Interview mistakes...

draught

Posting this so I take responsibility here and never do this again!

Being late!

Do not leave 45 minutes of what would be a 50 minute minute drive because you know you will be on time; leave over an hour early. GPS may (will) fail. Directions may be need to be figured out again and what you thought would take 45 minutes might take you an hour. Don't be 15 minutes late and blow your chances before they began. Also blame yourself because you are unreliable and did not deserve that job. Don't complain later that you can't find a job.

Don't rely on GPS, plan directions ahead of time! When it doesn't matter like getting directions to a store use GPS don't do that for interviews and vital events! Leave over an hour early (depending on your location). If you don't do these things it's your own fault.

coreyb80

Don't ever wear cologne to an interview either. This snafu cost me a position with a company.

Blackout

coreyb80 wrote: »

Don't ever wear cologne to an interview either. This snafu cost me a position with a company.

This. Also don't show up smelling like smoke Yes Sir, No Maam. Dress for Success, be flexible, and don't be afraid to admit that you don't know how to do something.

Danielm7

coreyb80 wrote: »

Don't ever wear cologne to an interview either. This snafu cost me a position with a company.

I don't anyway as I have a really strong sense of smell and it would drive me nuts. But, I'm curious, did they actually tell you that you smelled too strongly to work there?

networker050184

I usually wear cologne everyday, including interviews, and never had a problem with it. If you are obnoxious with it you shouldn't be allowed to wear it anytime though.

Khaos1911

I paid 60 bucks for this bottle of cologne. You better believe you're about to get a wiff of all this goodness!

kohr-ah

Yeah I agree. There is a difference between a dab of cologne and you bathed in Chanelle #5 :P
(Not saying you do coreyb80) but I have had people come to work for us when I worked at the MSP and if I left work following them I could smell it through my A/C vents if they had their windows down.

Dieg0M

Biggest interview mistake is to have lied on your resume. If you are in IT, expect to have a technical interview and we will know within seconds if you are a fake!

BradleyHU

coreyb80 wrote: »

Don't ever wear cologne to an interview either. This snafu cost me a position with a company.

i think you can change that to don't BATHE in cologne before an interview. You can do a quick one spray, and you'll be fine...

coreyb80

kohr-ah wrote: »

Yeah I agree. There is a difference between a dab of cologne and you bathed in Chanelle #5 :P
(Not saying you do coreyb80) but I have had people come to work for us when I worked at the MSP and if I left work following them I could smell it through my A/C vents if they had their windows down.

I used 3 dabs that day, but I guess it was too much. Couldn't believe that was the reason I didn't get the gig, but it was learning experience.

PurpleIT

BradleyHU wrote: »

i think you can change that to don't BATHE in cologne before an interview. You can do a quick one spray, and you'll be fine...

I wouldn't even do that. I have a lot of chemical sensitivities and cologne/perfume is one thing that can really affect me. Although I wouldn't black-ball someone just for wearing stinky stuff it would probably cause a negative association in my mind and be one strike against them.

Reseven

I didn't make this mistake, but I was told about it later on.

One of the guys that was interviewed for the position was asked what he thought about end users. He decided to make a joke and said end users were evil. They got the joke but didn't really think that was an appropriate answer during the interview. Needless to say, he did not get the job. I did.

jvrlopez

Forgetting to ask questions.

Forgetting copies of documents they may ask for.

Being unable to speak to something on your resume.

"Ums" and "uhs" and other silly stammers.

Forgetting your "yes sirs" and "yes ma'ams"

Missing a spot on your face if you shave.

markulous

Dieg0M wrote: »

Biggest interview mistake is to have lied on your resume. If you are in IT, expect to have a technical interview and we will know within seconds if you are a fake!

This for sure. Don't try to BS your way through an interview, it's not going to work.

eLs

Smelling good got me the job and that lady became my girlfriend for a bit ahh it was good times LoL. This was me at 18 years old for Toys r Us job not IT but still it was 'fun'.

Some cologne just plain stink no matter how much you use got to be careful on that.

VikingWarlord

draught wrote: »

Posting this so I take responsibility here and never do this again!

Being late!

Do not leave 45 minutes of what would be a 50 minute minute drive because you know you will be on time; leave over an hour early. GPS may (will) fail. Directions may be need to be figured out again and what you thought would take 45 minutes might take you an hour. Don't be 15 minutes late and blow your chances before they began. Also blame yourself because you are unreliable and did not deserve that job. Don't complain later that you can't find a job.

Don't rely on GPS, plan directions ahead of time! When it doesn't matter like getting directions to a store use GPS don't do that for interviews and vital events! Leave over an hour early (depending on your location). If you don't do these things it's your own fault.

I've made that mistake. Once. It only takes once. Aside from that, I don't think I've ever made any huge snafus in an interview, at least not that anyone ever told me. It always came down to just not being the right fit for whatever gig I was there to discuss. I imagine my appearance throws people off sometimes but I've landed a number of jobs by being properly qualified and capable. If a company has a problem with the way I look, I don't really want to work there anyway.

cyberguypr

A recurring issue I've seen when interviewing people is not researching the company. While working at a healthcare related company I had guys come in convinced we were a bank, consulting company, PC repair, VAR, and a myriad of other nonsense. Seriously, it takes 2 minutes to go to a website and figure this out. Unacceptable.

