Job Interview Do's and Don'ts

So you landed the job interview, congratulations! Now, you probably want to know what you should do and what you should avoid doing during your interview.

Interview Do #1: Bring Your Personality

Don’t be who you think they want you to be, be who you really are. One of the most important parts of the interview is discovering whether you would be a good fit for the company. If you don’t fit in with the company’s culture, your experience may not be that enjoyable. Be yourself, that may be your largest advantage over another candidate!

Interview Do #2: Be Succinct

Plain and simple, answer the question that was asked. Don’t avoid the question, don’t go off topic, don’t give an answer to an entirely different question. If you don’t understand the question, ask again. If you don’t have the answer, ask again anyway so it gives you more time to think of a reply! It isn’t the length of your answer, it is the quality of your answer.

Interview Do #3: Own Your Failures

If you made a mistake, admit it. They don’t care that you have failures, they just care you understood why it was a failure and what you did to avoid making the same mistake again! Zig Ziglar once said, “It isn’t what happens to you that determines how far you go in life, its how you choose to handle what has happened to you.”

Interview Don’t #1: Lie About Your Ability

If you were never a manager, don’t say you were; if you were never in charge of a group of people, don’t say you were; if you never traveled for work, don’t say you did. Keep in mind, everything you do and everything you have done has been recorded by someone, somewhere. If you lie, you will get caught!

Interview Don’t #2: Not Get Involved

You want to let the interviewer know that you are listening and that you understand, but you don’t want to yup them to death! Further, if they ask you a question, “Yes” and “No” should not be the only words you use. Hint: Try to elaborate a little! They are looking to gain information about you!

Interview Don’t #3: Not Ask Questions

Yes, you are being interviewed but keep in mind, you are interviewing them too! Just because you may be a great fit for the job doesn’t mean you will enjoy working for the company. Make sure you do your research so you can come prepared to find out the information you want to know. For example, you could ask about their goals, where they plan to be in five years, whether or not they promote from within, etc.

Interview Don’t #4: Schedule an Interview on a Friday

As we all know, Friday is the last day, for most of us, of the workweek. The last thing you want to do is be cooped up in the office, as a matter of fact, when you arrive in the morning all you can think about is what you are doing after work. So, why would you schedule an interview on a Friday? If you can avoid doing this, do it. You want the attention focused on you, not on what their after-work plans are.

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