What not to say at an interview

1. I’m really nervous. There’s nothing wrong with feeling nervous. It’s natural to be a little uneasy at an important interview. Don’t tell the interviewer if you have butterflies in your stomach, though. Your job in the interview is to portray a confident and professional demeanor. You won’t win any points by admitting your nerves or blaming them for any failures in your performance.

2. I don’t really know much about the job; I thought you’d tell me all about it. This is a big job seeker mistake, and it can cost you the opportunity. Employers spend a lot of time interviewing, and they expect candidates to have researched the jobs enough to be able to explain why they want the positions. Otherwise, you could be wasting everyone’s time by interviewing for a job you may not even really want. Asking questions is important, but don’t ask anything you should know from the job description or from reading about the company online

3. My last boss/colleague/client was a real jerk. It’s possible (even likely) that your interviewer could prod you into telling tales about your previous or current supervisor or work environment. Resist the urge to badmouth anyone, even if you have a bad boss. It is unprofessional and the employer will worry what you may say to someone about him or her down the road. Instead, think about ways to describe past work environments in terms of what you learned or accomplishments you’re proud to discuss.

4. My biggest weakness is (something directly related to the job). “What’s your weakness?” is one of the most dreaded interview questions. There’s no perfect reply, but there is a reply you should never say: Never admit to a weakness that will affect your ability to get the job done. If the job description requires a lot of creativity, and you say your creativity has waned lately, assume that you’ve taken yourself out of the running. Choose a weakness not related to the position and explain how you’re working to improve it.

5. @#$%! Granted, profanity seems to be much more accepted in many workplaces today. However, an interview is not the time to demonstrate that you can talk like a pirate.

6. Just a minute; I really need to get this call. It’s amazing how many hiring managers and recruiters report that interviewees answer their phones and respond to text messages during in-person interviews. Turn off your phone during interviews and you will not be tempted to reach to answer it.

7. How much vacation time would I get? Never, ever ask questions in an interview that may make it appear that you’ll be overly focused on anything other than work.

8. Can I work from home? Even if you’re pretty sure the company has a lenient work-from-home policy, the interview isn’t the best time to ask about it.

9. Family is the most important thing to me. This is true for many people. However, you do not need to explain how devoted you are to your family during your job interview. It is unlikely to win favor, even in organizations with a well-known family-friendly environment. You want your potential employer to envision you being totally devoted to his or her needs.

When in doubt, pause before you say what’s on your mind. If you wonder if it’s okay to ask, assume it’s better to avoid the topic altogether.

photo by Enokson

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How to have winning phone interviews

Don’t miss the details. What time is the interview? Is the interviewer calling you, or is it up to you to place the call? Does everyone have the right phone numbers? Who will be interviewing you? (Make sure to get the correct spelling of their names and also their contact information so you can easily follow up with thank you notes.) When the interview is remote, it’s very easy to muck up the key details, but if you are waiting for a call and the interviewer expected you to initiate the conversation, you’ve lost an opportunity. It’s wise to send an email to confirm all the specifics so everyone is on the same page.

Don’t take the call from a noisy place. There is nothing worse (for you and the interviewer) than trying to have a serious conversation when there is a lot of noise in the background. It does not matter if the noise is your daughter’s soccer game or the cappuccino machine at the local coffee shop; it’s up to you to find a quiet place to take the call. If you don’t, the interviewer will question your judgment, and no employer wants to hire someone who doesn’t make good decisions.

Don’t forget to tell your friends and family you’re on a business call. Even if you are in your home office with the door closed, if your roommate or family members don’t know you’re on an important call, expect to be interrupted.

Don’t schedule an interview when you have other responsibilities. Needless to say, it’s not a good idea to schedule an interview while you’re at work. Other bad times: when you’re in charge of children, driving or expecting a service person or visitor. Make sure you can give the interviewer your complete attention, or you may regret it later.

Don’t interrupt for a call that’s waiting. Just as you would never answer your phone during an in-person interview, don’t ever be tempted to ask the interviewer to wait a minute so you can pick up the call that’s waiting. Not only is it rude, but it’s possible you’ll get disconnected. When you are in an interview, give the interviewer all your focus and attention.

