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Interview tips: avoid the pitfalls

It’s Jobs focus week this week on Bdaily. Here, Dean Hunter, managing director and founder of HR firm Hunter Adams, offers his interview tips.

In the world of HR, you inevitably build-up a database of good and bad interviews. But what most jobseekers don’t realise is that their interview starts the second they press ‘send’ on their CV email.

In today’s crowded marketplace, where more than 1,700 applied for just eight barista jobs, there is no room for mistakes. So please refrain from adding five smiley faces after your email signature and please double check that your name is spelled correctly.

I’ve canvassed my fellow HR professionals to compile some of the biggest faux pas we’ve experienced during more than 150 years’ of combined experience in the interview room. Steer clear of these and you’ve just increased your chances of clinching that coveted call-back.

First thing’s first, are you a rambler?

When an interviewer asks you to briefly describe your job experience they mean just that. There’s nothing worse than being 20 minutes in and still detailing work you did in the 1980s. You don’t want the interviewer to tune out before you’ve even started. Instead, highlight two or three key accomplishments you achieved in each of your previous roles.

Also avoid the temptation to talk about your ‘ex’ on your first date.

Nine times out of 10 you will be asked why you left your former employer. Too many jobseekers see this as an opportunity to give a play by play of everything they didn’t like. But bad mouthing your former employer is like talking about an ex-girlfriend on a first date. You just don’t do it. If you speak negatively about your former employer, what’s to stop the interviewer from thinking you’ll do the same to them eventually? It will become an immediate hiring roadblock. Instead, discuss how the move allows for a better career progression, a change in corporate culture or express your own individual interests in the potential employer.

It’s okay if you’re not perfect.

People tend to overcompensate in interviews if they don’t possess the ideal skills set for the job. If there are gaps in your experience don’t exaggerate what you can do in a bid to hide the fact that you may not have any management experience or you’ve never worked in an office environment before. A lot of your skills are actually transferable. Focus on that. Discuss how you will apply your skills set to the new role.

Finally, seal the deal.

It punctuates almost every job interview. Hopeful candidates know they have one last opportunity to sink their shot into the job seeking net. Their answer to the final “Do you have any questions?” bit can be the difference between the “we regret to inform you” and “welcome aboard”.

So why do some many people still throw away the opportunity to leave a lasting impression? I once heard of interviewee who countered with the line, “Yes, why should I work for you?”. Is it any surprise he didn’t land the job?

That final question can be an opening to find out more about the how you will fit into the company’s existing culture or ask about the next step in the process. What it’s never for is to ask whether or not you got the job. Not only does that make the interviewer feel uncomfortable, but in most cases it’s a question they can’t answer yet due to correct processes behind the scenes. Instead, punctuate the meeting with a final reason of why you would be the best fit for the role.

Job interviews are nerve-wracking. But if you steer clear of these faux pas you’ve just made yourself a more attractive candidate. Take a deep breath and good luck.

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by Dean Hunter .