Top Four Interview Mistakes

There's nothing I hate more than working my tail off to score an interview, only to feel like I didn't perform to my utmost. All the work I put into my cover letter, resume, and in some cases questionnaire and I.Q. Test goes down the drain if the interview hits a road bump. Here are some lessons I've learned the hard way.

1. Decide right away whether you are a morning person or an evening person. If you're not a morning person, then do NOT schedule an interview in the morning. I was so eager to please the HR rep that I agreed to a 10 AM interview. I was so excited the night before that I didn't sleep a wink. My wits weren't what they could have been. If I had only scheduled a 3 PM interview, I'd have been better off, and the interviewers more relaxed as well, because in general I've noticed that people tend to become more relaxed as the day wears on.
2. The HR rear ends were taught in business school to always ask the interviewee whether he has any questions, on the theory that applicants are too scared to volunteer a question without being asked for one. I seldom have had any good questions, because I research the company beforehand and can adapt to just about any situation anyway. However, this looks bad in the HR rep's eyes. Here's a great question: Do you have any questions or concerns that you haven't mentioned yet? Here's another: Can you think of any reason that I wouldn't be a great candidate for this position? The goal is to shake out the pebble in their shoe, that lingering doubt or concern that they have observed, but not revealed. That secret doubt is your enemy, and it is best to bring it out into the open, where it can be addressed head on.
3. Remember that most HR questions are complete B.S. designed to trick the interviewee into badmouthing former employers or sharing unflattering things about himself. Never utter anything that does not portray you in a positive light when viewed from any possible angle, because it will then be taken out of context and magnified tenfold. Strive to be cheerfully boring.
4. Faulty memory is not a valid excuse. Always have a few canned anecdotes about your past experiences to share with the interviewer. These must all portray you in a positive light.

by igor 04:20 8 replies by igor 09:32 6 comments