TOP 10 INTERVIEW BLOOPERS...AND HOW TO AVOID THEM
We’ve all heard stories of job
candidates who looked great on paper but who were absolute disasters in
person. With fewer and fewer interview
opportunities available in this competitive market, it’s essential to make the
best possible first impression. You can
learn from the mistakes of others and avoid the top 10 worst interview
blunders.
Poor
handshake.
The three-second handshake that starts
the interview is your first opportunity to create a great impression. But all too often an interview is blown
right from the start by an ineffective handshake. Once you’ve delivered a poor
handshake, it’s nearly impossible to recover your efforts to build
rapport. Here are some examples:
Even if you’re a seasoned professional,
don’t assume you have avoided these pitfalls.
Your handshake may be telling more about you than you know. Ask for honest critiques from several
friends who aren’t afraid to tell you the truth.
Talking
too much.
In my recruiting days, I abhorred
over-talkative candidates. So did most
of my client employers. Over-talking
takes several forms
To avoid either of these forms of
over-talking, practice answering questions in a direct manner. Avoid nervous talking by preparing for your
interview with role-play
Saying
negative things about your current or past employers/managers.
The fastest way to talk yourself out of
a new job is to say negative things.
Even if your last boss was Attila the Hun, never, never state your ill
feelings about him/her. No matter how
reasonable your complaints, YOU will come out the loser if you show that you
disrespect your boss. When faced with
the challenge of talking about former employers, make sure you are prepared
with a positive spin on your experiences.
Showing
up late or too early.
The first lesson in job-search
etiquette is to show up on time for interviews. A lot of job seekers don’t realize, however, that showing up too
early often creates a poor first impression as well. Arriving more than ten minutes early for an interview is a dead
giveaway that the job seeker has too much time on their hands, much like the
last one picked for the softball team.
Don’t diminish your candidate desirability by appearing desperate. Act as if your time were as valuable as
theirs. Always arrive on time, but
never more than ten minutes early.
Treating
the receptionist rudely.
Since the first person you meet on an
interview is usually a receptionist, this is also the first impression you’ll
make. Don’t mistake low rank for low
input. Often, that receptionist’s job
is to usher you into your interview.
The receptionist has the power to pave your way positively or negatively
before you even set eyes on the interviewer.
Asking
about benefits, vacation time or salary.
What if a car salesman asked to see
your credit report before allowing you to test drive the cars? That would be ridiculous and you’d walk away
in disgust. The effect is about the
same when a job seeker asks about benefits or other employee perks during the
first interview. Wait until you’ve won
the employer over before beginning that discussion.
Not
preparing for the interview.
Nothing communicates disinterest like a
candidate who hasn’t bothered to do pre-interview research. On the flip side, the quickest way to a good
impression is to demonstrate your interest with a few well thought out
questions that reflect your knowledge of their organization.
Verbal
ticks.
An ill-at-ease candidate seldom makes a
good impression. The first signs of
nervousness are verbal ticks. We all
have them from time to time—umm, like, you know. Ignore the butterflies in your stomach and put up a front of calm
confidence by avoiding verbal ticks.
One of the best ways to reduce or
eliminate them is through role play.
Practice sharing your best success stories ahead of time, and you’ll
feel more relaxed during the real interview.
Not
enough/too much eye contact
Either situation can create a negative
effect: Avoid eye contact and you’ll
seem shifty or untruthful; offer too much eye contact, and you’ll wear the
interviewer out. If you sometimes have
trouble with eye-contact balance, work this out ahead of time in an interview
practice session with a friend.
Failure
to match communication styles.
It’s almost impossible to make a good
first impression if you can’t communicate effectively with an interviewer. But you can easily change that situation by
mirroring the way the interviewer treats you.
For instance
When you allow the interviewer to set
the tone of conversation, this can vastly improve your chances of making a favorable
impression. You can put the interviewer
at ease—and make yourself seem more like them—by mirroring their communication
style.
Just as a strong resume wins you an
opportunity to interview, strong interview skills will win you consideration
for the job. You already know that you
won’t earn an interview unless your resume sets you apart as a candidate of
choice. Likewise, you should know that
polishing your interview skills can mean the difference between getting the job
offer—and being a runner-up.
Start your job search with a resume
that creates a stellar first impression, then back those facts up with your
extraordinary interview skills. You
will have made yourself a better candidate by avoiding these ten interview
pitfalls. And no one will have to talk
about you as the candidate who “almost” got the job.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Deborah
Walker, CCMC
Resume
Writer ~ Career Coach
For
more in-depth information on resumes, job-search strategy and interview skills,
check out the article archive at my website: www.AlphaAdvantage.com
Email:
Deb@AlphaAdvantage.com
Toll-free
phone: 888-828-0814
Thank
you
Deborah
Walker, CCMC
888-828-0814
Deb@AlphaAdvantage.com