avoid these 10 interview mistakes

8/6/2019 Avoid These 10 Interview Mistakes

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Avoid These 10 Interview Mistakes

Poor handshake: The three-second handshake that starts the interview is your firstopportunity to create a great impression. But all too often an interview is blown right fromthe start by an ineffective handshake. Once you've delivered a poor handshake, it's nearlyimpossible to recover your efforts to build rapport. Here are some examples:

The Limp Hand (or "dead fish"): Gives the impression of disinterest or weakness The Tips of the Fingers: Shows lack of ability to engage. The Arm Pump: Sincerity is questionable, much like an overly aggressive salesman.

Even if you're a seasoned professional, don't assume you have avoided these pitfalls. Yourhandshake may be telling more about you than you know. Ask for honest critiques fromseveral friends who aren't afraid to tell you the truth.

Talking too much: In my recruiting days, I abhorred over-talkative candidates. So did mostof my client employers. Over-talking takes a couple of forms:

Taking too long to answer direct questions. The impression: This candidate just can'tget to the point.

Nervous talkers. The impression: This candidate is covering up something or isoutright lying.

To avoid either of these forms of over-talking, practice answering questions in a directmanner. Avoid nervous talking by preparing for your interview with role-play

Talking negatively about current or past employers/managers: The fastest way to talkyourself 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, youwill come out the loser if you show that you disrespect your boss becausethe interviewer will assume that you would similarly trash him or her. When faced with thechallenge of talking about former employers, make sure you are prepared with a positivespin on your experiences.

Showing up late or too early: One of the first lessons in job-search etiquette is to show upon time for interviews. Many job-seekers don't realize, however, that showing up too earlyoften creates a poor first impression as well. Arriving more than 10 minutes early for aninterview is a dead giveaway that the job seeker has too much time on his or her hands,much like the last one picked for the softball team. Don't diminish your candidate desirabilityby appearing desperate. Act as if your time were as valuable as the interviewer's. Always

arrive on time, but never more than 10 minutes early.

Treating the receptionist rudely: Since the first person you meet on an interview is usuallya receptionist, this encounter represents the first impression you'll make. Don't mistake lowrank for low input. Often that receptionist's job is to usher you into your interview. Thereceptionist has the power to pave your way positively or negatively before you even seteyes on the interviewer. The interviewer may also solicit the receptionist's opinion of youafter you leave.


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Asking about benefits, vacation time or salary: What if a car salesman asked to seeyour credit report before allowing you to test drive the cars? That would be ridiculous, andyou'd walk away in disgust. The effect is about the same when a job-seeker asks aboutbenefits or other employee perks during the first interview. Wait until you've won theemployer 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 goodimpression is to demonstrate your interest with a few well thought out questions that reflectyour knowledge of their organization

Verbal ticks: An ill-at-ease candidate seldom makes a good impression. The first signs ofnervousness are verbal ticks. We all have them from time to time -- "umm," "like," "youknow." Ignore the butterflies in your stomach and put up a front of calm confidence byavoiding verbal ticks. You can also sometimes avoid verbal ticks by pausing for a fewseconds to gather your thoughts before each response.

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. Avoideye contact and you'll seem shifty, untruthful, or disinterested; offer too much eye contact,and you'll wear the interviewer out. If you sometimes have trouble with eye-contact balance,work this issue 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 firstimpression if you can't communicate effectively with an interviewer. But you can easilychange that situation by mirroring the way the interviewer treats you. For instance:

If the interviewer seems all business, don't attempt to loosen him/her up with a jokeor story. Be succinct and businesslike

If the interviewer is personable, try discussing his/her interests. Often the items ondisplay in the office can offer a clue.

If asked a direct question, answer directly. Then follow up by asking if moreinformation is needed.

Allowing the interviewer to set the tone of conversation can vastly improve your chances ofmaking a favourable impression. You can put the interviewer at ease -- and make yourselfseem more like him or her -- by mirroring his or her communication style.

Final ThoughtsJust as a strong resume wins you an opportunity to interview; strong interview skills will winyou consideration for the job. You already know that you won't earn an interview unless yourresume sets you apart as a candidate of choice. Similarly, you should know that polishingyour interview skills can mean the difference between getting the job offer -- and being arunner-up.

Start your job search with a resume that creates a stellar first impression, and then backthose facts up with your extraordinary interview skills. You will have made yourself a better


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candidate by avoiding these ten interview pitfalls. And no one will have to talk about you asthe candidate who "almost" got the job.

Behavioural Interviewing Strategies for Job-Seekers

Behavioural interviewing is a relatively new mode of job interviewing. Employers such asAT&T and Accenture (the former Andersen Consulting) have been using behavioural

interviewing for about 15 years now, and because increasing numbers of employers areusing behaviour-based methods to screen job candidates, understanding how to excel inthis interview environment is becoming a crucial job-hunting skill.

The premise behind behavioural interviewing is that the most accurate predictor of futureperformance is past performance in similar situations. Behavioural interviewing, in fact, issaid to be 55 percent predictive of future on-the-job behaviour, while traditional interviewingis only 10 percent predictive.

Behavioural-based interviewing is touted as providing a more objective set of facts to makeemployment decisions than other interviewing methods. Traditional interview questions ask

you general questions such as "Tell me about yourself." The process of behaviouralinterviewing is much more probing and works very differently.

In a traditional job-interview, you can usually get away with telling the interviewer what he orshe wants to hear, even if you are fudging a bit on the truth. Even if you are askedsituational questions that start out "How would you handle XYZ situation?" you have minimalaccountability. How does the interviewer know, after all, if you would really react in a givensituation the way you say you would? In a behavioural interview, however, it's much moredifficult to give responses that are untrue to your character. When you start to tell abehavioural story, the behavioural interviewer typically will pick it apart to try to get at thespecific behaviour(s). The interviewer will probe further for more depth or detail such as

"What were you thinking at that point?" or "Tell me more about your meeting with thatperson," or "Lead me through your decision process." If you've told a story that's anythingbut totally honest, your response will not hold up through the barrage of probing questions.

