Hi there everybody.
My name is Richard McMunn from the career interview advisory company, How2Become.com,
and in this video presentation, I'm gonna teach you the biggest interview mistakes the
majority of people make.
Now, if we turn that on its head, the actual presentation is gonna help you pass.
So at the end of it, you're not gonna make any of these mistakes, I can assure you.
So, I've been helping people like you to pass interviews for the last 14 years.
I've won a number of awards in the process.
I am extremely passionate about helping people to pass their interviews.
It's all free training.
So please watch it from beginning to end.
I'm gonna give you seven biggest interview mistakes.
If you like the video and you like my training, please give it a thumbs up, the video, because
that will help me to do more and motivate me.
And I'm also gonna give you a free interview training course at some stage during this
video.
So make sure you stay tuned.
Okay, let's get straight into it.
The biggest interview mistake number one is failing to predict the interview questions.
It is very easy to work out what interview questions you're gonna get asked for at your
interview.
It does not matter what kind of job you're being interviewed for, you can predict the
interview questions.
Okay?
And I'm gonna show you exactly how to do that now.
So what do you need to do to predict the interview questions?
First and foremost, get yourself a copy of the person specification or the job description
for the job that you're being interviewed for.
So let's assume that you're being interviewed for a customer care role or a customer services
assistant role.
Then you need to get a copy of this document.
It's usually in the form of a Word document and you can usually find it on the job application
website where, you know, you've found out about this job or you can contact the employer
and they will give you a copy of the document.
Sometimes it's on their website in the form of a description.
And then what you do is you use this document to predict the interview questions.
So if I show you a sample job description, this is what one would look like.
And on the left, you would see like the category.
It would say job-related skills and knowledge.
And it usually gives you the essential criteria.
Now, the essential criteria is absolutely crucial to being able to do the job.
And it's usually relatively simple things.
For example, it says here, able to deliver high levels of customer care.
That is a guaranteed interview question.
So you have a look at that document and then you work out what the question will be.
Well, the interview question would be, can you give me an example of when you have delivered
high levels of customer care or it could be, can you tell us the experience that you have
previously, of working in a customer care environment?
Another one from the same document, working knowledge of Microsoft Office to intermediate
level.
So the question could be, do you have any experience of working with Microsoft applications
such as Word or PowerPoint?
Another one working through the document.
So it says there, makes a positive to teams.
So, therefore, a guaranteed question.
It's guaranteed because this is an essential job requirement.
When have you worked as part of a team to complete a difficult task or how did you contribute
to the team?
Now, I've been helping hundreds of people to pass their interviews and when I coach
them, this is one of the very first things I do.
Is I go, "Let's get a copy of the job description for the role that you're being interviewed
for and let's work out what the questions are going to be."
Now, this kind of questions are called situational questions.
You will also get asked motivational ones such as, tell me about yourself.
Why do you want this job?
What have you learned about the role?
And I'm gonna give you the answers to this kind of questions as well if you stick with
the video.
Okay, interview mistake number two is failing to carry out sufficient research of the company
that you're being interviewed for.
So obviously, you know the job that you're being interviewed for, but what about the
company that you're being interviewed for?
I sat on interview panels and one of the first questions is I'll say to somebody, "Tell me
about my company.
Tell me what we do."
And some people haven't got a clue because they have not carried out enough research.
Now, don't get me wrong, you do not have to spend hours and hours researching the company
that you're applying for.
However, please make sure you research the six Ps.
And the six Ps are the products and services that the company offers.
So you could go on their website or you could have a look at any accompanying literature
to see the different kinds of products and services that they sell or they provide.
And even if it's just a broad brush of the different things that they're selling and
the different services.
So long as you've got to knowledge and say, "Well, you've been going for X number of years,
these are the products that you sell it.
I assume that these are the most popular ones because I see them advertised all the time,"
that kind of thing.
The next P. Have a look on their website for positive news stories.
Okay.
So you can talk about positive things.
Don't talk about anything negative that's happened to them, but talk about positive
news stories.
So when they say, "Tell us about our company," you go into the products or services.
"Oh, and I noticed recently on your website, that this has happened.
