Job Seeker Tips for “DON’T’S” in Interviews 

If you have reviewed the other two articles – “Job Seeker Tips for “Do’s” in Interviews” Part 1 and Part 2 you will have a good idea as to what to DO before, during and after your interview.  What about the “Don’t’s”?   Yes, there actually are some DON’T’S!

I could start by giving you the pointer around spouses and the tip NOT to bring them to your interview.  Yes, this did happen.  Someone brought their spouse to their interview and the spouse was not pleased when she was not let into the interview room to be with her husband
during his interview.   So…tip here…as much as you love your spouse, please plan to attend
the actual interview on your own. 🙂

OK, now to the general DON’T’S…

DON’T:

Wear too Much Cologne or Perfume

So this doesn’t mean don’t shower and arrive with B.O. but it doesn’t mean bathe in cologne or perfume either.  You may think you have a beautiful scent and you may, but too much of it can overpower the room and turn the attention away from the task at hand.  It can also make interviewers very uncomfortable should they have an allergy.

Leave Your Cell Phone On

Please remember to – just like the movies – turn your cell phone off.  How embarrassing would it be should you receive a call during your interview?  It is extremely disrespectful to accept a phone call during the interview – yes this has happened as well.  So, remember before entering the interview room to ensure your phone is set to “silent”.

Be Late

Being timely is extremely important.  Being late sends all kinds of negative messages that you don’t want to send. Know where you are going, research it and ensure to arrive 10 minutes or so beforehand.

Curse or Swear

Do you have a potty mouth?  Well if so, leave it at home.  The interview is where you need to be on your best behaviour.  Flush that potty mouth and bit your tongue!

Talk Badly About your Previous Employers

When you talk badly about your previous employers, you make the interviewers wonder about
who you really are.  You never know either if they may know the company you are speaking about.
Always do your best to talk about previous employers in a positive light – or don’t go deep into detail if there was a negative situation.

Lie or Make up Stories

Usually we as interviewers can tell if you are making up a story, either that or should you be hired, it may one day come out.  The best practice is to be truthful about your accomplishments,
responsibilities and history.

Oversell Yourself or Sound Desperate

Some people when they are extremely interested in a job, they present themselves as being so
full of energy and so positive it is almost overwhelming.  Contrast this to others who almost beg you to give them the job. This doesn’t give the interviewer a good impression.

Be unprepared

Ensure you have researched the company and you are coming prepared with information on the
job  and details of the company.  Review their mission statement, and any details you can on their website to be prepared.  Have questions ready to ask should you be given the opportunity. Practice your interviewing skills – be ready for a variety of different questions.  Bring extra up to date copies of your resume.  Review our “To-Do’s”.

Ok, as I promised you some Doozies…  Here is a list to make you chuckle – these did actually happen during the many years of interviewing:

Don’t:

*  Come to the interview with something hanging out of your nose
*  Pick your nose during the interview ·
*  Sneeze on the interviewer
*  Come to the interview without knowing anything about the company or job you have applied for
and ask for the title of the job that you applied to
*  Arrive an hour late and expect to just be “fit in” for an interview without offering an apology or even
a call as to why you were late
*  Insult the interviewer(s) or company
*  Beg for the job
*  Take over the interview  
*  Offer a book of an answer to simple questions
*  Crack rude jokes
*  Insult the sex of the interviewer letting them know that their sex is not superior

There are so many more, but I think you get the picture 🙂   We wish you the very best with your interviewing and hope that these articles have helped you to prepare.  Please note that 1 Stop
HR provides in depth interview training that is geared directly to the type of job you are applying to.
If we can help you with this, or with a professional Canadian/US resume, please do not hesitate to contact us for a quotation.

www.1stophrconsulting.com
Email us at:
info@1stophrconsulting.com

I cannot tell you how many times I have said “I need to write a book on the interview experiences I have had” as a Director of HR. It is amazing how many candidates I have interviewed that have had a good chance of landing a job due to their skill set, yet have lost out on that opportunity due to arriving late, not being prepared or a variety of other very INTERESTING reasons (this is where the book comes in!) I thought it would be handy to produce a list of
some “Do’s” to consider when you are getting ready for an interview!

Let’s start get started:

1. Dress to impress

Ok, so this doesn’t mean showing up to the interview in a tuxedo, it means, dress
professionally. Don’t show up to a professional interview wearing jeans and a t-shirt.
Ensure your attire is ironed and not full of wrinkles. If you are attending a professional interview, I would suggest professional attire – shirt, tie, dress pants, a business suit, or dress pants/skirt and dressy shirt. Your dress may change if you are attending an interview in a different industry such as construction. For this kind of an interview, I would normally suggest that you wear some nice Khaki’s and a dress shirt. The key here is to dress for the position and the company.

2. Timeliness

Arrive to your interview 10 – 15 minutes ahead of time. Arriving late does not impress the interviewers.

3. Directions

Ensure you are comfortable with where the interview is being held – maybe do a drive-by to
check it out prior to the interview to ensure you won’t have any problems finding it.

4. Who are you meeting with?

Get the name of the person(s) you are meeting with and ensure you remember that name for the
day of the interview.

5. Research the Company

Make sure you check out the company you will be interviewing with. Quite often, we as interviewers will check to see how interested you really are in our company. How do we do this? Well, we ask you questions like: “So what is it that you like about our company?” “Can you tell us a little about the products/services we provide and why it is that you feel you would be a good fit for this position?” So…it pays to know a little about the company to be able to answer these questions. As well, to REALLY impress us, try to include details about the company in some of your responses. i.e. “I noticed that your company is very interested in new technology and keeping up with new trends. In my current job, I take pride in introducing new products that will enhance the workplace and efficiency to our management team.”

6. Your Current Resume

Bring along a copy or two of your current resume. The one you had submitted to the company may have been altered since then, or there may be someone else joining in on the interview.

7. The Hand Shake

Wow this one really gets to me. When a candidate arrives for an interview and greets me with what I call the “limp fish” handshake it says a lot about the individual. Ensure to give a firm handshake. Don’t cut off the circulation in the interviewer’s hand but give them a firm handshake indicating that you mean business. A firm handshake eludes confidence, sincerity, interest and so much more.

8. Eye Contact

Ensure during your interview that you look each interviewer in the eye when you are responding to them and listening to them. Non-verbal communication like eye contact or lack-there-of creates an
image of who you are to the interviewer. If you don’t look them in the eye it can indicate that you are making up your answers, you are lying or are not sincere. Strong eye contact indicates that you are interested, you are truthful and you know what you are talking about.

9. Bring Questions

Most of the time you will be given an opportunity to ask a few questions at the end of the interview. Don’t bring a binder worth…be ready with about 4 questions with your most important ones at the top. Some sample questions may be: “When do you plan to make a decision?” “Can you tell me about the steps in your recruitment process?” “Is this a new position, or a vacant position” “Can you tell me what you are looking for in a candidate for this position?” (this one is a nice one as you can use the answers in a summary statement at the end of your interview. Meaning, you can talk about why you are the right person for the job as you possess (and then name) those items they are looking for.

10. Be on your Toes

You never know who you may encounter when you arrive at an interview. The Administrative Assistant is often a fountain of knowledge to interviewers after the interviews have concluded. You may encounter a manager or someone else on your way in the door. Always be courteous and
pleasant.

These are just a few tips….there are more to come and ensure to stay tuned for the Don’ts…oh yes, there will be some doozies 😉