last chance for job in my field but not excited

[broadway]

I have an in-person interview coming up later this week.
I know I should be grateful that I am being offered this opportunity for an interview for a job in my field at my age.
But.
And here's the but, I am not terribly excited.
I am not sure I want to work a full time job anymore.
But my concern about rising health insurance premiums and also the desire for mental stimulation has me job hunting.
I am curious about this company. It has a prestigious history.
How should I approach this interview?

 

[MBAustin]

Personally, I would prepare as if I needed the job, except that I would prepare tough questions that would help me decide if I WANTED the job (the kind you might not ask if you really needed it).

Remember, if you get the offer, it's still your decision whether to take it or not.

 

[DrRoy]

If you do not seem interested, I doubt that they will be either.

 

[OldShooter]

When I was interviewing to hire, and I taught my troops this too, one of my objectives in the interview was to convince the interviewee that he/she really wanted the job we had open. In other words, sell, sell, sell. Of course we didn't bother with this for the read duds, but that was the policy I enforced.

The reason was this: If we decided to offer the person the job, I didn't want to then need to do a selling job. The person had already been sold. I think this also reduced the amount of haggling on salary as this was a job that the person had already decided they really wanted.

So to your question: I would turn this around and say that you should be in sell mode during the interview(s). At each interview your objective should be to sell the interviewer that you are the person they want. Then, if you get an offer, the money will probably be a little bit higher, your negotiating position on details of the job will be stronger, and you will be able to make a decision at that point.

To go in half-heartedly (like the tone of your post) is a waste of your time and theirs and there's no tactical argument where it makes sense. If you can't do any better than that, I'd suggest cancelling the interview.

 

[Aerides]

Be very prepared with an enthusiastic answer for Why Do you want to work here?

 

[Ready]

I agree with all of the others. Why go in with a half hearted effort? Put your best foot forward, be enthusiastic, and if they offer you a job, then you can decide if it's right for you. Just because they offer it to you doesn't mean you have to take it.

 

[Texas Proud]

I disagree with what most are saying....

Be honest... but ask questions...

When I was let go a few years ago I was looking at some jobs... one seemed very interesting... close to my house and in need of some help... however, when talking to them it quickly became obvious that they were not staffed even close to what they needed and did not seem to be in a hurry to change... they were working 80+ hours a week... I was NOT willing to do so... I stated that to them... it stopped me from seeing a couple of people that I was supposed to talk to, but it also saved me a few more wasted hours... I was willing to work hard for 40 hours a week... and maybe a bit longer once a month for close... but being paid a normal salary for 2X the work is not in the cards for me...

 

[respond2u]

I disagree with what most are saying....

Be honest... but ask questions...

Agreed. if financial independence can't buy you the ability to be genuine, i'm not sure it's all it's cracked up to be.

this is the other side of "FU money".

 

[brucethebroker]

Do you NEED the job financially? Can you get by without the health insurance? Being a wage slave to save a few hundred a month on premiums seems pretty bleak.........

Lots of ways to be mentally stimulated in RE without the stress of a new full time job. Tread carefully....

 

[target2019]

You don't sound excited. That is confirmed. The old baggage is weighing on you.

I closed on a similar interview very quickly. They had a specific need I could fill. I made that very clear in the interview. Also asked more questions than future manager did. We did hit it off, and I probably surprised him with a few questions. One was about hours, that I wasn't interested in more than 40. I also asked for a lot of money.

 

[Totoro]

Fear is a very powerful and effective short-term motivator. It is a also a very poor long-term one. Also, not a nice way to live life in general.

If you are going to an interview primarily in a fear context, I don't see a good chance of positive outcomes (regardless how you define it).

Address that with yourself before going in, would be my advice.

 

[MRG]

Fear is a very powerful and effective short-term motivator. It is a also a very poor long-term one. Also, not a nice way to live life in general.

If you are going to an interview primarily in a fear context, I don't see a good chance of positive outcomes (regardless how you define it).

Address that with yourself before going in, would be my advice.

+1
Well said.

 

[Scrapr]

Agreed. if financial independence can't buy you the ability to be genuine, i'm not sure it's all it's cracked up to be.

this is the other side of "FU money".

FU money! That is exactly what I called my safety net. Now that Lil Scrapr is in the work force he is carrying that on. Good to see some of my influence carrying on

 

[broadway]

As usual the quality of responses I have received here is excellent.
It has given me much to ponder.
I do want to go in and do the interview. I want to see what the company is like.

However, wouldn't you know?
The in-person interview is to be rescheduled for some time next week.
It took them 2.5 days to schedule this one, since they appear to operate on the everybody must interview the job applicant. Coordinating the schedule of 9-10 people takes a lot of juggling of schedules.

We'll see.

 

[OldShooter]

... since they appear to operate on the everybody must interview the job applicant. ...

In my world this would be a good omen. We (hiring managers) won't pre-schedule all these man-hours unless we have a candidate that looks especially good. For candidates of less immediate interest, we'd just have one or two screeners who would then recommend whether to bring the candidate back.

Go in there and sell, sell, sell!

(Several have commented about asking tough questions. That is not at all antithetical to selling yourself. In fact, for me an applicant asking tough questions is a positive. It indicates intelligent and active interest in the job and the company. So don't be afraid to do it.)

 

[broadway]

I went into the in-person interview with an open mind. I really wanted to "like" the job, but the job really isn't in my field of expertise.
The person who would have been my manager's manager said so as much.