There are some common mistakes that job seekers make
that are entirely preventable.
Hi, I'm Dalena Bradley,
job interview and career marketing coach,
and today I'm going to talk with you
about five mistakes that job seekers make
in face-to-face interviews and how to prevent them.
The first mistake I want to talk about
is not being prepared.
I talk to a lot of people who say
if I could just get my foot in the door, I will be fine.
I'll wing it, I interview really well.
And for the vast majority of people, that's not going to work.
You really have to do your homework
and prepare for your interview.
You need to know about the company and the industry
and the job that you're interviewing for
and the people that you're going to be interviewing with.
This is going to shine through in the interview,
you'll have points of reference to talk about,
you will be able to speak intelligently about things
that are going on with the company, in the industry
and overall it'll impress your interviewer,
they'll see that you are fully prepared.
The second mistake that I see job seekers make
is not showing energy and enthusiasm
about the position or the job.
I think a lot of people compensate
for their anxiety or their nervousness
about going into the interview
with sort of this idea, I'll be cool.
I'm going to just be very calm and cool
and there is a difference,
so you can still be calm and cool and show energy
because I think if you're trying to play it too cool,
it can be perceived as being too blase
and not interested in the job
which is the last thing that you want to do.
So really try to project energy in your voice
and be enthusiastic and show your interest
in the position and the company.
The third mistake that I see people making
is going on and on and on and on and on
when they're answering a question.
You need to make sure that the hiring manager
can get through their whole list of questions
and so it's your job, in addition to selling your skills
and telling great stories and using good examples
to back up the responses that you give,
your job is to keep that down.
Really, two minutes is pretty sufficient
to answer most interview questions, there are exceptions,
but for the for the most part, a couple of minutes.
And so you want to make sure
they get through their list of questions
so that there's nothing left in their mind
that says you can't do the job.
The fourth mistake that I see people making
is not sticking to the question.
So if you feel, maybe you haven't heard
or understood the question that the hiring manager
or the recruiter asks, be sure to ask for clarification.
Repeat the question back or ask for clarification,
ask them to expand on any points
so that you're very clear on what the question actually is.
Sometimes people don't stick to the question
if they feel they don't have the experience
that pertains to the question that was asked
and if that's the case, then you can just say,
"Well my most relatable experience would be this."
And the fifth mistake that I see job seekers making
is not asking for the job.
So at the close of the interview,
when you have talked about the timeframe
for making a decision
or how people want to do the follow-up communication
and you've established all that,
really make a point to close with asking for the job.
And by that, I don't mean
"Hey, can I have the job?"
I mean that you say how much you enjoyed
having a conversation about the position
and that you would really
like to be their next director of operations
or VP of Creative Services
and that you can't wait to hit the ground running
and contribute to meeting
that company or department's goals.
And so those are some of the mistakes that I see people make
and how you can prevent them in your next interview.
If you're a hiring manager or a recruiter watching this,
I'd love you to share some comments
about some of the mistakes that you see
and suggestions you have for job seekers
and if you're a job seeker,
I wish you the very best as you prepare
for your next interview and in your career.