Do write some notes and refer to them. Be ready for the interview. Take advantage of the fact that the interviewer can’t see you and keep a few notes handy to help you remember to say all of your key points. Use bullet points, not complete paragraphs. (You don’t want to read them word-for-word.)

Do prepare as you would for an in-person meeting. Just because the meeting is over the phone doesn’t mean the employer isn’t serious about your candidacy. Return the favor and prepare and research as you would for an in-person interview. Learn all you can about the organization, their successes and their concerns. Be prepared to explain exactly why you are a good fit for the job.

Emote. In a phone interview, you need to be extra attentive about your tone and enthusiasm. If necessary, stand up when you’re on the call. Smile and gesture as you would in person to help make sure you verbally project your interest in the job.

Use a phone that won’t drop the call. You do not want to lose the interviewer in the midst of your conversation. Be sure to take the call on a reliable phone in a location that isn’t typically problematic.

Listen carefully and take notes as long as it doesn’t distract you. Just as it’s OK to refer to your prepared notes during your interview, you can take advantage of the phone interview setup to write down things during the interview so you’ll remember them later. It can be helpful to jot down a few things so you can write detailed thank you notes. Don’t feel compelled to transcribe every word, but some well-placed notes may help you later. You’ll be glad when you get the job.

A phone interview can be a great opportunity to shine, and without the pressure to shake hands well or dress in exactly the right thing, it can be a lot easier than an in-person meeting. Don’t blow your opportunity to make the most of this chance.

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You may be surprised to learn that the way you respond to the initial inquiry sets the tone and influences employers’ impressions before you’ve even met. Are you sabotaging your interview before you start? If any of these points sound familiar, you may now know why you didn’t get the job:

You didn’t follow instructions. You receive an email or a phone call inviting you to interview for a job, along with a series of steps to take to schedule an interview. Are you sure you always read and follow those directions?

You’re slow to respond. If you include an email address on your resume, employers assume it is a good way to reach you. (Most, if not all, will expect to be able to contact you electronically.)

You don’t seem flexible. An employer calls on the phone to schedule a time to meet, and your response to every suggestion is “no.” Even though the organization may not cancel your chances entirely at this point (it may be required by law to follow through with an interview), you will have a difficult reputation to overcome when you meet in person.

You use bad judgment about when to answer your phone. We all have mobile phones, but that doesn’t mean we need to answer them every time they ring. If an unfamiliar number pops up on your phone when you’re struggling with traffic or in a loud environment, don’t answer it.

You over share. You’ve been waiting forever to hear from this employer, and you’re so nervous when they ask to schedule an interview, you can’t stop talking. It may be charming if you express excitement about the opportunity to interview, but you’ll start to lose points quickly if you transition into a complaint about how long it took them to get back to you.

You miss key details. Just because you live in Boston and the job is in Miami, don’t assume the interview will be over the phone. In fact, a good rule of thumb is to not assume anything when an employer contacts you.

Don’t schedule anything before you consult your calendar. If you’re currently working, make a point to review your work and coverage schedule to be sure you aren’t getting yourself into a bind in your job.

First impressions last—make sure your target employer’s first impressions of you are positive so you won’t have any ground to make up when you actually interview for the job and you’ll give yourself the best chance possible to win the position.

Read the whole post on U.S. News & World Report.

photo by marc falardeau

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Self-assess. Know what job you want; be specific and targeted. Identify companies where you’d like to work and be prepared to mention several organizations’ names. Do not plan to be the “I can do anything” job seeker.

Learn how to introduce yourself. We’ve all heard of the “two-minute elevator speech.”

Research the guest list. It’s always best to be prepared, and when you do a little sleuthing, it’s not difficult to find out who plans to be at the event.

Keep in mind: you want to identify people who could know someone working at your targeted list of companies. Be aware: these networking contacts may come in surprising packages. For example, the neighborhood busy-body probably has all kinds of great contacts. So does the bartender at your neighborhood pub—or the person tending bar at the party you’re attending. Don’t cross anyone off your list of good people to meet.

Create snazzy business cards. Even if you’re not currently working, you should have professional looking business cards that give the recipient easy access to your social media profiles (for example, your LinkedIn URL).

Dress the part. Even if it’s a casual party, make sure to choose something to wear that looks sharp and in style.

Be a listener. Make sure people don’t sense that you have an agenda when you meet them.

