What Not to do in an Interview
By Candace Davies, Canadian Resume Writing Service
http://canadian-resume-service.com/
See Candace's Series of Job Search, Resume and Interview Articles: The Importance of Networking | Your Job Search - A Difference | Resume Content to WOW the Reader | Does Your Resume Lead Off with a Strong Profile? | Does Your Resume Contain Action Words? | A Winning Interview | What Not to do in an Interview
The staff at Canadian Resume Writing Service has the privilege of working closely with many CEO's, Human Resources Managers, and other decision makers, creating powerful documents that ensure they get the job they deserve, and also helping them prepare for interviews.
During our conversations, we always make an extra effort to find out vital information about both what they look for when interviewing candidates and what turns them off in the interview. We use this information to help our clients prepare for their interviews. We always ask them what the number one turn off is in an interview.
1) Inappropriate Clothing: One candidate came to an interview wearing leopard skin pants and a spaghetti-strap top. The meeting didn’t last more than a few minutes.
Ladies should wear either a conservative dress or a two piece suit. Men will not go wrong with dress slacks and a jacket or a two-piece suit. Wear a tie, just to be on the safe side. Make sure your shoes are polished and not ratted.
2) Rambling: When candidates talk too much, they reveal too much and bore the interviewer. They may give information that ends up screening them out of the running. Talking too much also shows that the candidate has a difficult time expressing him or herself or that he or she really doesn’t know the answer to the question.
Demonstrate your strong communication skills by presenting your response with enthusiasm. Do so clearly and concisely.
3) Poor Attitude: Criticizing and blaming others (e.g., for problems in your previous job, for the reasons you left or were fired from your previous job, etc.) is a surefire way to eliminate yourself from the interview race. You will be thought of as difficult and hard to get a long with … and we all know the importance of demonstrating team work skills.
Candidates who act too relaxed and disinterested show disrespect to the interviewer. Hiring Managers believe that a person can be taught new skills, but they know they can’t change attitudes.
It is critical that you look and sound interested in the meeting and in the conversation. The key is to show great enthusiasm about the position, the company, and its bottom line. Never bad-mouth anyone or another company.
4) Failure to Grow: A candidate was once asked, “What educational courses or books have you read recently?” The response was, “I did a lot of reading while in college 10 years ago, but haven’t felt the need to take any courses. Furthermore, it seems that my performance is up to par and my results have been fine.”
As a dedicated employee, you must enjoy and thrive on life-long learning. No exceptions! You must continue to read trade publications, books, relevant Internet sites, take courses, etc. You need to be able to demonstrate that you have stayed current on trends in your industry.
5) Lack of Research: Failure to research the company will make you look unprepared and unprofessional. Furthermore, it will make you look like you are applying to every company and not being selective as to where you apply. One manager of a large company explained that he believed that only 15% of those candidates interviewed actually did some homework and found out information about the company.
The more you know about the company and its products and services, vendors, etc., the stronger will be your connection with the interviewer (s). You will be able to talk about your knowledge of their products or services, employee numbers, organizational structure, promotions, etc. There are many ways to find this information out, especially with the growing number of organizations publishing their information to a website.
6) Lack of Response: Don’t just answer questions with a short, no value response. Interviewers want you to tell them what a great candidate you are and what an excellent addition you would be for them.
It is important that you sell yourself to the interviewer. You don’t have to brag, but you do have to relate the valuable things you have done in your career.
7) No Questions: Managers are impressed with candidates who have relevant and well-thought-out questions. Come up with three to five questions that show your interest and enthusiasm. Try to ask detailed questions whose answers are not easily found on the company website.
If you need help preparing for the interview, Canadian Resume Writing Service can help you every step of the way.
Canadian Resume Writing Service
Offering Resume & Cover Letter Development Plus Career / Interview Coaching
http://canadian-resume-service.com/