Interview Mistakes 2010

You may have heard the horror stories--job hunters who take phone calls or text during an interview,
or bring out a sandwich and start chomping, or brush their hair, or worse. You wouldn't do any of those things, would you? Of course not. [See the best careers for 2010.] But there are tons of other job interview no-no's you may not have thought of. Or that you've forgotten. The job hunting trail is long and arduous, and a little refresher course can't hurt. So for your edification and enjoyment, here are 50 (yes, 50!) of the worst and most common job interview mistakes: [See how to answer 10 tricky interview questions.] 1. Arriving late. 2. Arriving too early. 19. Asking too many questions. 3. Lighting up a cigarette, or smelling like a cigarette. 4. Bad-mouthing your last boss. 5. Lying about your skills/experience/knowledge. 6. Wearing the wrong (for this workplace!) clothes. 7. Forgetting the name of the person you're interviewing with. 8. Wearing a ton of perfume or aftershave. 9. Wearing sunglasses. 10. Wearing a Bluetooth earpiece. 11. Failing to research the employer in advance. 12. Failing to demonstrate enthusiasm. 13. Inquiring about benefits too soon. 14. Talking about salary requirements too soon. 15. Being unable to explain how your strengths and abilities apply to the job in question. 16. Failing to make a strong case for why you are the best person for this job. 17. Forgetting to bring a copy of your resume and/or portfolio. 25. Neglecting to match the communication style of your interviewer. 26. Yawning. 27. Slouching. 28. Bringing along a friend, or your mother. 29. Chewing gum, tobacco, your pen, your hair. 30. Laughing, giggling, whistling, humming, lipsmacking. 31. Saying "you know," "like," "I guess," and "um." 32. Name-dropping or bragging or sounding like a know-it-all. 33. Asking to use the bathroom. 34. Being falsely or exaggeratedly modest. 22. Failing to listen carefully to what the interviewer is saying. 23. Talking more than half the time. 24. Interrupting your interviewer. 20. Asking no questions at all. 21. Being unprepared to answer the standard questions. 18. Failing to remember what you wrote on your own resume.
35. Shaking hands too weakly, or too firmly. 36. Failing to make eye contact (or making continuous eye contact). 37. Taking a seat before your interviewer does.
43. Overexplaining why you lost your last job. 44. Being too familiar and jokey. 45. Sounding desperate. 46. Checking the time.
38. Becoming angry or defensive. 47. Oversharing. 39. Complaining that you were kept waiting. 48. Sounding rehearsed. 40. Complaining about anything! 49. Leaving your cell phone on. 41. Speaking rudely to the receptionist. 50. Failing to ask for the job. 42. Letting your nervousness show.
Does it seem as though some job interview questions are designed to trip you up? It should, because they are. Here are 10 of the trickiest tricky questions you might be asked at a job interview, with ideas on how to handle them: [See the best careers for 2010.] 1. Tell me about yourself. DO: Talk about the ways that what you know and what you can do are perfectly suited to this job. DONT: Tell the interviewer your life story.
2. Tell me something bad youve heard about our company. DO: You wouldnt apply for a job at a company you disapproved of, would you? So you should be able to honestly answer that you havent heard anything negative about this place. DONT: Repeat gossip you might have heard.
[See how to ace the phone interview.] 3. Why should I hire you? DO: Impress your interviewer with how much you know about the companys requirements and then describe how you are the best person to meet those requirements. DONT: Get tripped up by a lack of prior research.
4. Where do you see yourself in five years? DO: Talk about how your specific abilities, training, and experience will enable you to smoothly integrate with this company. DONT: Say that you have no idea.
5. How would you react if I told you your interview so far was terrible? DO: Recognize that this is a test to see if you get flustered. Say, mildly, that you would ask for reasons why.
DONT: Freak out. Remember, the interviewer said if.
[See how to keep your thank-you note out of the trash.] 6. Whats the last book you read? DO: Mention a book that reflects well on you. Choose something by a reputable author that your interviewer has probably heard of. DONT: Name a book you havent actually read.
7. Can you work under pressure? DO: Say that of course you can, and then relate a brief story about a time you did. DONT: Just say, "Yes I can." Provide a specific example.
8. Whos your hero? DO: Name a person who has inspired you and then describe specifically how this inspiration relates to your work. DONT: Get caught off-guard by what should really be a softball question. Come prepared with a good answer.
9. Have you ever considered starting your own business? DO: Talk about how you are happiest and do your best work in a company that is amazingly similar to the one youre applying at. DONT: Go on and on about how youd love to be your own boss one day.
10. If you won the lottery, would you still work? DO: Be honest and say youd be thrilled to win the lottery; then add that even if you did youd still seek out satisfying work, because work is what makes people happy. DONT: Say that youd never work again (too honest) or that youd just work for free (too BSy).
Bottom line: It pays to think through in advance how you would handle some of the more common trick questions. In general, remember never to badmouth or blame others, especially past employers. Be careful not to betray your nervousness with jittery body language. Dont lie or babble, or show frustration, impatience, disappointment, or anger. The most important thing to remember is that hiring managers who ask these questions are far more interested in how you answer than what you answer. They just want to see how well you think on your feet. So even if a question completely flummoxes you, keep your cool, smile, and look em in the eye.

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Interview Mistakes 2010

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You may have heard the horror stories--job hunters who take phone calls or text during an interview,

DONT: Freak out. Remember, the interviewer said if.

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