Anyone can bomb an interview.
It doesn’t matter if you have 20 years of experience and a letter of recommendation from the president of the United States — if you bomb the interview, you’re not getting hired. In fact, I’m more likely to hire someone with fewer qualifications if she’s a better fit for our team. My company, Influence & Co., has been hiring a lot lately, and I’ve identified the good — and the bad — ways to handle an interview.
There are seven surefire ways to ruin an interview that are 100 percent avoidable. With a little extra effort, you can steer clear of these common mistakes.
1. You don’t research the company — at all.
The first question I normally ask is why a candidate is interested in working with us. Most of the time, bad interviewees answer generically because they’ve done absolutely no research on our company.
What does that say about you? It says you didn’t care enough about us to take a little time to find out who we are, what we do, and why we’re unique. The next time you’re trying to become part of a team, Google the company. Read its website, its tweets, its Facebook status updates, and articles written by and about the company.
2. You don’t know the position.
If you didn’t take the time to research the position, how can you possibly know if you want it? I always ask people very simple questions about how they think the skill set they have translates to the role they’re applying for. If they can’t answer, it’s clear they didn’t do their research.
It should go without saying that you must read the job description, but you can also read the latest posts on the company blog and research them on LinkedIn (even message someone currently in that role and ask to pick his brain for 10 minutes). When candidates do this, we’re always impressed by their eagerness and initiative.
3. You are boring.
I know an interview is bad when it’s very short. If I end an interview after 10 minutes, it’s probably felt like pulling teeth to get you to respond. One-word answers are not okay for an interview.
Don’t be scared to show your personality! We ask candidates to teach us something, and we’ve been taught everything from how to fold origami to the history of the breast milk black market. (We hired both of those candidates, by the way.) Having personality makes you memorable, and showing your personality will help determine whether you are a good fit for the team.
4. You ramble.
While you don’t want your interview to be short, you also don’t want to be one of those candidates who will not stop talking. It’s easy to spot when someone isn’t confident in what she’s saying because she just keeps adding to it.
The fix is simple: Know your sh*t. And when you don’t know something, say so. I’m a lot more impressed by candidates who say they aren’t familiar but would be willing to learn than those who mindlessly spout buzzword after buzzword.
5. You are rude.
I frequently ask our office coordinator what candidates were like when they entered the building. If they were rude to her, I know they wouldn’t be a good fit, regardless of how sweet they are to me. This should be obvious, but just be nice. Be nice to everyone — not because you think it will help you get the job, but because you are a nice person.
6. You have canned answers.
I don’t ask canned questions, like “What is your biggest weakness?” There’s not a lot I can learn about you and your personality from canned answers. When prepping for an interview, start writing out experiences you’ve had that you can pull from when asked certain questions. Good interviewers will ask a lot of experiential questions, and reminding yourself of all the awesome things you’ve done before an interview helps you talk about them in a more natural way.
7. You don’t ask any questions.
If I ask what questions you have for me, and you have zero, there is zero chance I will hire you.
I want to know that you’re curious about the position, about the company, about anything! When you don’t ask questions, you look like you’re just not that thoughtful. Here are a few questions I love hearing:
- Why is this position open? Is the company growing, or was someone let go? If someone was let go, can you tell me what I could potentially learn from his or her experience to be better in the job?
- What can I read/learn/teach myself between now and when I potentially start to better prepare myself for the position?
- If you were to not hire me, what would the reason be? (This is a bold one, but I love it.)
Perhaps the biggest thing you need to learn about interviewing is to have the confidence to answer unexpected questions or do unexpected things. I may give you five minutes to prepare to teach me something in three, or I may ask you to show your intellectual curiosity by telling me something you’ve taught yourself in the last year. I’m going to try to catch you off-guard because that’s when I see what you’re really capable of. Be prepared to be spontaneous — it’s the best way to not bomb an interview.
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Kelsey Meyer is the President of Influence & Co., a content marketing firm specializing in helping companies showcase their expertise through thought leadership. Influence & Co.’s clients range from venture-backed startups to Fortune 500 brands. Connect with Kelsey on Google+.
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