Never
say these 6 things in a job interview
These
phrases might seem harmless, but interviewers say they can raise some red
flags.
For most employers, profanity and showing up
late are grounds for instant disqualification in an interview. But there are also more subtle ways to raise a red flag in a hiring
manager’s mind. Some common phrases that you think might be harmless, or even
helpful, can, in fact, make employers question whether you’re really the right
person for the job.
If you want to wow your interviewer, make
sure to avoid the following six phrases. While you may have the best
intentions, you don’t want the person you’re interviewing with to get the wrong
impression.
1. “I COULDN’T STAND MY LAST COMPANY”
You may have worked at a genuinely bad
company, but whining about it or trash talking them will not earn you points
with an interviewer.
“When asked about a former boss or
colleagues, never disparage them,” says Roy Cohen, career coach and author of The Wall Street Professional’s
Survival Guide. Doing so “will raise questions about
whether that is how you will view the interviewer if, at some point, you don’t
get your way.”
After all, if you talk smack about your
current company, who’s to say you won’t do the same at this company? Rather
than talking about what you dislike about your employer, talk about how excited
you are about the company you’re interviewing with, whether it’s the culture,
mission, or work that gets you excited.
2. “I’LL DO ANYTHING”
You might think that offering to take on any
challenge the company can throw at you would be a good thing, but truthfully,
it sounds a little desperate. Remember, interviews aren’t just for showing that
you want the job, but also proving that you’re the right person for the job. In
other words, you shouldn’t just be willing to do something–you should be
knowledgeable and passionate about what you do.
“Tell your interviewer what you are most
comfortable doing or what your background is in, or even things you haven’t
done before but are interested in doing,” recommends DW Bobst, CEO of Trend
HR. “No one wants to hire the short-term person
who is just going to leave. Make sure you leave your interviewer with the
impression that you are in it for the long haul.”
3. “I’M A SELF-MOTIVATED, QUICK LEARNER WITH
LEADERSHIP SKILLS”
These are all good things in theory, but
throwing out a bunch of buzzwords like this without any evidence to back them
up is hollow.
“It signals a lack of authenticity and
reliance on superficial sound bites. Interviewers tune you out–they’ve heard it
all before. What does it even mean?” asks Laura MacLeod, leadership coach and
creator of From The Inside Out Project®. “If you want to use this, you’ll have to elaborate [with] specific
examples of problem solving, collaboration, managing conflict. Express it and
explain it rather than just name it.”
For example, if you want to show off your
leadership skills, talk about how you stepped up for a group project. Provide
as much detail as you can about what you did, how you did it, and why it made a
difference.
4. “NO, I DON’T KNOW HOW TO DO THAT”
Odds are, you won’t already be familiar with
every single task of a given job. And that’s okay–most of the time, recruiters and hiring managers won’t expect you to know everything, especially if you’re at a more
junior level. But there’s a right way and wrong way to express that you don’t
know how to do something. Saying “no” flat-out makes it sound like you’re not
only completely clueless, but also unwilling to learn.
“Instead, answer the question with a
qualifying response. For example, if asked whether you have worked with a
software that you [have] no experience with, you should talk about the similar
software that you do have knowledge about and how they relate to the software
in question,” says Patrick Lynch, president for the southeast region of talent
and transition firm CMP.
You can also give an example of a time you
learned a different tool or technology quickly to make it clear that you’ll be
able to get up to speed in no time.
5.
“SO WHAT EXACTLY DOES YOUR COMPANY DO?”
When an interviewer asks if you have any
questions for them, it’s an opportunity for you to demonstrate how
well-informed you are–not a chance to ask questions that you could have easily
figured out on your own with just a few minutes of research.
“This question is a dead giveaway that you
didn’t do any homework on the company or their products,” says Elizabeth
Becker, client partner and career expert at recruiting firm PROTECH. “Instead, use questions as a way to
demonstrate you did some homework.”
For example, you might do some research on a
company and discover that they primarily target small to medium businesses
(SMBs). In that case, you might want to say something like, “I found it
interesting that your software is targeted to the SMB space–do you have any
plans to launch enterprise solutions as well?” Becker suggests.
6. “I WANT A JOB THAT PAYS X”
Salary and benefits are important, and often
play a large role in whether or not you decide to accept a company’s offer. But
bringing up details of the salary or perks you want unprompted and early in the
interview process is a bit presumptuous.
When you don’t know exactly what a company
will pay for a position, play it safe at first. “Give the impression that you
are flexible on compensation rather than make demands,” Bobst says. If you make
it to the final interview rounds, they will let you know what the job will pay.
Conversely, they may ask you what your salary
expectations are. In that case, don’t just throw out a number–figure out what
you really deserve.
“If you don’t know what pay you are qualified
for, you should consider the amount of experience [you] have and what industry
[you] are interested in working in and do a little research,” Bobst suggests.
BY EMILY MOORE—GLASSDOOR
https://www.fastcompany.com/90201358/never-say-these-6-things-in-a-job-interview?utm_source=postup&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Fast%20Company%20Daily&position=6&partner=newsletter&campaign_date=07142018
No comments:
Post a Comment