Asking questions is also very important. When assessing how a candidate thinks I present a convoluted scenario and ask them how they would address the issue. I clearly state at the beginning that they can ask questions to clarify the problem, infrastructure, or anything else. I specifically omit details to see if they ask. It's alarming that over 50% of candidates either don't ask or just ask superficial questions. Same thing for specifics related to the role or the company. This is your chance to 1) see if you really want to work there 2) see what the company pain points are and sell how you can help attack those.

Kai123

Trying to flirt with the HR lady.

Kai123

cyberguypr wrote: »

A recurring issue I've seen when interviewing people is not researching the company. While working at a healthcare related company I had guys come in convinced we were a bank, consulting company, PC repair, VAR, and a myriad of other nonsense. Seriously, it takes 2 minutes to go to a website and figure this out. Unacceptable.

You are 100% right, but once I went into an interview and I knew more about the company then the manager did, who then gave the impression I was wrong and making stuff up, basically telling me I was wrong about the company’s expansion.
Odd place anyway, and he wasn’t the most pleasant of people.

jleydon82

I think the best way to interview is to go in with a different attitude. Most do the whole - oh please pick me - mentality. In actuality if you can get past that and focus on ok do I want to pick this place as where I want to work, it can help tremendously and put you in the right mindset to ask questions that you really want to know about a potential employer.

When I interview I also always say yes when offered a drink. I read somewhere long ago that having a glass of water is very helpful during an interview. It gives you that opportunity to think about a question while taking a sip. As the original poster said though, never be late. My current job I arrived about 30 minutes early and that's never a bad thing to do. Also, as I have interviewed people in the past - I really think people especially in IT should make sure they have a properly fitted suit. I've interviewed people with off the shelf suits that just do not fit properly and that gives a poor impression of them. Almost looking slob like when your jacket sleeves are too long.

cyberguypr

Great advice regarding the appropriate suit. I know many here don't care about suits, etc. but in some industries this is a must and is expected. I rather see a well-fitted Stafford than a sloppy Ermenegildo Zegna. And don't get me started on shoes. You would think something so simple would come naturally. Have seen way too many guys with worn-off, broken, and even non-matching shoes.

Kai123

cyberguypr wrote: »

Great advice regarding the appropriate suit. I know many here don't care about suits, etc. but in some industries this is a must and is expected. I rather see a well-fitted Stafford than a sloppy Ermenegildo Zegna. And don't get me started on shoes. You would think something so simple would come naturally. Have seen way too many guys with worn-off, broken, and even non-matching shoes.

Even if you go in wearing just a shirt and trousers, you 100% have to have black, shiny and spotless shoes!

BradleyHU

jvrlopez wrote: »

Forgetting to ask questions.

Forgetting copies of documents they may ask for.

Being unable to speak to something on your resume.

"Ums" and "uhs" and other silly stammers.

Forgetting your "yes sirs" and "yes ma'ams"

Missing a spot on your face if you shave.

I think a lot of interviewers let the ums & uhs slide, especially if it doesn't fill up your whole conversation.

Yes sir & Yes ma'am...thats regional. I don't do all that. i'm not in the military, and i'm not southern...you just need to be respectful.

N2IT

Kai123 wrote: »

Trying to flirt with the HR lady.

Very funny.

N2IT

I have one to add. Bringing in the wrong resume.

Obviously it's encouraged to write resumes for specific jobs, make sure to keep them organized so you don't bring copies of the wrong one to your interview. I've done this once, I was able to sleaze my way out of it, but it was very uncomfortable.

Params7

in my last job I was late to the interview by like 20 minutes, but still got accepted :P

xenodamus

Be prepared to speak at length about anything you list on your resume.

Danielm7

xenodamus wrote: »

Be prepared to speak at length about anything you list on your resume.

I had an interview a few months ago and the HR lady quite awhile asking me about a job I had 12 years ago. Why I left it, why there was a 2 month gap before starting the next position, etc.

N2IT

Gaps are killers, I've seen hiring managers literally **** perfectly good resumes due to gaps. The gap range and the frequency of gaps plays a huge role.

I don't understand why sometimes things happens, but some people really can't stand gaps. ***Hands up no clue I don't think they are that big of a deal. If you are a project manager or a principal consultant be prepared to have gaps due to projectized work efforts.

Danielm7

Right, my first job was a contract and it was not even two full months before I got another job where I was at for six years, but somehow the tiny gap was an issue 12 years ago.

N2IT

Danielm7 wrote: »

Right, my first job was a contract and it was not even two full months before I got another job where I was at for six years, but somehow the tiny gap was an issue 12 years ago.

It really is ridiculous. But it happens and be prepared to answer the questions.

I've been in an interview as one of the interviewers and the hiring manager went straight to the gap on this kid. Never mind the CS from Saint Louis University which is a great CS program or the two internships with Nestle or the 3 years at another fortune 100 company. I want to know why you had 3 months from this job to this job.

It didn't even follow the job history he jump straight to it. Needlessly I don't have to say I think it's idiotic but I can't control it and it has to be dealt with.