Top interview mistakes

Don’t shoot yourself with these top interview mistakes

Top Interview Mistakes

The top interview mistakes make interviewing for a job a cruel and unwelcoming experience.  I am here to tell you that it doesn’t have to be that way. This week’s topic: How the candidate can take much of the cruelty out of the process. There are many unknowns in the world of interviewing. Even when working with a recruiter who coaches you, things don’t always work out as they should. There are just too many unknowns when it comes to job interviews.  Even if we figure out the interview system at one company, it may not work out at the next company. The interview answers that move you one step further with Company A may disqualify you from the process at Company B.

Our own worst enemy

In my humble opinion, 80% of candidates eliminate themselves from the process due to their actions or lack of action. The top interview killers consistently appear. 

Here are the top interview mistakes. In my opinion, there is no EXCUSE for the following faux pas.  

Resume Killer: The resume is the source of top interview mistakes. When hiring managers point out typos on a resume, it’s over. 

Is your resume tailored to the job description? 

There is one reason why 100’s of resumes are submitted and discarded. The resume did not meet the requirements of the job specification. I am sure the candidate feels adequately qualified for the position, but most resumes do not reflect the necessary experience. Presenting yourself via the resume as being “In the ballpark” isn’t good enough. Tailor your resume to the specific job description. Focus on the first 4-5 bullet points of the job description.  All resumes you turn in should be tailored to the specific job qualifications. If you have a single resume for all of the positions you are interested in, you will fail. I cannot stress this enough.    

Beyond the resume, there are several job interview mistakes. The number 1 way to avoid these is to talk with someone familiar with the company you are interested in.

Social Media

LinkedIn and Twitter profiles can offer insight into what motivates the hiring manager. Social media can show what activities they like and where their passions lie.  Networking your way into the company can be highly beneficial.  You do NOT need to network yourself to the hiring manager. A 30-minute conversation with someone who has worked at the company or is currently employed will change your perspective.  These folks went through the interview process. They didn’t make interview mistakes. Even talking with someone who has been fired from the company is better than going into an interview blind. Do everything and anything you can to network. Put yourself into a position where you can avoid the top interview killers.

Ask these questions

• What is the dress code for the department? What should I wear to the interview?  Too many candidates get this wrong and walk in overdressed or underdressed. Being overdressed can be a good thing. Don’t wear a suit and tie to a startup if you are applying for a developer position. It may be appropriate for a think tank or a corporate job. Unless you talk with someone, you are just guessing.  Avoid wearing a T-shirt and jeans when going to a business meeting. This is an interview killer before the interview starts.   
• What is the culture of the company? Does the company value work-life balance, or are they hard-charging 60-hour-a-week machines? You would be surprised how many candidates interview with a startup and discuss their desire for work-life balance.
• What are some of the new products or initiatives in the works? It does boggle my mind these days when a candidate indicates that they haven’t done any research on what the company does. 

• How often does the company conduct reviews?
• What is the culture of the company?
• What is the review process like? 

Set the tone of the interview. Don’t let the interviewer set the tone

We aim to find answers to these fundamental questions and then verify the information. We don’t want to ask questions to the person conducting the interview. This can set an entirely different tone for the rest of the conversation. When you confirm facts, it shows that you have done your homework and are interested. Someone asking questions that could have been answered with research sends an entirely different message. 

What you can control: I don’t know how often candidates put themselves in a bad light during interviews. I wouldn’t be pushing a side hustle if I had a nickel for each time candidates took themselves out of the running. I would be on an island surrounded by scantily clad women who know how to bait hooks, clean fish, and handle the accouterments for lighting a cigar.

Don’t ever throw yourself under the bus

I don’t know what it is. Whether candidates are nervous, insecure, or haven’t heard themselves interviewed, I find most candidates take themselves out of the picture by saying too much. A wise man once said:

It is better to keep one’s mouth shut and let everyone think you are the fool than to open it and remove all doubt. 

Real-life examples

• A candidate’s son had a life-changing event (it was positive) earlier in the week. For 30 minutes, the candidate talked about how proud they were of their son. As happy as I was for the candidate, I wasted 30 minutes. I learned nothing of the candidate’s qualifications. “Easily distracted and unable to focus on the task at hand.”
• The candidate doesn’t get along with their prior manager, so they want to leave.  I am surprised how often I ask a candidate, “Why are you interested in leaving your current company,” and I get something similar to “My manager is stupid,” “I don’t get along with my manager,” or “I don’t get along with my co-workers. Our managers are no different. It’s not the manager. It’s you. Doesn’t get along with the manager, which translates to “Doesn’t play well with others.”

There is ALWAYS an opportunity

• Candidates who work in large companies often take the initiative and explain the reasons they are seeking new opportunities, typically stating something along the lines of, “There are no opportunities with my current employer.”  There is ALWAYS an opportunity. No more opportunity translates to a “lack of initiative.” 
• A candidate takes the initiative to tell me they were let go for no reason, and they explain that they don’t know why. It surprises me how often candidates feel they need to vent to me about their last company. Yes, I work in HR, but for the record, HR people don’t share a Vulcan mind meld or database between companies. Being let go for no reason often translates to a lack of emotional intelligence.   
• The candidate doesn’t know what job he/she is interviewing for. They are interviewing for any job and will ask:
  • “What jobs do you have open?” 
  • “What jobs would be a good fit for my skills?” 

This is what I refer to as a first-round knockout.  

Job Interview Advice:

To address the top interview mistakes, I recommend writing down interview questions and your corresponding answers. Similarly, most candidates ask a friend to proofread their resume and practice answers with them. State your answers out loud so that your tone and attitude are clear. Your partner will be surprised by what they hear in your answers.    

Sincerity and consideration are critical in today’s fast-moving world. A little goes a long way. It takes so little to stand out in an interview, because 80% of candidates don’t. 

See you at the after party,
HRNasty

nasty: an unreal maneuver of incredible technique, something that is ridiculously good, tricky, and manipulative but with a result that can’t help but be admired, a phrase used to describe someone good at something. “He has a nasty forkball”.

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