Things not to do in interviews

robS

Seen some regular posts asking the same questions, is it worth building an FAQ?


1. Fail to wear a suit or be well groomed
2. Treat an informal interview as informal (hint, it's never informal)
3. Fail to ask decent questions
4. Fail to turn up on time, or 5 minutes early
5. Qualify your apology if you're late ("sorry I was a few minutes late" is a half-apology in my book)
6. Fail to have copies of your CV/resume, application and covering letter for the interviewers
7. Go in stinking of cigarette smoke, alcohol or drowned in aftershave/perfume
8. Fail to answer the question
9. Fail to ask if you've sufficiently answered the question if you're not sure
10. Say no to a walk-around
11. Answer anything but "yes, absolutely" if asked if you'd take the job if offered it (you can let them down later)
12. Shake the interviewers hands firmly but not death-grip whilst looking them in the eye (which I personally don't care about but some people do)
13. Be able to answer succinctly if required and elaborate if necessary.
14. Lie or try to exaggerate too much.
15. Start the 'tell me about yourself' with your favourite TV show as a 5 year old.

Anyone got any others?

MeanDrunkR2D2

Don't eat Chipotle or other gas inducing food prior to the interview. Last thing you need to do is fog the room with butt cheese.

RHDS2K

I think your posture and your confidence in what you say is also key.

dave330i

6. Resume/CV is a must, but cover letter is optional (at least in my area).
13. I prefer to elaborate. By elaborating on simple questions you can show your depth of knowledge.
Related to 13, should be articulate. Speak clearly and coherently.

binarysoul

I would also add, don't start a fight with someone on the way to interview. BBC news reported few days ago a guy in subway had an argument and was told to F** . Turns out, the guy who told him F** came for his interview with the same guy he had just fought with!

Nafe92014

Another good one to add is "try not too stutter too much"

nster

Nafe92014 wrote: »

Another good one to add is "try not too stutter too much"

I only stutter when I try not to

dave0212

Have to disagree with some of these, some maybe just how I am reading them. It all depends on the situation;

1. Fail to wear a suit or be well groomed - My last interview (current job) was Jeans and Shirt, agree with well groomed though.
2. Treat an informal interview as informal (hint, it's never informal) - Last interview was very informal
6. Fail to have copies of your CV/resume, application and covering letter for the interviewers - Didn't take any of these was an open discussion
8. Fail to answer the question - You cant know the answer to everything, having spent most of my life in tech I don't expect people to be able to answer everything
9. Fail to ask if you've sufficiently answered the question if you're not sure - If the interviewer wants more info they should ask or even better they should change the question to see how the candidate responds to unexpected changes

Now number 6 is probably more related to the type of job, I am an InfoSec consultant so they were more interested in my ability to talk openly about the core subject matter than going through my CV directly

Also I was hand picked by the MD who I have known for 12 years, I just had to convince the CEO

One I will add, research the company, know at least something about them

robS

Dave - the things I suggested were generalisations, and there are obviously exceptions to each. Even your last point - knowing about the company - I've regularly had 10 minute phone interviews (on which a contract role was offered) where I've not needed to know anything at all about the company, but in general I'd agree with you that knowledge of the company is necessary.

MeanDrunkR2D2

Never compliment or ask how he got a hot wife, or has hot daughters. Don't even stare at the pictures and if you do glance, try to hide any "excitement" that may happen because of it. It's always awkward when you go to shake their hand and your lower hand is also reaching out for a shake.

the_Grinch

Don't use perfume or cologne. Not saying you should stink, but don't put on any adders. Never wear a watch. Research the company and the person you are interviewing with so you can have meaningful questions to ask.

bertieb

Don't call the interviewer by the wrong name several times after the introduction and continue to do so after being corrected.

This has happened to me on two separate occasions whilst interviewing for junior level roles and even though I accept nerves happen in interviews, my name happens to be Mike, and definitely not Martin or Paul(!!).

cyberguypr

Never wear a watch? Please! To me that's like not wearing underwear. My dad taught me that a gentleman always wears a watch. You will never catch me not wearing one and there's no way that will affect an interview. Now if you say "don't look at your watch under any circumstances" that's completely valid.

