Interviewing IS a Skill

I've been job hunting for a while and so I've been through more than a few interviews. I could easily say that I'm almost to the varsity level of being a pro at interviews. But I don't look at it negatively at all. I take it as constructive criticism for myself. I've learned after several interviews that I must learn from my mistakes and try to figure out what I can do better next time.

It's funny because back home when you're called for an interview, it really is an interview with people asking you questions, etc. However, many of the big companies out here say that you're scheduled for an interview, but really it's not that. It's just a time allotted for you to fill out paperwork, should you get hired for the job. Sometimes your asked questions about the job, sometimes they don't even bother to ask you and just give you a clipboard with things to fill out. I think that's pretty misleading to call something like that an actual "interview" because to me, those aren't really been interviews at all! Nonetheless, I always make sure I'm prepared.

Recently I had an interview with the Venetian hotel. I made sure I did my homework and researched on the company's corporate information, their goals, mission, etc. It really worked to my advantage as I knew how to gear my questions and learn about the company all at the same time. The people that interviewed me were awesome! I never once felt nervous because they were very comforting to be around. The interview took about an hour, but it didn't feel that long at all. I think I actually did pretty well. I left that interview feeling good and confident. the next day I sent my thank you e-mail to the interviewers and I was just happy that they responded back to my e-mail. This told me that they actually read the e-mail and acknowledged it.

So I've been on both ends of the table. Being the interviewer and being the interviewee. It's actually tough on each end and both parties must be prepared, nonetheless. So I guess I'm writing this on my blog for two reasons: to advise people to not take a job interview for granted and to be prepared every, single time.

So is interviewing a skill? I definitely think it is! It may not be something I'd add onto my resume, but it's a skill that we can all practice. As the saying goes, "Practice makes perfect".