Ask for a follow-up meeting. Use your in-person networking time to request another meeting in a quieter location. For example, if you’ve had a great talk, and you think there is potential for you to be able to help each other, say, “I’d love to follow up with you and explore how we may be able to be good resources for each other.

Say thank you—and good bye. Don’t forget your manners. Be sure to thank the party organizer, even if you have to stand around to have an audience.

Keep in touch. Depending on the nature of your interactions at the party, you have a lot of options for following up. For example, if you know a new contact’s daughter is moving to Chicago soon, you can send a nice note with an article about fun things for newcomers to do in the Chicago area.

Read the entire post on my U.S. News & World Report post.

photo by TimmyGUNZ

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Answering the question well requires two, equally important elements:

1. Knowing what you offer.
2. Understanding what the organization wants.

What You Offer
Why are you a good fit for the job? If you don’t know your skills, it will be difficult to land an opportunity. It’s imperative to understand what you have to offer when applying for positions. I tell my clients to post the question, “Why should we hire you?” on their bathroom mirror, refrigerator or anyplace they will see it during the day. I instruct them to answer, out loud, keeping different companies in mind each time. This type of rehearsal will help you hone in on what you have to offer.

What do you enjoy most about your job? It’s likely those aspects correlate with your strengths and may help identify reasons to hire you. For example, do you enjoy spending a lot of time negotiating, preventing problems (or solving them), or interacting with people from various backgrounds? Are you a writer, whose best time is quietly typing, alone at the computer? Or, is presenting in front of large groups your favorite thing? Make a list of what you would consider your best strengths.

If it’s difficult choosing your best skills, consider asking for help and doing some self-referential research. Dig out old performance reviews, read what people have written about you in LinkedIn recommendations, and ask your friends or colleagues about your strengths.

Need help articulating what you offer? Check out my new book:
100 Conversations for Career Success

Identify what is unique or special about you. How have you gone above and beyond the call of duty? What did you accomplish that no one else managed to do? Did you volunteer to tackle a problem and solve it? Give yourself credit — ideally, your past work will provide a strong, supportive platform for your next job.

Don’t underestimate the value of looking at yourself, your skills, and your accomplishments and outlining the key points you will want to share with a prospective employer.

What the Organization Wants
While the focus of “Why should we hire you?” is on “you,” the interviewee, it’s important to remember the answer isn’t all about you. The most successful interview responses focus on the hiring manager’s needs. Framing replies that demonstrate you understand their problems — or “pain points,” makes a big difference when competing with many other qualified candidates.

What are the skills to focus on when you apply for jobs? It’s usually not very difficult to identify what employers are looking for; their 2,000-word, in-depth job descriptions don’t leave much to the imagination. Many firms post videos, and manage Facebook sites and Twitter feeds touting their organizations and why you might want to work there. Skip these resources at your own peril — they are telling you exactly what you need to know to be a strong candidate.

To prepare to successfully interview — frame your answer to, “Why should we hire you?” to suit the employer’s needs. Print and highlight the job description, looking for the top three or four most important details. Do they include terms such as, “cross-functional team,” “team work,” and “team player” several times? If your answer to, “Why should we hire you?” (asked directly or as an underlying question) does not mention and focus on your abilities as they relate to teams, you are probably out of luck.

Does the company’s YouTube channel have a series of videos outlining its commitment to customer service? You’ll want to include details about your interest in client relations as part of the reason the employer should hire you. If an organization emphasizes a topic, it’s likely management will appreciate your letting them know why (and how) you are a good fit. Think of an interview as an opportunity to build a bridge between what the company wants and what you offer — and to figuratively lay a red carpet across the bridge, encouraging the employer to walk across!

Final Thoughts: What if There’s a Disconnect? You Know You Need to Emphasize a Skill or Accomplishment that’s not a Strong Suit?
The job requires leadership skills, for example. You know the interviewer will want to discuss it, but it’s one of your weak points. What should you say?

Give examples of non-work related leadership stories if your work history isn’t very leadership focused. Maybe you led a volunteer team and raised a lot of money, for example. It does help to be able to work in information about how you demonstrated leadership at work. To address this topic, break down the definition of “leadership” and identify some matches between what you’ve exhibited on the job and what the job requires.