Speaking of researching the company, I've had my share of people who had no idea what the company did. But I had a first the other day. This guy the shows up and when we opened with "do you have any initial questions about the role" he replied with "oh, I didn't read it. But so you know, this is what I'm looking for...". Ahem, no sir, it doesn't work that way. It was all down hill from there on.

higherho

The whole suit thing needs to go away (well groomed though is important). I came into an interview (I was told to dress casual) with my DBZ shirt and a nice good pair of jeans. The costumer liked me right off the bat and stated "Goku was my favorite". After the meeting the contracting company came back to me and stated the costumer stated that he liked you the moment he saw your shirt. Granted this wont happen all the time and it all depends on your work environment. I still thought it was cool.

markulous

Why would someone say no to a "walk-around"? I'm assuming this is a tour of their office.

networker050184

higherho wrote: »

The whole suite thing needs to go away (well groomed though is important). I came into an interview (I was told to dress casual) with my DBZ shirt and a nice good pair of jeans. The costumer liked me right off the bat and stated "Goku was my favorite". After the meeting the contracting company came back to me and stated the costumer stated that he liked you the moment he saw your shirt. Granted this wont happen all the time and it all depends on your work environment. I still thought it was cool.

I think that is a very rare exception and certainly not the rule in the professional world. I like DBZ as much as the next guy, but I happen to be a much bigger fan of knowing how to conduct yourself in a professional environment when it comes to hiring someone.

The main one I hate is people trying BS answers. I know the answer to the question I'm asking you. Don't try to act like you know what you are talking about if you don't. A simple I don't know and we'll move onto the nest one.

higherho

I agree with your networker 100%. My only gripe is with the suit. I only tested the waters with the DBZ shirt. Soft skills in our world is quickly ranking above technical skills for many positions.

networker050184 wrote: »

I think that is a very rare exception and certainly not the rule in the professional world. I like DBZ as much as the next guy, but I happen to be a much bigger fan of knowing how to conduct yourself in a professional environment when it comes to hiring someone.

The main one I hate is people trying BS answers. I know the answer to the question I'm asking you. Don't try to act like you know what you are talking about if you don't. A simple I don't know and we'll move onto the nest one.

[Deleted User]

Never poop/use bathroom at the place you will be interviewing. You never know if the person who is interviewing you is in the bathroom with you. I'm interviewing today and took my own advice. It's just odd if you happen to have a bowl movement and it happens to be loud then go into the interview room knowing "Oh he heard me poop". This may be immature on my part but better safe then sorry.

rsutton

Some common issues I run in to when interviewing folks:
-They don't smile
-They don't maintain eye contact
-They lack enthusiasm
-They don't know how to carry on a conversation (this is a life skill that every professional should try to get better at)
-They didn't do any research about my company
-They didn't come prepared with any intelligent questions. Examples of intelligent questions: "what is the difference between good, and great, in this role?", "What are the most important soft skills for this position?", "Why have previous employees in this role left the company?"
-They were too concerned about working after-hours
-They asked about salary too soon
-They had a lame reason for leaving their last job

hurricane1091

Why would one not wear a watch? And the 'suit thing' is never going away. I wore a suit to the interview at my company, and I have to be dressed nice daily with a shirt, tie, the works. If someone walked in here without a suit for an interview, I wouldn't even consider them.

the_Grinch

Typically, if you wear a watch you are going to look down at it. You may not be bored, but out of habit you'll look at it. Now if you're giving an interview and you see someone checking out their watch what does that say to you? Oh he/she must have a better place to be right now. If you're early leave it in the car you won't need to know what time it is anyway.

hurricane1091

the_Grinch wrote: »

Typically, if you wear a watch you are going to look down at it. You may not be bored, but out of habit you'll look at it. Now if you're giving an interview and you see someone checking out their watch what does that say to you? Oh he/she must have a better place to be right now. If you're early leave it in the car you won't need to know what time it is anyway.