You've, you know, have been awarded Investors in people" or something like that.
That's a positive thing and they will be impressed that you carried out your research.
The next P. Past history and key landmarks or land achievements such as if you go on
the "About Us" page, it should tell you about the company that you're applying for.
About how they perhaps started out and they would be impressed with that if you have a
look at the past history of the company.
The next one.
Some of the key people who form part of the senior management team.
So you can just say, "I know that Mr. or Mrs. X, Y, and Z is the managing director or the
CEO, the chief executive officer, and the head of operations is this person."
And again, it just demonstrates that you've done a bit of research and found out about
them.
Next one.
Places they operate from.
Whereabouts do they operate?
Where is their headquarters?
Where is their main head office?
And finally, any proud achievements such as awards or recognition they've received for
good work.
And if you follow that, that's all you need to do on the research part is those six Ps.
So you can write them down and work and answer those questions and you won't go wrong when
they say, "Tell us about our company."
Okay, interview mistake number three, a big one, is failing to make a positive first impression.
So what I mean by that is when you go along to the location of the interview, you walk
into the building, sit down in the reception area, sit upright, be smart, smile and be
polite to the reception staff if there are any there.
And then when you walk into the interview room, the first and foremost thing to do is
a firm handshake.
It says a lot about you.
Okay?
And look the person in the eye.
You're not staring them out, but look them in the eye, a firm handshake and say, "Hello,
I'm here for the interview, pleased to meet you."
Next thing, don't sit down in the interview chair until invited to do so and work on your
interview technique.
Okay?
I'm gonna teach you a load more about this in a second about interview technique, but
sit upright in the chair, make sure you dress smart.
These are all very basic things, but they are really, really important because you have
about eight seconds to create a positive first impression.
Now, when I'm interviewing somebody and they walk into the room, I pretty much know quickly
whether I'm interested in employing them or not.
And before somebody has even said something, I can make my mind up.
Okay, I can make my mind up.
It's natural, normal human behavior for people to do that.
So if someone walks in and they're either rude or they're not polite, positive or have
a firm handshake, I'm less likely to take them on.
Okay, next interview mistake number four is all about consistent eye contact.
So when you're being interviewed, and let's say, for example, this chap here is being
interviewed by these four people.
Now, of course, it's unlikely that you're gonna be interviewed by four people, but even
if you were interviewed by two, three or even five, consistent eye contact is really important.
So let's assume that one of the persons asks the interview question.
This chap here on the left.
He asked the interview question.
So when you respond, when you're answering the question, you look at him first of all
and you maintain positive eye contact.
So you look at him with soft eye contact and then when you are responding, you look at
the other members of the panel as well.
You involve all of them.
When you are giving that same response to the question that the gentleman on the left
has asked you, involve all of them.
Involve all of the panel, that is really, really good positive interview technique to
you.
So consistent eye contact really important.
The other way you do that is by practicing.
And I'm gonna talk about mock interviews in a second.
Okay, interview mistake number five is poor interview question response structure.
Now, there is a chance that you're going to get asked two kind of interview questions.
The first one will be sort of motivational ones.
Why do you want this job?
Tell us about yourself, what you do in your spare time.
And you might get asked other questions that are situational.
So give us an example of when you worked as part of a team.
Give us an example of when you've carried out effective communication.
Tell us when you've worked under pressure.
Tell us when you've had to be flexible in a working situation.
So, when responding to those kinds of questions, make sure you use this structure.
Situation.
So explain what the situation was.
You basically set in the scene.
Then tell them what the task was.
So, describe the purpose.
What did you have to do during the particular situation?
Well, you know, the situation was that I was on the telephone for a company and we received
a complaint from an angry customer and it was my job to calm them down and to resolve
the complaint for them.
So I've just described the situation and what my task was.
Then you explain what action you took.
So explain what you did and what other people did and then finish off with the result.
Tell them what the outcome was based on your actions.
And that's called the STAR technique.
And again, I'm gonna give you more information in a second, how you can really drill this
down.
It's a great way to structure your responses.
Okay, interview mistake number six.
Answering the first interview question incorrectly.
