Yes, true. Complaining about a current employer is another thing people tend to do in job interviews… but I guess that falls into “Confessing Too Much.”
First off, i’d like to say that I had a friend that was turned down in an interview, just because he wore a pink dress shirt. It was rather ridiculous on there part, but I have to say don’t try to over power your recuiter with what you wear to the interview.
Second, don’t let surprise questions throw you off. Answer them the best you can. And if you can’t try answering with “I’m not familair with…..” And have them try to explain it in further detail. Sometimes this triggers your mind and buys time for you to answer the question. Trust me, I got nailed here!
Thanks for the tips, always good to keep collecting them.
Horror Story: First ever interview (during my University years) I completely got lost in the middle of my own lie and ended up just staring out of the window as I finished my obviously bull story with a trailing off mumble. I didn’t want to job anyway, and furthermore, had my hair dyed blue.
Sigh….
Now I look forward to an interview, something which I didn’t even have to do for my current job. Though I’m not planning on switching over quite yet, would you ever suggest going to an interview or at least meeting a prospect in a formal manner just for practice’s sake? How would I get away with not actually wanting a job there?
Matt, wow. I’m shocked. How does your friend know it was the pink shirt that lost him the job opportunity? I’m just wondering if they flat out told him that was the reason. I like your addition about tricky questions… any way you can buy yourself a little time to think out an answer is good. There are also lists of “common interview questions” you can find (just through google) that will help you prepare your answers beforehand, or at least practice answering interview questions.
t – I don’t see the point in interviewing for a job you don’t want. It wastes the employer’s time, it wastes yours, and it creates a bad impression. If you want to practice interviewing, why not try an informational interview? The concept is you meet with someone in your industry to find out more about their company and the types of positions they have. It will be a little more casual, but at least there is a non-commitment understanding on both ends.
Kristen – When recovering from mistakes, less is definitely more. By owning up to your mistake and apologizing, you basically say “We all make mistakes, I made one, I’m sorry, moving on.” It’s hard for people to fault you for that – in fact, they can’t help but relate to you and respect your honesty. If you try to make excuses, however, people will find more reasons not to like you. Thanks for the comment!
Great post. I do some work for the Career Services unit at my university, where we hold taped mock interviews. A question that snags a lot of people is “Tell me about yourself”.
It seems that everyone rehearses questions EXCEPT for that one — I find that people tend to ramble on and on because they have no idea how to answer that question.
The ones that answer it best are the ones that have clearly taken a step back and taken an inventory of who they really are. They know their passions, how their past has shaped them, their goals and why they are where they are. A bit of introspection every now and then never hurt anyone.
Yeah, rambling is bad. I do my best to control that in interviews, but sometimes nerves get to me. A good idea is to think of three things “about yourself” and limit your answer to those three. Maybe pick things that show three different sides of you. Thanks for the tip David!
Monica O'Brien is the Director of Digital at Fizz and author of the book Social Pollination, which helps businesses leverage social media for crazy growth!
Monica O'Brien is the Director of Digital at Fizz and author of the book Social Pollination, which helps businesses leverage social media for crazy growth!
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The killer question, in my mind, is “Why are you looking for a new job?”
You better make sure the answer is a good one, because you don’t want to give off the impression that you are bringing any baggage with you.
A bad answer is “I’ve been there for 18 months, I need a change.”
A good answer is “I’m looking to grow professionally and this seems like a great opportunity.”
Yes, true. Complaining about a current employer is another thing people tend to do in job interviews… but I guess that falls into “Confessing Too Much.”
First off, i’d like to say that I had a friend that was turned down in an interview, just because he wore a pink dress shirt. It was rather ridiculous on there part, but I have to say don’t try to over power your recuiter with what you wear to the interview.
Second, don’t let surprise questions throw you off. Answer them the best you can. And if you can’t try answering with “I’m not familair with…..” And have them try to explain it in further detail. Sometimes this triggers your mind and buys time for you to answer the question. Trust me, I got nailed here!
Thanks for the tips, always good to keep collecting them.
Horror Story: First ever interview (during my University years) I completely got lost in the middle of my own lie and ended up just staring out of the window as I finished my obviously bull story with a trailing off mumble. I didn’t want to job anyway, and furthermore, had my hair dyed blue.
Sigh….
Now I look forward to an interview, something which I didn’t even have to do for my current job. Though I’m not planning on switching over quite yet, would you ever suggest going to an interview or at least meeting a prospect in a formal manner just for practice’s sake? How would I get away with not actually wanting a job there?
Great advice – I love the simple, unapologetic approach. There’s no need to explain a mistake; just own up to it and move on. Thanks!
Matt, wow. I’m shocked. How does your friend know it was the pink shirt that lost him the job opportunity? I’m just wondering if they flat out told him that was the reason. I like your addition about tricky questions… any way you can buy yourself a little time to think out an answer is good. There are also lists of “common interview questions” you can find (just through google) that will help you prepare your answers beforehand, or at least practice answering interview questions.
t – I don’t see the point in interviewing for a job you don’t want. It wastes the employer’s time, it wastes yours, and it creates a bad impression. If you want to practice interviewing, why not try an informational interview? The concept is you meet with someone in your industry to find out more about their company and the types of positions they have. It will be a little more casual, but at least there is a non-commitment understanding on both ends.
Kristen – When recovering from mistakes, less is definitely more. By owning up to your mistake and apologizing, you basically say “We all make mistakes, I made one, I’m sorry, moving on.” It’s hard for people to fault you for that – in fact, they can’t help but relate to you and respect your honesty. If you try to make excuses, however, people will find more reasons not to like you. Thanks for the comment!
Great post. I do some work for the Career Services unit at my university, where we hold taped mock interviews. A question that snags a lot of people is “Tell me about yourself”.
It seems that everyone rehearses questions EXCEPT for that one — I find that people tend to ramble on and on because they have no idea how to answer that question.
The ones that answer it best are the ones that have clearly taken a step back and taken an inventory of who they really are. They know their passions, how their past has shaped them, their goals and why they are where they are. A bit of introspection every now and then never hurt anyone.
Yeah, rambling is bad. I do my best to control that in interviews, but sometimes nerves get to me. A good idea is to think of three things “about yourself” and limit your answer to those three. Maybe pick things that show three different sides of you. Thanks for the tip David!
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