10 things you should never say or do in a job interview
I have likely interviewed over 2,000 people in my 20+ year career. In my nine years agency side I was interviewing people almost every week. I have interviewed some incredible people and some who were dismally prepared. I’ve found there are some recurrent themes at almost every level when it comes to an interviewee’s failures. Here are the ones that make me want to leave the room mid interview.
- saying you want to ‘do more strategy’ in your next role
Why? It begs the question from the interviewer — why aren’t you being strategic in your existing role? Strategy isn’t something you just do, it’s more about how you think and apply your thinking. If you think strategy is being more senior you couldn’t be more wrong.
2. saying ‘we’ a lot (when asked to provide examples of things you’ve done in your previous roles)
Why? When you say ‘we’ you are implying that it wasn’t really you who did anything. It’s something you’re claiming that you had some involvement in when in truth it wasn’t your idea at all.
3. slating the company you work for
Why? Because it gives an impression to the interviewer that you’re a complainer and don’t have much accountability. Nobody wants to hire a whinger. Don’t diss your current employer unless you have some seriously good reasons to do so.
4. not thoroughly researching the company you’re interviewing with (‘I took at a look at your homepage’ just won’t do)
Why? Need you ask. But this seems to happen a lot. Many candidates don’t sign up for the service, use the product or try to understand what the business is about before interviewing. This gives the interviewer the distinct impression that ‘you ain’t bovvered’.
5. Giving an answer which lasts more than a minute
Why: Interviewers love direct, focused answers. If you haven’t answered the question in less than a minute, chances are you’re probably not going to in the next 4 minutes of waffle. Be short and be brave enough to stop talking.
6. Using the phrase ‘get involved’ (i.e. “I like getting involved in projects”)
Why: Saying you want ‘to be involved’ tells the interviewer that you want to be told what to do. Tell the interviewer what contribution you’d like to make, and how you’d like to make it.
7. not preparing examples
Why? If you say you’re creative, you’ll bet you’re going to be asked for an example of your creativity. If you haven’t prepared this beforehand, you’re likely to make something up on the spot. Prepare your examples in advance, and make sure they’re good. You should have at least 5 good examples up your sleeve before you go into any interview.
8. Answering with “that’s a great question”
Why? The last thing an interviewer wants is to be flattered for their interview technique. If you need a minute to answer the question, just say so.
9. Not having any questions to ask
Why? If you haven’t prepared any questions in advance it’s obvious you’re not that interested in the role. If you make them up on the spot it’ll be fairly obvious. Don’t be afraid to refer to your notes in an interview.
10. Not answering the question directly (it’s better to admit you don’t know)
Why? I just had coffee for breakfast this morning.
