Job interviews are not fun. My recent experience participating in an interview panel brought to light some obvious things that should be avoided during an interview. With the hopes of providing some simple and useful tips to get through what is such a stressful experience for most of us, here is the list of do’s and don’ts I gathered:
1. Don’t say ‘I hate interviews’. No one likes interviews and now is not the time to let everyone who has gathered here know that you too, share this common opinion.
2. Stay positive. Focus on answering questions by showing what you do know, how you can contribute and what your experiences have to offer. Don’t mention that you are worried you might not have enough experience. This leads to the next point…
3. Don’t apologize for what you don’t know. The last thing you need to do is put a magnifying glass to your weaknesses. Acknowledge them as such, but put a positive spin on it – you learn fast, you are resourceful, dedicated, etc. to expanding your skills, meeting new challenges, and so on. Don’t say sorry for what you perceive is a strike against you!
4. Don’t keep talking to try to fill the void. If you answer a question briefly, don’t keep talking because you think you should have more to say. This usually muddies up the answer you already gave and makes you look unsure of yourself. Verbal diarrhea should be avoided.
5. DO come prepared – Part 1: Bring a note pad, reference papers, and a pen (unless specified not to). Taking notes during the interview helps to keep your thoughts and answers on track. It shows you care and you are ready to do what it takes to do a good job. Don’t be shy to jot notes about the questions you are asked – they are often complex, multi-part questions.
6. DO come prepared – Part 2: Do some research into the company or organization or at the very least, visit their website. Not having done so will be obvious and will not win you any points. One of the panels I was on interviewed someone for a position that consisted of providing information to high school students about how to apply to university. This person didn’t research anything about this process and it was totally obvious. This is just insulting. If you are called for the interview, the expectation is that you have done research to find out what you are getting yourself into. You don’t have to be an expert, but show that you took the initiative to learn something.
7. DO come prepared – Part 3: Have case studies, scenarios and examples at the ready. You cannot prepare for an exam without reviewing more material than what you will be tested on. An interview should be approached the same. Prepare for those questions you can almost certainly count on being asked – you know: “Tell us about a particularly difficult situation where you had to deal with a [insert situation here]” or “Give us an example of your contribution on a project that shows why you would be a good fit for this job”. Those questions. If you’re like me, you have been stumped and put on the hot seat trying desperately to think of something right then and there. To ace this part of an interview, preparation is key. Start by looking at the statement of qualifications that are outlined for the job, and then comb through your experiences for situations you can match up to illustrate these qualities. Bring cue cards with your scenarios written out. In an interview, cue cards aren’t a cheat sheet. Being prepared is a good thing! And if you don’t get asked those questions point-blank, you can bet the exercise of preparing for them has put you farther ahead, allowing you to be better able to relay your experience and qualifications.
8. Don’t use not currently being in the job as an excuse for not answering a question. Yes, this really did happen. Even if you did your research on the position you applied to and are still stuck, don’t bring attention to it. Do the best you can with your knowledge and whatever you do, avoid saying you can’t answer because “it’s hard to answer since I’m not in the job”! We know that. We are trying to find out what you would do though.
9. Keep your personal thoughts, feelings, opinions and noises to yourself. We do not need an exasperated sigh or horsey-style neigh for each difficult question you need to ponder. AVOID – AVOID-AVOID!!!!
10. And last but not least, never EVER insult or indicate in any way, shape or form that you think anything but highly of your potential future employer, or clients you might be dealing with. Again, this really did happen. Someone I interviewed for the same job I mentioned earlier (where they would be doing customer service for students on a daily basis) actually said she thought students were liars and irresponsible at keeping track of essential information. What?! The panel was incredulous. You cannot hire someone who thinks their main clientele are liars!
So that’s my advice through observation so far. Simple enough! Good luck!
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