. I managed to answer it nonetheless. Then looking at my resume they asked me 2 questions on SQL which I know but haven't really used in a long time. It's been 2 years since I was involved in a technical job, since then I've moved into management and even the job requirements don't require me to apply any sql or project management. That knowledge is just a plus so I was wondering... do you think they'll hold that against me because I couldnt answer them properly in the interview? I mean the first 20 mins were great and they were suitably impressed. Its the last 5 or so minutes where they asked me these trouble questions. what do you guys think? has anyone got a job even after they couldn't answer a few questions (accurately) in the interview? i really want this job...

[Skyblade]

It might be something you could even address in your thank you note. Thats usually what I do, if anything comes up in the interview or if I think of something I didn't mention I put it in the thank you note.

[shinyleaf]

woo, I'm impressed that you scored a good interview anyway!

wall street. business analyst. Sounds impressive!

If the questions are not relevant to the job you're going to be doing, then maybe they just asked out of curiosity, and you'll be fine.

good luck!

[MirandaCWL]

I interviewed for a job that required heavy medical terminology. I had taken medical terminology in college and scored well in it. However, I had not ever had the opportunity to use it outside of the classroom. Anyway the interviewer asked me several abbreviations for medical terms that are used daily in the position and I didn't know them except for maybe one term. I still got the job. Once I was in the position a lot of my terminology came back to me and I was really able to perform the job exceptionally well (according to my quarterly reviews). Your interviewers might see that you may need some "brushing up" but you already have the foundation that others may not have.

[LakeJay]

Weird...You wouldn't happen to be my friend, Tom C., would you? I only ask because he went to an interview a few years ago. The interview went well but then they stumped him with a couple of SQL questions. He didn't get the job and he blames it on those questions. Oddly enough, months later I had an interview, totally different company and totally different location, and they asked me similar SQL questions...I did fine with them and I got an offer. Lesson of the story...none. I just found it odd that you mentioned SQL questions during an interview.

Anywho...from the sounds of I think you might be alright. I know you said that SQL and Proj. Mgmt. weren't part of the job description but I wonder whether they may use them as tie-breakers in a sense. I wouldnt' sweat it too much though...You were honest with your answers and all you can do now is wait. I worry about people who "exaggerate" a bit in their interviews and resumes and then when it's time to perform, they call themselves out. I've seen that happen a few times at work. Best of luck and just try to stay positive.

[coolfrequency]

here's what's important to remember in situations like that

1) the interviewer does not expect you to already be an expert. They expect that they will have to train you. They know they are not going to find the absolute perfect qualifications. So, it's not job suicide to admit that you don't have perfect knowledge of everything already.

2) you DO need to come across as both confident, and honest, when you answer questions about things you don't know. Don't pretend you have experience or knowledge if you don't. DO emphasize your eagerness and ability to learn. Say "No I don't know everything about that, my coursework/past experience taught me a little bit about it, but I am confident and eager to learn more about it at this position"

example. When I applied for my current job, taking calls from people with serious mental illnesses, my boss asked me in the job interview, "Did your degree teach you about mental illnesses?" My answer was, "Not so much, the emphasis was more on family systems than on abnormal psychology, so that's something I'm excited to learn more about at this job." I didn't hesitate, I didn't try to pretend that I knew something I didn't, and I sounded confident. Her answer was, "Actually that's very useful at this job, you find that a lot of the calls are actually about how the person's illness is affecting the entire family, and we do a lot of work with giving support to family members." And I got the job.

So yeah. Admit that you don't know. Emphasize the positive - that you're excited and confident to learn about it now, and that you have experience learning new things that are similar.

[crystal_dance]

Thanks everyone for your inputs. Yeah well I guess all I can do is wait to see what happens. I did follow up with a thank you letter where I mentioned that I am familiar with all this stuff but since I haven't used it in a while I dont have it at my finger tips but can get it back easily with a little brushing up.
At the end of the interview I did give them a letter of reference even though they didnt ask for it. They asked me if I had a copy of my transcripts which I said I'll email them. I take that as a good sign, because they wouldnt ask me for my transcripts if they weren't interested in knowing more. ah well, lets see. :)