I’ve conducted hundreds of interviews for entry level roles through manager positions and only about 1% of the candidates actually did their homework. So, here are 5 surefire ways to bomb an interview:
1) Don’t read up on the company. Don’t look to see if they’re in the news or what social media says about them. If they’re a public company, don’t bother going to Yahoo Finance and reading their recent 10k report.
2) Don’t look into who their top or local competitors are.
3) Don’t bother to read the job description, highlight items and ask questions about the job.
4) Don’t prepare your elevator pitch for that first question, “So, tell me about yourself.” When answering don’t focus on telling a story about what you’re doing now, what you’ve done and what your goals are.
5)Don’t ask questions like:
•In the first 90 days, what do you expect me to accomplish?
•How did this position become available?
•What has the turnover been like in the department in the last year?
•Can you tell me about your background and experience? I’d like to understand a bit about the leadership.
•How would you describe your leadership style?
•What are some of the initiatives in the pipeline for the department?
What do I know…I’m just making stuff up.
SET YOURSELF UP FOR SUCCESS ON YOUR NEXT INTERVIEW, SCHEDULE A MOCK INTERVIEW!
