How to Avoid 4 Major Job Interview Mistakes
While many predict further economic gloom, I’m seeing some signs of recovery. Friends are getting invited on interviews and headhunters are calling me occasionally. If you’re lucky enough to land an interview during these tough times, don’t blow it with a moron moment.
I’ve interviewed (and been interviewed) hundreds of times. Some went fantastic. Others made me cringe. Remember, in times like these, an employer is looking for ANY reason, no matter how small, to knock a candidate out of the running. They can afford to be extremely choosy as they seek out the highest caliber talent.
Much like my prior posts on how not to be stupid and lazy, how to avoid one major interview landmine, and really understanding the role of your resume, this post will focus on helping you avoid classic mistakes I’ve actually seen first-hand during interviews.
Here goes: 4 job offer-killing interview mistakes…
Mistake 1: Your Watch
Not looking at your watch can kill your chances. Looking at it can kill them too.
If you’re late for an interview with me, you’ve got one shot to rescue your interview. That explanation better include traffic accidents, exploding cars, and emergency room trips. If you’re late just because “it took you longer than you thought to find the place” we’re done. Be fully cognizant of drive times. Factor in a huge buffer. Being late is being disrespectful. It makes me wonder what you’ll be like if you work for me.
Your watch can kill an interview too. If you look at it so much as once during an interview, we’re probably done. It’s not your job to keep us on time – it’s the interviewer’s. That one glance at a watch signals “I’ve gotta be somewhere else” and that you’re disinterested in the conversation. Thanks for playing. Bye bye. Interview over. Remember – being with that interviewer is the most important thing in your life at that moment (in theory). Signaling otherwise craters your chances.
Mistake 2: Your Phone
Shut off your phone. Now. Unless your spouse is giving birth or you have a sick family member, there’s no reason to have it on. It shouldn’t even be on vibrate (I can hear it). It’s a distraction and again, it signals you have things going on that are more important than the interview.
I actually walked in to one of our interview rooms (we rotated interviewers) and the candidate was on the phone. He held up the universal “wait one second” sign so I let him continue his call (it could have been an emergency for all I knew). He then proceeded to finish checking his voicemail. Done. That was the easiest turndown I’ve ever had.
Mistake 3: The Silent Treatment
Some people love to talk. And talk. And talk. Unfortunately you might come across an interviewer like that. They spout off on how great the company is, how awesome the role is, what they had for breakfast, and on and on and on. While it makes the interview easy for you, it gives the interviewer nothing to say about you during a decision meeting on whether to hire you.
Find a way to politely and gently interrupt. Try to riff off of a point made by the interviewer to relate your skills and experience to the point that’s being made. I once had an interviewer who was stoked about a new project. He would have spent our entire hour together talking about it if I let him. I tried to politely and gently interrupt by explaining a skill I had or a relevant experience related to the aspect of the project he was discussing. In the end, it all went well.
Don’t let the interviewer monopolize your time together. For once in your life, this IS about you.
Mistake 4: Your Biggest Weakness?
“What’s your biggest weakness?”
“I work too hard.” Or “I’m a perfectionist” or some similar junk. When I hear this I want to slam my head off the table.
We all have weaknesses. When you evade the question with one of these “gee, if I say I work too hard the interviewer will love me and want to hire me because I’m so industrious” answers, you come across as disingenuous and not very self-aware. Your interviewer sees right through this answer.
So what do you say? The truth. Then go on to explain how you’re working on strengthening that weakness or how you compensate for it. Doing so demonstrates maturity and a strong sense of self.
“If I’m not excited about a project, I tend to give it short shrift and not work on it as hard as things I’m stoked about. The result is some things don’t get done if I personally don’t see them as exciting regardless of their priority within the organization. To mitigate this effect, I manage tasks with a prioritization list and force myself to work from the top of that list downward. I also try to create excitement for myself on that project by looking at it from a unique angle on how I can learn from it. I haven’t perfected this yet but I’m aware of it and I’m working on it.” Yes, this is one of my personal weaknesses. By putting it out there, the interviewer knows I’m shooting straight and he or she can make a more accurate assessment of my fit on the team.
So there you go – four interviewing mistakes I hope you can avoid. Sure there are many others (please share them in the comments section!) but these four are top of mind for me today. What mistakes have you made or seen?
– Mike Figliuolo at thoughtLEADERS, LLC
Photo: Facepalm by Brandon Grasley
Nice summary Mike – I *really* liked the one about being up-front on talking about your greatest weakness!
Mine was along a similar line, and being honest helped me on the particular interview. I tend to get ‘down in the weeds’ on a specific task that I enjoy, to the detriment of the overall goal, but I force myself to stop once a day and consider the greater project scope in what I’m doing.
The interviewer seemed a bit taken aback that I’d given that particular answer (probably expecting the ‘I’m a perfectionist’ response), but in the end, I ended up getting the job.
Thanks again for the timely reminders on this stuff – always good to refresh yourself in this area.
That’s a great point about being honest with sharing a weakness. In my opinion, what’s even more important than landing a job offer is finding a great match between you and the employer.
You should want to work for a company that can handle honesty, and in return, you should want your future employer to know how you are working on your abilities.
I really appreciate your comments on #3 – tell the truth about weaknesses. This is a real hot button for me because I look for it when interviewing and it is a deciding factor!
I advise client companies on hiring using emotional intelligence as one measure specifically of leadership. As a leader, if you are not aware of your weaknesses and willing to explain that you have them and that you are working on them, I will not trust you.
That said, this is not true confessions, if you have a major character flaw – this is not the time to share. Pick something that is relatively understandable.
Lots of funny examples come to mind – we have likely all heard someone “overshare” that we do not know well enough. Appropriate sharing for the situation calls for self awareness (I have weaknesses), self management (this is what I am doing), other awareness (I am seeking input because I am aware this impacts others), etc. I grade this level of honesty and awareness high.
I recently interviewed the 2 top candidates for a senior role at a client organization. The one who showed the highest level of self awareness got the recommendation becasue he told about a situation where he made a mistake and what he did to correct it. We need someone who is highly self aware to implement changes in the organization. Self awareness is really important for leaders – know you weaknesses!
Having been on 144+ interviews in a 16 month period, I can attest that this article is Spot On. Well done Michael!
Well presented, Mike.
If you haven’t already met, I want to introduce you to Ken Lazar, founder of Scioto Ridge Job Network Group and also manager of the Manpower Professional Sevices Division in Columbus. His jobseekers in transition will value your blog.
All 4 of these rules apply very well. The last one is my biggest though. Honesty in interviews is the overriding rule – about everything. You don’t have to spill your guts but don’t make stuff up. Give honest descriptions of your experiences. Be ready to lose a job offer because your honest answers tell the interviewer that you aren’t the right fit. If you get hired, you won’t have to spend any time living up to expectations set up by dishonest answers. I have been fooled by candidates who were really good liars and ended up letting them go later, an expensive and humiliating waste of time for everyone involved.
Nice article Mike. Like many others, I like the weakness part too. When I interview people I ask about strengths like this, “If I met someone who knew you, why would they tell me we’d be a better company if we hired you?”
Then I go to the weakness by saying, “Because no one is perfect, what would that person who really knows you tell me you’d have to work on to be the very best at this job?”
With both approaches I seem to get much better honest answers.
Wow. Again I’m thrilled with the great thoughts and commentary from the readers. I won’t try to add to your advice as I think you’ve all touched on some great points and the comments speak for themselves. Thanks for sharing your thoughts – we’re all better for it.