Don’t Make These Fatal Interview Mistakes
I do a lot of interview coaching with my clients.
I write about interviewing.
I have done several podcasts around the job interview.
I’ve conducted dozens of actual interviews in higher education, nonprofits, and retail management.
I am considered an expert in interview preparation.
In light of my credentials, and because it’s near Halloween, I decided to give you my Unlucky 13 Fatal Interview Mistakes.
Probably not in the way you are thinking.
Rather than talk about specific questions candidates answer “wrong,” I want to talk about the bigger picture here.
The Fatal Interview Mistakes
The fatal ways in which candidates show up improperly for the job interview.
- Interviewing “just for practice.” (This can absolutely come back to bite you in the butt.)
Not doing your homework on the company/product/industry. (Which means, among other things, that you won’t be able to articulate how you are the perfect person for the job.)
Not doing your homework on the people you will be interviewing with, whenever possible. (Think foot in mouth.)
Not preparing your Challenge-Action-Result (CAR) stories to answer behavioral interview questions. (You simply can’t ace an interview without preparing for the behavioral questions, and you can’t wing them, either.)
Not being able to clearly and concisely articulate your brand differentiators. (Why should they hire you over the sea of candidates they are considering? If you don’t tell them, who will?)
Minimizing your achievements/qualifications. (This one’s specifically for the ladies – it ain’t bragging if you can prove it.)
Showing up late / on time. (On time IS late.)
Not making a good first impression with your appearance. (Top to bottom, they are judging you on first impressions.)
The dead-fish handshake. (Especially if you are a dude shaking a woman’s hand.)
Leaving the interview without a clear understanding of what’s going to happen next. (Not only do you need to know what’s next, it will make you look more interested in professional when you ask.)
Not showing your enthusiasm for the company, the position, the product, etc. (They need to know you want THAT job, not just ANY job.)
Being discourteous/dismissive of ANYONE you come in contact with at the company. (What – you think they don’t share this information?)
Thinking there’s EVER a time during this process when you aren’t being interviewed. (From the initial contact to set up an interview, to you getting out of your car in their parking lot, to your manners over lunch…it’s all interview.)
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