By Bizna Brand Analyst
Most job seekers mess up by thinking they need to walk in the door and prove how good they are. However, every great company knows that the true value of the individual cannot be discovered in one, two, or even five interviews – and especially not in what is written on the CV.
Great companies, and their leaders especially, know that it takes spending time with a person and having him or her in the trenches to really know if the person’s a good fit or not.
When you’re searching for a job, landing an interview can feel like a huge success – and it is, but for most open positions, the interview is only one step in a long hiring process. For some jobs, dozens of people may be interviewed, and the competition will be fierce. Don’t take yourself out of the competition by saying one of these job-interview killers:
1. What sort of perks, and employee benefits do you offer?
Save talk about benefits and perks for the negotiation stage — that is, after you’ve gotten ajob offer– or until the interviewer raises the issue. Greed is highly despised by employers so be careful. You don’t want to appear like you’re more focused on what you’ll get rather than why you are qualified
How to land your dream job immediately you step into an interview room
2. What does your company do?
Believe it or not, recruiters and hiring managers say they get asked this question all the time. Before you go into your job interview,research what the company does, and come up with some specific ways you can help it do whatever it does better.
3. My last boss was bad
Complaining about your last job only reflects badly on you. Even if you’re telling the truth, it makes you look like a complainer and poor sport (exactly the type of person no one wants to work with). It’s great to talk about challenges you faced, but the focus should be on the positive results you achieved.
4. I am feeling sick
Complaining about physical discomfort will be perceived asnegativity — or as you making excuses for not performing well in the interview. Even if you are getting an Ebola attack, just stay strong.
5. I got fired from my last position
You never want to lie in a job interview — but there are more graceful ways to explain that you were fired. “My boss and I had very different ideas about what our department should be focusing on, and it soon became clear that I’d be happier in a new role – like this one.” Keep the focus on what you learned from the past, and bring the focus back to why the job you’re interviewing for is the right one for you.
CV red flags you must avoid when looking for a job
6. I just want a job – any job!
This may very well be true, but desperation is not appealing. The interviewer needs to know that you want the particular job you’re interviewing for — and that you’re a great fit for it.
7. I don’t know
If you really don’t know the answer to aninterview question about you or your background, try “I’ll find out and get back to you by the end of the day.” But if the question is about what you’d do in a hypothetical workplace situation – or is an off-the-wall orbrainteaser question, find a ay to answer it. Your response should show your thought process. Go ahead and think aloud. Saying you don’t know makes you look dumb
8. My biggest weakness is that I work too hard
Your interviewer knows this answer is a bunch of malarkey. So how do you answer the “what’s your biggest weakness” question? Choose something not directly related to the role you’re applying for that you’ve made positive efforts to improve.
For example, you could say, “I can be nervous about speaking in front of large groups –but I am trying to improve on that day by day.”.