That's a personal thing then. I'd revise it to say "don't wear a watch if you're going to look at it". I never look at mine but I feel naked without it lol. I do look at my phone when nervous though, luckily not in an interview.

NetworkNewb

hurricane1091 wrote: »

That's a personal thing then. I'd revise it to say "don't wear a watch if you're going to look at it". I never look at mine but I feel naked without it lol. I do look at my phone when nervous though, luckily not in an interview.

I usually keep my phone in my vehicle when I go in on an interview. Last time I brought it in with me on an interview, I had it on vibrate and someone kept calling me. Very annoying! Just play it safe now and don't bring it in.

hurricane1091

NetworkNewb wrote: »

I usually keep my phone in my vehicle when I go in on an interview. Last time I brought it in with me on an interview, I had it on vibrate and someone kept calling me. Very annoying! Just play it safe now and don't bring it in.

I've had that happen. I bring it in since sometimes they give applications to fill out and want references, so I need my phone for the #s

snapdad

I know a lot of people swear by wearing a suit, but I've never worn one to an interview. I think it's a bit overkill unless you are expected to wear a suit as part of the job.

BradleyHU

rsutton wrote: »

Some common issues I run in to when interviewing folks:
-They asked about salary too soon
-They had a lame reason for leaving their last job

There's never too soon to discuss salary. I usually do that as soon as i get an email or a call back from a firm that I've applied to. I don't want to waste their, and even more importantly, MY time going through several rounds of interviews & then come find out that their not looking to pay what i'm looking for.

While their reason to leave might be lame to you, it might be valid to them. You never know what the situation is, and all that lead up to it.

BradleyHU

snapdad wrote: »

I know a lot of people swear by wearing a suit, but I've never worn one to an interview. I think it's a bit overkill unless you are expected to wear a suit as part of the job.

it all depends on the environment @ the firm....and thats why you ask prior to going to the interview what type of dress code do they want.

rsutton

BradleyHU wrote: »

There's never too soon to discuss salary. I usually do that as soon as i get an email or a call back from a firm that I've applied to. I don't want to waste their, and even more importantly, MY time going through several rounds of interviews & then come find out that their not looking to pay what i'm looking for.

While their reason to leave might be lame to you, it might be valid to them. You never know what the situation is, and all that lead up to it.

I disagree. If you are asking me about salary before understanding what the job is about, that could imply you are interested in a job, and not a career, with the company. While it's important to ask, and should be asked early on, it looks bad if it is asked too early in the discussion.

I'm sure that anyone who lists their reason for leaving a company considers it valid, in their own eyes. However, in the eyes of an employer, there are reasons that could reasonably be seen as lame. It pays off to consider things in the light of how the employer will see them.

dave330i

Why is anyone asking about salary during an interview? Salary should be discussed with the recruiter before showing up at the interview.

BlackBeret

As far as a watch goes, don't look at it in the interview, but I know places you can't work without a watch. While it's trivial and I don't know of anyone that's been ruled out for not having one, if it ever came down between two people than having a watch could be a factor. Time is important to some people.

Anonymouse

kMastaFlash wrote: »

Never poop/use bathroom at the place you will be interviewing. You never know if the person who is interviewing you is in the bathroom with you. I'm interviewing today and took my own advice. It's just odd if you happen to have a bowl movement and it happens to be loud then go into the interview room knowing "Oh he heard me poop". This may be immature on my part but better safe then sorry.

For me this is actually very important to use the bathroom. I like knowing if I will be working somewhere that is filthy or not with people who may or may not have horrible hygiene.

snapdad wrote: »

I know a lot of people swear by wearing a suit, but I've never worn one to an interview. I think it's a bit overkill unless you are expected to wear a suit as part of the job.

I kind of agree on this. I usually wear long sleeve button up, tie, slacks, and whatever shoes look good with that. For my last two jobs I had forgotten my tie so didn't really worry too much about it.