So I have a promotion interview this coming Thursday and of course I am the long shot! just call me Underdog. I'm 31 and the avg age of the people going to this interview is around 42-43 years old. I have had 2 years experence at my present occupation when the other peeps have on avg 10-12 years experence. We all had to take a test just to get the interview. so the group went from about 15 people to 5 people. I took the test just to see if I'd pass and I did. Anyone have any tips or tricks for this interview? please help!

what exactly are you interviewing for??

Start your interview by squinting at his name plate and saying- "Okay- Um.. Old Dude?"

*Edit* Sell yourself- You know "you" better than anyone, so play to your strengths as you see them. Don't sell yourself short.

Good luck Sean, the only advice I can give is to just be yourself. You've obviously proven that you have something to offer since you're one of the last to make the cut, so just be yourself and act natural.

Senior hydroelectric power plant operating engineer. I dont think I'm the least qualified but I am the least experienced.

If I was you I would just drop that Irish charm on em. Nobody can resist a hairy drunk guy. Just kidding bro, keep your answers short and polite. If you can make it in the military this should be a cakewalk. Or you could take the easy route and just tell them I sent ya.

Challenge the guy interviewing you to an arm wrestling match. If you win, there's no way they can deny you the position.

Well that is certainly out of my area of expertise but given the situation you are describing, I think I would be prepared to answer some of the more likely questions in ways that the others might not.

In the back of your mind, have an idea of things you might initiate to improve efficeincy and processes. Be prepared to discuss effective actions that other plants have taken, that you might be able to lead there.

In short... go in prepared to show them how you have a specific ideas for improving things. One word of caution - you don't want to give the impression you are going to be a loose cannon that will turn everything upside down if hired.

Temper your answers with a little bit of... "I'll pool the best talent we have here and identify what we are already doing right, and how we can do it even better. It will be a collaborative effort on all our parts"

...you know - all that "team" stuff!

I know nothing about power engineering.

I know a bit about interviewing, but when it comes to my job people are almost more concerned about a person's personality than their qualifications.

I agree with BT there, really play up the WE and TEAM ideas. If it's not a desk job, I'd also recommend emphasizing how much you value safety. Safety and Teamwork seem to be the two magic phrases, at least in my industry.

I'd also recommend really researching the company (if you haven't done so) and picking a key feature or two to and highlight why you like the company and why you want to work for them. Such as: "Company xxxx is well known for being environmentally progressive/safety-oriented/blahblah and I look forward to the opportunity to work with such a progressive team."