Volume 4, Issue 1 January 2001 Job Link Common Job Interview Mistakes
Notable Quotable
Interview Cheat SheetHow to Seize Control of Your Next Interview
Ending the Interview
Our Disciplines and Locations
COMMON JOB INTERVIEW MISTAKES Want to know what not to do at the job interview? Learn from the mistakes of others. Taken from CareerBuilder.com, here’s “18 Deadly Interview Mistakes Job Seekers Make,” adapted from Drs. Caryl and Ron Krannich’s 101 Dynamite Answers to Interview Questions.
- Arrive late for the interview.
- Indicate you are late because the directions you were given were not good.
- Look disheveled and inappropriately dressed.
- Slouch in your seat.
- Don’t maintain good eye-contact with the interviewer.
- Do your company research at the interview by asking, “What do you guys do here?”
- Don’t make a connection between your skills and the needs of the employer.
NOTABLE QUOTABLE None of us knows what the next change is going to be, what unexpected opportunity is just around the corner, waiting a few months or a few years to change all the tenor of our lives.”
Kathleen Norris,
Author
Hands Full of Living
- Brag about how great you are, but neglect to cite evidence of your accomplishments.
- Respond in an unfocused, disorganized, and rambling manner.
- Remain low-key and display no enthusiasm for the job.
- Answer most questions with simple “yes” and “no” answers.
- Appear desperate for a job—any job.
- Call the interviewer by his or her first name, or use the wrong name.
- Give memorized responses, forgetting parts in the process.
- Bad-mouth your current or former employer.
- Ask “How am I doing? Are you going to hire me?”
- Blurt out, “I need to make at least $35,000. I hope this job pays at least that much,” near the beginning of the interview.
- When asked “Do you have any questions?”, reply “No.”
INTERVIEW CHEAT SHEET This is a document you prepare before important meetings. It is a personal briefing to you, from you. It helps you remember key facts and serious questions or concerns. You don’t read from the sheet, but you do keep it handy, and if convenient, you may want to review it as your meeting is ending to be certain you didn’t forget anything critical.
- Day and Date:
- Meeting With:
- Name / Title
- Company
- City, State Zip
- Telephone
- FAX
- Mobile/Pager
Major Accomplishments: 1. 2. 3. 4.
Management or Work Style: 1. 2. 3. 4.
Things You Need to Know About Me: 1. 2. 3. 4.
Reason I Left Last Job:
Answers to Difficult Questions:1. 2. 3. 4.
My Strengths/Weaknesses: 1. 2. 3. 4.
Questions to Ask Interviewer: 1. 2. 3. 4.
Things I Can Do For You: 1. 2. 3. 4.
What I Wore (to prevent wearing the same clothing repeatedly):
HOW TO SEIZE CONTROL OF YOUR NEXT INTERVIEW The following article is by Jake Jamieson at webfeet.com.
You squirm in your chair, trying to get comfortable. You try to wallow, but your mouth feels as if it’s been chalked. You reach around to itch your back and your starched white shirt feels like it was dipped in a swamp. You’re torn between collapsing in tears and making a mad dash for the bathroom.
Your Body Language Might Give You Away
No, this isn’t a description of some rare tropical disease. It’s what it feels like when you’re about to go into an interview and you’re struck by fear and shyness. Shyness is generally defined as discomfort in interpersonal situations that interferes with one’s interpersonal or professional goals; fear is often what triggers it. This discomfort can manifest itself in a variety of ways, from mumbling to fidgeting to staring at your shoes, and it can radically affect the image you project in the interview chair.Job interviewers don’t want to be mysterious, but some candidates find interviews so intimidating they panic. Their natural grace, charisma, and otherwise bubbling personality simply vanishes. “I just want it to end” is a typical sentiment. “Even if there’s something that I could really get into and talk about and make myself look really good, I just keep quiet so that my misery will end all the sooner.” Another job seeker puts it this way: “My biggest problem seems to be that I’m not bold enough to ask the questions I want answers to. I always end up feeling like I have to be a gracious head-bobber instead of inquisitive and assertive.”
If this is you, then what do you do? Over the ages people have come up with a variety of remedies for bolstering self-confidence. Cures range from a Stuart Smalley-type self-affirmation program (“I’m good enough, I’m smart enough, and gosh darn it, people like me”) to picturing everyone in the room naked. But these actions may not bring about the desired effect if you don’t believe in prefab affirmations or if your interviewer looks disturbingly like the third grade teacher who flunked you in art. There has to be a way to give your confidence a shot in the arm without filling your head with pictures of cellulite and sagging tattoos, right?
The Odds Are In Your Favor
Right. First, remember that the company likes you enough to talk to you. “You have to remember that your foot is in the door, and that’s 75 percent of the battle,” says Noel, an operations associate at a publishing company. “If the recruiter didn’t think that you were qualified, she wouldn’t waste her time on an interview with you.”Second, keep in mind that being remembered as “that shy guy” isn’t going to get you ahead. “Some people’s ideas of shyness being endearing or cute don’t relate well to real world concepts like ‘pay’ and ‘job title,’” says Chandler, a graphic designer and self-confessed “shy guy.” “Shyness will never work to your advantage and will almost always provide an opportunity for someone else to get the job over you. Be shameless!”
The Right Tooting Of Your Horn
Of course, being shameless is easier said than done. When some job seekers go into an interview, they think “How can I convince them to let me work here?” instead of “Why do I want to work here?” And many shy people feel that tooting their own horn is just about the last thing they want to do when their first impulse is to hide behind the potted plants.Be advised that you don’t need to approach the interview thinking that you have to present yourself as someone who can walk on water or build the better mousetrap. When asked about your accomplishments, relate your experiences as honestly as you can. Your interviewer will appreciate the fact that you’re not trying to blow any smoke where the sun doesn’t shine, and it will be a mark in your favor.
Seize Control
Another easy way to make yourself feel more comfortable in an interviewing situation is to start things off on your own terms. Seize control of the interview by being the first person in the room to smile and say hello. It’s just like calling “shotgun” when you’re getting into the car with your friends: you’re not claiming all of the power in the situation by calling “driver,” but you’re asserting your opinion of where you want to sit and how much control you get over the car radio.If you think about it, when you go into an interview, everything’s in your favor. The company’s interested. You’ve got skills to offer, and if you’ve prepared, you should be able to explain what they are—which is why you’re interviewing. And you’re in control—if you make the first move and call shotgun.
ENDING THE INTERVIEW These tips are a great way to “wrap up” the interview. They come from Tulane University’s Career Development web pages.
- Always end the interview on a positive note. Express that the interview and conversation was enjoyable. Be enthusiastic about the position.
- Ask any final questions you may have.
- Express your appreciation for the opportunity to interview.
- Express genuine interest in the job if you are genuinely interested.
- Inquire about “next steps” or when you can expect to hear something.
- Ask for a business card.
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