Employers use the behavioural interview technique to evaluate a candidate's experiencesand behaviours so they can determine the applicant's potential for success. The intervieweridentifies job-related experiences, behaviours, knowledge, skills and abilities that thecompany has decided are desirable in a particular position. For example, some of thecharacteristics that employers look for include:

Critical thinking

Being a self-starter Willingness to learn Willingness to travel Self-confidence Teamwork Professionalism

The employer then structures very pointed questions to elicit detailed responses aimed atdetermining if the candidate possesses the desired characteristics. Questions (often not


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even framed as a question) typically start out: "Tell about a time..." or "Describe asituation..." Many employers use a rating system to evaluate selected criteria during theinterview.

As a candidate, you should be equipped to answer the questions thoroughly. Obviously, youcan prepare better for this type of interview if you know which skills that the employer haspredetermined to be necessary for the job you seek. Researching the company and talking

to people who work there will enable you to zero in on the kinds of behaviours the companywants.

In the interview, your response needs to be specific and detailed. Candidates who tell theinterviewer about particular situations that relate to each question will be far more effectiveand successful than those who respond in general terms.

Knowing what kinds of questions might be asked will help you prepare an effective selectionof examples.

Use examples from internships, classes and school projects, activities, team participation,

community service, hobbies and work experience -- anything really -- as examples of yourpast behaviour. In addition, you may use examples of special accomplishments, whetherpersonal or professional, such as scoring the winning touchdown, being elected president ofyour Greek organization, winning a prize for your artwork, surfing a big wave, or raisingmoney for charity. Wherever possible, quantify your results. Numbers always impressemployers.

Remember that many behavioural questions try to get at how you responded to negativesituations; you'll need to have examples of negative experiences ready, but try to choosenegative experiences that you made the best of or -- better yet, those that had positiveoutcomes.

Here's a good way to prepare for behaviour-based interviews:

Identify six to eight examples from your past experience where you demonstrated topbehaviours and skills that employers typically seek. Think in terms of examples thatwill exploit your top selling points.

Half your examples should be totally positive, such as accomplishments or meetinggoals.

The other half should be situations that started out negatively but either endedpositively or you made the best of the outcome.

Vary your examples; don't take them all from just one area of your life.

Use fairly recent examples. If you're a college student, examples from high schoolmay be too long ago. Accenture, in fact, specifies that candidates give examples ofbehaviours demonstrated within the last year.

Try to describe examples in story form and / or PAR / SAR / STAR.

To cram for a behavioural interview right before you're interviewed, review your resume.Seeing your achievements in print will jog your memory.


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(which is rare but can happen) or under dress (the more likely scenario), the potentialemployer may feel that you don't care enough about the job.

How do you find out what is the proper dress for a given job/company/industry? You can callthe Human Resources office where you are interviewing and simply ask. Or, you could visitthe company's office to retrieve an application or other company information and observethe attire current employees are wearing -- though make sure you are not there on a "casual

day" and misinterpret the dress code.

Finally, do you need to run out and spend a lot of money on clothes for interviewing? No,but you should make sure you have at least two professional sets of attire. You'll need morethan that, but depending on your current financial condition, two is enough to get startedand you can buy more once you have the job or have more financial resources.

Hints for Dress for Success for Men and WomenAttention to details is crucial, so here are some tips for both men and women. Make sureyou have:

clean and polished conservative dress shoes well-groomed hairstyle cleaned and trimmed fingernails minimal cologne or perfume no visible body piercing beyond conservative ear piercing for women well-brushed teeth and fresh breath no gum, candy, or other objects in your mouth minimal jewellery no body odour

Finally, check your attire in the rest room just before your interview for a final check of your

appearance -- to make sure your tie is straight; your hair is combed, etc.

Top 15 Job Interview Questions

While job seekers can use the power of the Internet to thoroughly research prospectiveemployers, their performance in an interview will make or break the chances for a job offer.By rehearsing interview questions, they can become better prepared to demonstrate howthey can benefit an employer. MonsterTrak.com has compiled a list of the top 15 interviewquestions from the countrys leading employers, to help job seekers prepare for jobinterviews:

1. Tell me about yourself.2. What do you know about our company?3. Why do you want to work for us?4. What unique qualities or abilities would you bring to this job?5. What are your major strengths and weaknesses?6. How long do you plan to stay at our company? Where do you see yourself in five

years?7. Tell me about a time that you failed at something, and what you did afterwards.


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8. Describe a time when you worked on a team project. What was your relative positionon the team? Were you satisfied with your contribution? How could it have beenbetter?

9. Why did you choose your school and course of study?10.Think back to a situation in which you had to resolve a conflict. Tell me how you did

it.11.Tell me about a project that you had either at work or school. Describe in detail how

you managed it and what was the outcome.12.What do you do in your spare time?13.What salary are you expecting?14.What other types of jobs or companies are you considering?15.Have you any questions for us?

The goal is to persuade the employer that the interviewee has the skills, background, andability to do the job and can comfortably fit into his/her organization. The interview outcomecan be strongly influenced by realizing an interview is not an objective process in which theemployer offers the job to the best candidate based on merit alone. Instead, it is a highlysubjective encounter in which the interviewer offers the job to the qualified person whom

he/she likes best. Personality, confidence, enthusiasm, a positive outlook and excellentinterpersonal and communication skills count heavily.

avoid these 10 interview mistakes

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