Losing One's Touch

[kingcook]

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....

This is similar to my experience too, with my last 4 contracts. Quick chat on the phone about the project. They visit client for a 10 minute chat to make sure i'm a real person.

Very annoying to have to spend 3 hours on the train just for the later part, but hey ho, it got me the gig.

[norrahe]

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.

WJS

Don't focus on where you went wrong, focus on what you can do and have done well.

If you feel this is where you trip up then practice and rehearse answers on questions that have come up or ones you exect will come up.

It is a matter of confidence, if you think you will screw up in an interview then you will.

Always prepare for the worst case scenario and often you will be pleasantly surprised how easy the situation can be.

[MyUserName]

We're not employees - would you interview a plumber to do your central heating?

In my experience this is a flawed analogy. If I had a team of builders, plumbers etc and needed a specialist or an extra plumber because of new governement regulations but I knew I did not want to keep them then I would try to find a contract one.

I would have my plumbers speak to him about plumbing to see whether he knew what he was talking about, otherwise he might be bluffing and would cause me a lot of hassle. I would also speak to him to see whether he understood what was expected of him and whether he had a general understanding of the industry - also I would probe to see whether he was lying on his cv.

I have had about a 20 minute interview for my next contract. It was an interview, if they had not liked/believed me then they would not have offered my company the contract there.

[jmo21]

Stek, what field do you work in?

I agree with the others, this has not been my experience either, I'm a developer, and it is always a technical interview.

I did have the option earlier this year of going back to a previous client (fell through as I was still in contract), and have been contacted to do some more work for another previous client (though likely to be only a couple of weeks worth) - neither of these would/will require an interview.

Old clients (or old bosses/colleagues) are the only way I could see this happening for me.

[stek]

Stek, what field do you work in?

I agree with the others, this has not been my experience either, I'm a developer, and it is always a technical interview.

I did have the option earlier this year of going back to a previous client (fell through as I was still in contract), and have been contacted to do some more work for another previous client (though likely to be only a couple of weeks worth) - neither of these would/will require an interview.

Old clients (or old bosses/colleagues) are the only way I could see this happening for me.

Unix Virtualisation. The only thing remotely technical I've had to do for 'interview' is for the emergency permie job I had to do in 2010.

For me it's always been a general chat where I throw a few buzz words in the convo in response to the client describing the environment on site. You could say it's a form of interview but I really can't recall ever being asked to answer specific technical questions. If they had the answers they wouldn't need me!

The last three roles I've had have all been over the phone too, not even onsite!

[krytonsheep]

it's that old achilles heal that trips me up, time and again, with disturbing regularity - the 'problem solving question'.

I've got no idea what the questions are, but quite often the reason for them isn't to see if you can 'solve the problem' it's to see how you solve problems. Not knowing the answer to everything in an interview will demonstrate that you are normal, and will probably fit in well.

[BolshieBastard]

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!)

Jeez what jobs are you going for!? More than one initial interview, 2 or 3 interviewers! The only time I have been interviewed by 3 people in nearly 15 years of contract was recently for a Police project (which got canned within 3 months so ha!)

I've never ceded to more than 1 interview with a client either. If they cant \ wont make a decision after 1 interview, Im not interested.

As for what age do you 'lose' it? WTF!? Im 55 and I havent 'lost' it yet

[MarillionFan]

I've been losing one's touch ever since my first contract in '97.

The trick is to play to ones strengths where they exist but to also move with ones skillset. Whereas I no longer program anything I have moved across into Business Analysis/Technical Design/PMing.

Interestingly where I started out with no ability to manage people or situations particularly well(and got away with technical skill), I have now adapted to managing people & situations well while finding someone else to do the technical stuff(and keeping them out of the way of the tricky 'soft' skills they don't have)

Need to constantly adapt.

[nomadd]

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 questions'.

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.

Very interesting question for me, this one, as at 48 my biggest failing is I'm nowhere near as sharp as I once was at remembering the 'detail' rapidly. I definitely feel I've slowed down in that respect. I'm vary wary at interviews these days, as that sort of stuff used to come instantly.

And yet I find it strange that you struggle with the 'problem solving questions'. That's actually where I tend to shine, when someone has posed a problem and they want to see how I'd tackle it. I talk the hind legs off a donkey when I get asked this sort of stuff at interviews - after all, that's exactly what I've been doing as a contractor all these years - fixing problems for people. And I find that once I start detailing a solution or two, all that stuff I mentioned above about not being to remember then starts to come back. So the "problem solving questions" actually turn out to be my savior.

I think as other posters have pointed out, you probably have more of a confidence problem than anything else. Maybe get some training from a career counselor in this area? Maybe you just need someone to help you focus. Maybe you are reading far too much into the question - remember, no solution is perfect; they are all a balance of compromises (and that's usually a good talking point to raise.) As others have said, whatever you do, don't start beating yourself up over it as you'll only make it worse.

BTW: I point blank refuse "coding tests" and "online tests" as I feel they can create more negatives than any other approach. But that's a subject we've done to death on many other threads, so let's not re-open those old wounds.

[DieScum]

I agree with the other guys who have said you are probably just being harsh on yourself. Sounds like you have just had a bad run.

Perhaps get a general interview skills books or brush up on stuff like this.

Good luck!

I always quite like the in depth technical interviews. I have had plenty of brief chats masquerading as interviews and they have been a bit of a red flag. If a client can't even organise themselves to ask a few probing questions then how will the rest of the business be run and what will the quality of other employees be like.