Twelve Worst Job Interview Mistakes
Julie Hordon / BusinessWeek
June 04, 2008
Among the tips for this stage of the application process: You don’t want to be unprepared or too rehearsed, or be labeled an HR stalker
Turning off a potential employer is easier than one might think. To score a job, avoid these 12 mistakes that candidates often make during the interview process.
1. Being Unprepared for Standard Questions
3. Stalking HR
6. Oversharing
7. Asking the Wrong Questions (Or No Questions at All)
8. Bungling the Salary Negotiation Process
10. Exaggerating Work Experience
11. Being Rude
12. Trashing a Former Employer
© 2008 YellowBrix, Inc.
tpapahristos
about 1 month ago
152 comments
Being fired happens I think it is best to be up front and honest about it. Let us know you made a mistake and that you accepted that and are working to correct and know not to make the same mistake. HR has a high turn over rate in our area mainly because high expectations.
ntaylor
about 1 month ago
16 comments
I don't mind if a candidate arrives early for an interview appointment. It gives my front office staff a chance to observe and later give their impressions of how the candidate behaved and interacted with them. Candidates can display different behaviors to different people based on their perceived role in the hiring process.
Vannati
2 months ago
118 comments
The 13th one I'd say would be to ask "how much does this position pay?" in the first 5 minutes of the interview.
KiWi
2 months ago
630 comments
Remember to dress well too, for whatever the indisutry and market demands. you don't have to mortgage your house for an outfit, but make sure you aren't wearing a business suit to a hip club to interview as a bartender; or dress like a rock star for a conservative office. these other 12 scenarios are fun and uncomfortable to read. it happens.
tpiroq_OD
3 months ago
2 comments
erichards2:
That happened to me when I rejoined the company I am currently with. I contacted the hiring manager, whom I had interviewed with, and explained the circumstances. The manager welcomed by call and said they would get right on it. This has happened a few times after with some other candidates and we have since corrected the issue by ensuring that the recruiter who works on our block of business is no longer the one working for our group going forward. Let me add that I am in Organizational Development and part of HR, so manager need to be aware of the "hiccups" in the process because they are often not given a true view of what is or is not going on.
erichards2
4 months ago
2 comments
Question: I had a pre-interview over the phone, passed it and was offered the interview. The recruiter stated that she would send me a confirmation via email, but did not. So, the day of the interview I called her with no answer, then finally decided to hit "0" for the operator. The operator put me in touch with the interviewing HR person which was not the Recruiter, and I was able to reschedule the interview that I had missed. I had the interview and believe that it went well, however, in the interview the HR person stated that she would have the same Recruiter email the application. It has been three days and I have not recieved the application yet? They said that they would make a decision by Friday. Question do I contact the HR person I interviewed why about this application again?
CinAdmin
4 months ago
2 comments
Question is: How do you answer "Why" you left a former employer when it was bad - how much information do you give in your own defense and how do you explain without it sounding too negative. Especially when "mobbing" was involved (something too many HR departments are not familiar enough with and how destructive that is to a company and it's employees.
scollins
4 months ago
2 comments
I think one of the worst that stand out is an applicant who said "like" 6 times in his first sentence. I starting counting how many times he said it...100 in a 10 minute phone interview.
jawirt
4 months ago
16 comments
Those are some nightmare mistakes!