I’m not the greatest interviewee. I get insanely
nervous pre-meeting : heart pounding, palms
sweating, frantic thoughts—the whole nine
yards. Then, once I make it into the office, the
real fun begins: I forget what I wanted to say,
fumble my words, and let myself get intimidated
by the person across the desk.
I can’t help it—in the moment, an interview just
seems like a game-changing situation: This
meeting could be a defining moment that
determines the rest of my life.
How’s that for pressure?
With that kind of outlook, it’s not too surprising
that I’ve made some pretty big interviewing
blunders along my job-hunting journey. So, to
make sure you don’t follow in my footsteps,
here are four of the biggest interview mistakes
I’ve made—and what you can learn from them
to avoid similar situations.
1. I Didn’t Do My Research
One of the most intimidating interviews I’ve
been through happened the day after I’d
attended a college career fair . The fair had gone
well; I’d stopped by this employer’s booth and
chatted with the recruiter for just a few short
minutes before she asked me if I wanted to sign
up for a formal interview spot the next day.
(Score!)
With such a quick turnaround, I focused my
attention on preparing answers for a standard
set of interview questions. And while I’d gleaned
a little information about the company at the
fair, in no way did I have a thorough
understanding of it.
Turned out, that was my downfall. Immediately
after shaking my hand, the interviewer got
down to business—drilling me about my
knowledge of the company: “So, you did you do
your research? Who’s our CEO? How many cities
do we have offices in?”
I laughed nervously, assuming he was joking.
(He wasn’t.) As I fumbled through my answers
(“I don’t remember” and “Um, 23?” respectively),
I cursed the time I spent scripting answers the
night before, rather than researching.
Lesson Learned
Do your research, and not just a cursory glance
at the company’s website. Aim to really
understand its mission , vision, culture, and
recent news-worthy events. To be fair, I don’t
think it’s necessary to study up trivial facts
about each company you interview for—mine
may have been a one-off experience. But that
doesn’t discount the fact that I went into the
interview with hardly any knowledge of the
company. And that certainly didn’t make me a
standout among the rest of the names on that
sign-up sheet.
2. I Only Aimed to Impress
After graduating with a degree in management,
my dream job was to head up a bakery. So,
when I finally came across a job posting for a
general manager of a cupcake shop in Atlanta, I
jumped at the chance.
I arrived at the interview with stars in my eyes,
laser-focused on the ultimate outcome: Impress
my interviewer and land the job. I nodded
enthusiastically to everything she said,
remembered all my scripted answers, and asked
a couple obligatory questions at the end.
What I didn’t do was ask questions that would
actually help me evaluate if the role was a good
fit for me.
And so, less than a year after I’d accepted my
“dream job,” I was already on the hunt for
something different—and I could have avoided
being miserable (and underpaid) for that time if
I’d thought to ask deeper questions about what
my responsibilities would be, how much control
I’d have over the shop’s operations and staff,
and the vision that the owner had for the
future.
Lesson Learned
When you’re eager to land a job, it’s easy to do
whatever you can to impress your interviewer.
And sure, you should be doing that—by being
sincere, providing thoughtful answers, and
sending a killer thank you note. But, don’t forget
that this is your change to evaluate the company
as well. So, dig in to find out more about your
potential boss, co-workers, company culture,
and advancement opportunities—and really take
the answers you get into consideration before
you make any decisions.
3. I Didn’t Show Up
Have I mentioned that I’m terrible in
interviews? I get so nervous, in fact, that no
matter how excited I am about a potential job,
the same thought always crosses my mind at
some point: Maybe I just shouldn’t go.
Sometimes, it’s nerves. Sometimes, I realize (or
convince myself) that I’m just not interested in
that particular job. Either way, I have—on more
than one occasion—refused to pick up the
phone for a phone interview or made up an
excuse to cancel an in-person meeting last
minute.
And you know what? I certainly didn’t become a
better interviewee by skipping out on interviews .
Lesson Learned
If you’re a nervous or inexperienced interviewee
—or really, even if you’re an expert serial-
interviewer—the more interviews you attend,
the more comfortable you’re going to feel in
future meetings. That doesn’t mean you have to
book up your schedule with interviews for jobs
you’re not remotely interested in, but once you
land an interview, go through with it. Worst
case, you’ll have a learning experience that will
come in handy when you do land an interview
for your dream job.
4. I Let Myself Get Rattled
By now, you know that not only do I get
extremely nervous before interviews, but I also
don’t have too many under my belt to help me
feel confident in my question-answering ability.
All that combined made me the perfect target
for one particular interviewer who seemed to
enjoy watching me squirm by asking the tough
questions—like, “I don’t think you really want to
work in this kind of corporate environment, do
you?” or “I don’t see much experience on your
resume—what makes you think you can do this
job?”
Crumbling under the pressure, I tried to answer
—but my voice started to crack, my eyes welled
up, and I suddenly forgot that I’m a competent
professional who had a lot to offer this potential
employer. It was embarrassing and
uncomfortable, and I wasn’t a bit surprised
when I didn’t receive an offer.
Lesson Learned
Unfortunately, some interviewers are straight-
to-the-point—and there’s nothing you can do
about it, except to bring your confidence into
the room, remembering that you were asked to
interview because of what you’ve already
proven in your resume and cover letter. Now,
you just have to let your personality and
confidence shine through.
Tell us! What interview blunders have you av made bayusblog