In this economy, many people are finding themselves laid off or unable to get a job. Companies are downsizing or moving their businesses elsewhere and folks are scrambling to find positions that will help them make ends meet. For some, their last job interview was 20 years ago. For others, they are fresh out of college and have never had an interview. Here are a few things to avoid during a job interview and help you move to the next level:
- Don’t call the morning of the interview and ask for directions. This makes it look as if you didn’t prepare for the interview and aren’t truly interested in the position.
- Don’t show up late. If you show up late to the interview, employers will assume you will show up late to work. Get up a few minutes earlier and give yourself plenty of time to make the commute, even if it’s just around the block. You never know if a water pipe may have busted at the corner of your street and you have to take a 15 minute detour or if there is an auto-accident and you are at a standstill one block away. If something outside of your control happens and you are late, apologize, explain, and admit you know what a terrible first impression it must be and that you are not typically late for work (unless you are, then don’t lie).
- Don’t show up looking like you just rolled out of bed. Do your hair. Put on your makeup. Iron your clothes. Ladies—where something that doesn’t show your bra straps or cleavage and make sure if you wear a skirt your hemline is modest and you sit in a way to ensure you don’t have a Britney Spears moment where the boss will know if you’re wearing underwear or not. Men—be clean-shaven or trim your facial hair. Dress for the job you want, not the job you have.
- Don’t show up and not know anything about the company. Get on their website and research the agency. Bosses love to talk with someone who has some knowledge about the agency. It shows the interviewer you did your homework and are excited about the opportunity.
- Don’t say “I don’t know” to the following questions:
- “What would you say are two of your best qualities or strengths?” It’s okay to brag on yourself a bit. Think about what good things former employers would say about you and share those qualities.
- “What would you say are two areas in which you need to grow or improve?” No matter how many degrees you have or how many years of experience you have under your belt, everyone has areas in our lives and work in which we can improve. Perhaps you don’t have as much experience in one area as in another. Bosses are looking for people who are teachable, not know-it-alls who think they are going to come in and be perfect. It’s usually those people who make the biggest mistakes the bosses have to clean up later.
- “What questions do you have about the position for which you are applying?” Ask questions about the job. It shows the interviewer you are interested. And, it gives the interviewer a chance to tell you about what you’re going to be doing so you can decide if you’re truly interested in the job.
- Don’t talk negatively about your previous employer. Interviewers know there are two sides to every story. If your last job didn’t end so well, don’t bad-mouth the other job. It gives the sense you would do that to the person at the agency at which you are interviewing and that spells trouble and drama. Interviewers will most likely not recommend you for the position if they think you are going to be trouble from the start.
- Don’t tell the interviewer you only want this job temporarily until you get offered the job you really want. The cost of training an employee is high and it is time-consuming. If the interviewer thinks you’ll be gone in a few months, they won’t want to waste their time and effort and money to train you.
- Don’t lie about experience you haven’t had. If you are applying for an accounting job, but you’ve only had one accounting class, don’t say you are an expert. If you didn’t earn a degree from college, don’t lie and say you did. Employers call references and check transcripts. Worse, your lie may come out after you’ve gotten the job when they realize you have no clue what you’re doing and it will not look good on your resume to future employers when they see you were only employed at that agency for a few months. Then you’ll have to explain about being fired for being dishonest. Ouch…
- Don’t make the interview a therapy session. When the interviewer says, “Tell me something about you” stick to the information describing what type of employee you would be, your career goals (if you can link them to the job for which you’re interviewing—see point #6 above), and maybe a hobby or two you enjoy to help de-stress after a busy work week. Don’t go into details about your abusive ex-husband, dysfunctional family, or major health concerns. All those things spell potential drama at work and employers are not excited about dealing with that type of drama.