So it's everybody's worst nightmare.
You go into the interview room, you have a positive first impression, you sit down and
you're worrying about the first question.
Well, the first question is more than likely to be, tell us about yourself.
Okay.
So when responding to this question, here's some tips.
Concentrate on telling the interview panel about work-related skills as opposed to your
home life.
Because to be truthful, they're not interested in your home life, they wanna know about work-related
skills.
Don't forget, you will have already done this.
You've downloaded a copy of the person specification for the job you're applying for and focus
on telling them how your skills and attributes match the document.
And this is all in the interview question, tell me about yourself.
This is really important, guys.
Use power words in your response such as, I'm a motivated person.
I'm enthusiastic, loyal, flexible, committed, honest, hardworking, adaptable, etc.
These will resonate positively with the interview panel.
And of course, they could say to you, "Okay, you've said to us that you're a flexible person.
Can you give an example or prove that you've done that in the past?"
But use those power words.
Remember you are trying to sell yourself.
Okay?
You're not selling a product or a service, but you are selling yourself and you should
use positive power words in your response.
So let's have a look at the sample response to, tell me about yourself.
Okay.
First and foremost, I'm a hard working, loyal, and enthusiastic person.
I understand how important work is to my overall happiness.
I take my work very seriously and I'm always looking to improve my skills and qualifications
so I can work to the highest standards possible in my role.
I genuinely believe there are two types of employee.
The first is someone who turns up to work and does their job so they can just pay the
bills and the second is someone who puts their all into their job.
They are totally committed and they do all they can to help their employees achieve their
goals.
I am the second kind of employee and I believe my previous track record and strong appraisals
demonstrate that.
I have excellent communication skills and fully understand how important it is to deliver
fantastic customer care.
And after all, without the customer, there would be no business and I would not have
a job.
I also have very good organizational skills and I always plan my week's work in advance
to make sure I perform to a high standard.
I've studied the person spec for this job that I'm being interviewed for today and I
strongly believe I can perform the role to a high standard and I'd very much appreciate
the opportunity to work for your company.
Of course, if I'm successful today I can assure you that I will bring a great deal of experience,
loyalty, and positive qualities to your team.
So that's just a sample response which you can use and I'll tell you where he can get
a copy of this to save you having to write it out in a second.
But if you structure that around your own skills, qualities and attributes, that is
a fantastic response and it gets you off to the right start at the beginning of your interview.
Okay, interview mistake number seven is going along to the interview without having carried
out a mock interview.
Okay.
Now, some of you might know somebody who can interview you before you go along and ask
you the questions.
And then you might say to me, "Well, what are the questions?"
Well, this is what I would like you to do.
If you click the link button below the video now, I've created a 50-module free online
training course.
It's my ultimate online interview training course.
It'll go take you through to this website and this is my website here.
If you click this link, you can get free access to this course and then you'll go through
to the online course page.
And on the left, I've got all of these modules there.
I have 59 modules for you to work through.
And now, of course, you don't have to go through all of them if you don't want to, but I have
literally created, there's me.
So I've got an online interview course.
If you look on the left, I've got all of these interview questions.
How was your journey today?
Tell me about yourself.
Are you self-motivated?
Where do you see yourself in five years time?
And what I've also done, within this interview module, I've given you a sample response,
and here it is here to this one.
You can download it.
So all you do is download this so you can download it there with that button and then
you can work on these.
I've covered virtually every interview question you could get asked.
And there is also a mock interview in there so you can see that module 51 is a mock interview.
So, like I say, if you click the link below the video or you go to the website, passmyinterview.com,
it will take you through to that page where you can get free access to that.
It's all free of charge.
I sincerely hope you've enjoyed the video.
And there is also another link below to another video I've done on interview questions and
answers.
But if I were you, I'd get access to this course.
Please, like I say, I'd really appreciate it if you gave the video a thumbs up.
Don't forget to subscribe to the channel as well below the video.
You can even connect with me on LinkedIn if you want in the link below or look me up on
Facebook.
Guys, I wish you all the very best in your pursuit to passing your interview.
I've been Richard McMunn, and thank you very much for watching.