For example, a leader:

• Takes responsibility for his or her actions
• Can think on his or her feet and make decisions
• Can convince others of a viewpoint or plan — and inspire them to cooperate
• Sees the bigger picture and makes suggestions to avoid obstacles

When the interviewer asks why the organization should hire you, include a leadership-focused reply, such as, “I know this job requires strong leadership experience. The best leaders think ahead, make good decisions and skillfully convince others to cooperate.” (Then, tell a story illustrating a time when you used those three skills.)

photo by b4b2

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Why aren’t you getting the job?

It’s one of the most difficult and frustrating questions to face. Job seekers usually don’t receive feedback from hiring managers or interviewers, let alone hear why their resume may not have been selected for an interview. Instead, they are left to wonder if there is something wrong with them.

I don’t advise job seekers rely too much on the old stand-by reasons why they didn’t get the job: ageism (they want a 25-year old, and I’m 45), the economy is so bad/no one is getting hired (even if they are). There are no jobs in your town, and it would be impossible to sell the house right now. Your situation is unique — you took time off to care for an elderly parent, you want to return to paid work after retiring…The list goes on and on. There are plenty of “reasons” you can identify to explain away why you aren’t getting the job.

No matter what, though, in my experience, it usually comes back to several factors, and these factors are always in the job seeker’s control (unlike the items in the paragraph above, which are more difficult (although not impossible) for the job seeker to address).

– Your search itself — are you looking for a job or a company?

Even if you are getting interviews, it is possible you’re not connecting with the types of opportunities looking for someone like you. If you switch the way you are conducting your search, and instead of focusing on looking for job announcements, you look for companies with problems you know you can solve, you may have much more success.

Searching for a company instead of a job puts much more control in the job seeker’s hands. It can be very empowering to realize you can learn about an organization (via traditional and online research as well as networking) and, instead of trying to apply for a narrowly defined job, you can work on meeting people in the company and getting to know more about the organization. The goal? To be the “go to” person for the job before they even have posted a job. (Maybe before they even know they need to hire someone.)

– Your networking — and social networking

If your network isn’t working, think about making a change. Are you running around, telling everyone you know you need a job, and asking for their help? They probably have no idea how to help you. Instead, focus on letting everyone know about your expertise, take the focus off of the job. Explain what companies, industries or fields you are researching and ask if your contacts know anyone in those companies. However, try to remember not to make your job hunt the key factor when you meet with people. Think about projecting your expertise and leaving people with the impression that you are an expert in your field.

While social media won’t get you an interview, having a complete profile on LinkedIn and engaging on platforms such as Twitter can help you expand your network, which helps you improve your chances to land interviews.

– How you are applying

When you do apply for jobs, make sure your materials make it obvious that you’re well qualified and can do the job. If you are applying for a marketing job, make sure the entire resume isn’t about your sales accomplishments. You don’t want to confuse the reader — your materials should address their needs. Target your resume, online profiles, cover letter and all of your materials to their needs.

– Preparation for the interview

Prepare for an interview, even before you have one scheduled. How often will an employer expect you to be available “tomorrow” or the next day to discuss the job? Make sure you’re prepared to explain why you are qualified and why they should hire you. You’ll also need to know as much as possible about the company (which won’t be a problem if you’ve been looking for a company instead of a job!) Have stories to describe working with teams, leading, having problems with other people, overcoming difficult situations and a time when you came up against an obstacle. Be able to describe your successes and accomplishments and identify some weaknesses.

Have questions for the employer. These should be questions you cannot find answered elsewhere. It makes all the difference in an interview to sound well-prepared and interested in the job. Less prepared candidates will not make the cut in this competitive market.

– How you follow up

If you interview with six people, do you go the extra mile and send different, targeted thank you notes to each person? Or, are you emailing out the same messages, copied and pasted from one to the next? (Are you even sure you changed out the names correctly?) Making the extra effort to address each interviewer and mention what you discussed or clarify something you may have forgotten to mention can make a big difference when employers are trying to find evidence that you really are the type of candidate who will go above and beyond the call of duty.

Think about your follow up materials. How could you improve them to try to solidify your chance at the job?

Take a look at some of my other ideas on my U.S. News & World Report blog about this topic.

photo by Ciccio Pizzettaro

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