Have you ever wondered if the reason you get regrets after interviews may be because you’re utilizing WRONG advice about how you should conduct yourself in interviews?
A lot of us have been exposed to different tips from different people about different areas in our lives, most, of course, have the best intentions. However, it’s critical that one has a sense of discernment when it comes to certain things; job interviews are one of them. Because let’s be honest; job interviews are a GREAT determining factor of whether or not you get employed at the organization you applied for.
So here are 3 misleading “tips” told about job interviews:
1. You should not reveal your weaknesses to the interviewer/turn your weaknesses into strengths – *insert beep sound*. No one is perfect. A recruiter/hiring manager NEEDS to be aware of what learning opportunities they should create for their potential future employee. Otherwise, you’re exposed to the risk of them finding out later when you do work that is subpar that may lead to your termination. HONESTY is always the best policy.
2. Your responses should be “short” – Yes, interviewers don’t want you to go on and on about your life history. What they are looking for is concision; they want to hear ALL relevant details about how your past experiences relate to the job you applied for, why you’re motivated to join the organization, and what makes you a good culture fit, among other things. Giving very brief responses may seem like a good thing but it hurts your chances because it leaves the interviewer/hiring manager with little information to make an informed decision about your profile. We like to recommend using the STAR method as it ensures an interviewee answers questions systematically.
3. Don’t ask questions as that shows you were not prepared – We can’t count the number of times we have asked candidates during interviews if they have questions and received a “not at the moment” response. We’ll be blunt; not asking ANY question at all is not a good thing, and NO, interviewers don’t think you’re not “prepared” if you ask questions. Here’s an article that bluntly explains why it’s important to ask questions and the do’s and don’ts!
If you would like to learn more about how to prepare for an interview, please read this article we wrote last year about how to get ready to succeed in an interview.
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