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9 Interview Mistakes That Turn Off Employers

Editor’s Note: Today’s guest post is by Erik Larson. His bio is at the end of the article.

Recruiters have often seen candidates with the perfect resume fall completely flat during interviews. No matter how good your resume may look, you can only get a job by passing the interview, and fewer interview opportunities mean that you have to make the best with every interview you get. Here are some of the worst interview mistakes that you can easily avoid:

A bad handshake

First impressions often start with the three-second handshake, and recruiters can put a lot of importance on how well a candidate does it. As a result, this single moment can make or break your entire interview. Some examples of poor handshakes that can put you in a bad position from the start of an interview are:

· A limp handshake, which shows weakness or, even worse, disinterest

· Handshakes from the fingertips, which shows a hesitation to engage

· An overpowering handshake, with shows questionable sincerity and overt aggression

Such mistakes can be committed by seasoned professionals too, so do not take your handshake attitude lightly.

Talkativeness

Recruiters may not take too kindly to talkative candidates. Such candidates can include:

· Giving long answers to direct and simple questions. It can indicate an inability to get to the point quickly

· Nervous talking, which can make recruiters think the candidate is hiding something or lying

Make sure that you answer interview questions directly to prevent such behavior. If you are nervous, practice before you go for an interview to calm your nerves.

Negative comments about past employers/manager/jobs

One of the most common mistakes committed by applicants during interviews is to talk bad about their current or old bosses or jobs. It does not matter if you were wrong or right, you will always look disrespectful in the eyes of a recruiter when you make such comments. Recruiters will mostly assume that you will talk negatively about their own company or managers in the future.

Coming for an interview too early or late

Every job applicant knows that the first step toward succeeding in an interview is to turn up on time. Coming late for an interview is inexcusable, but you can also trigger apprehensions from your recruiter if you come earlier than 10 minutes before an interview. This will show that you have lots of time on hand, and that you are desperate for the job. The idea is to show your interviewer that your time is as precious to you as the interviewer’s time, and to avoid losing your dignity.

Talking rudely to the receptionist

The first person you see when you appear for an interview is not the interviewer, but the receptionist at the office. Therefore, your first impression has to start right from the receptionist’s desk. Do not forget that the receptionist ushers you into your interview, and may hold power to introduce you in a positive or negative light.

Asking about salary, vacations/holidays, and work benefits

All three of these questions should be asked only after you have been confirmed for the job. Car salesmen do not ask for your credit report before letting you test drive a car, and the same principle applies here as well. Recruiters may have second thoughts about your competency and suitability for a job if you pop these questions too early.

Appearing for an interview unprepared

Most recruiters can easily find out if a candidate is not prepared for an interview, and they usually give up on such candidates without second thought. No matter how many interviews you attend, the signs can easily be picked up by recruiters. To avoid this mistake, make sure to conduct a pre-interview research on the company. Ask reasonable questions about the company, which simultaneously show that you have done your research.

Lack of/excessive eye contact

Both extremes can trigger negative reactions in the recruiter. A lack of eye contact can make you seem untrustworthy and disinterested, while excessive eye contact can wear out the interviewer. To avoid this issue, practice making eye contact with a friend before the interview.

Conflicting communication styles

First impressions aside, the key to successful interviews is effective communication with the interviewer. You can improve your communication with an interviewer by matching his or her style appropriately. Some examples are given below:

· Maintain concise and business-like communication with interviewers who are all business. Do not try to loosen up the conversation with a story or a joke

· Discuss the interviewer’s interests if he or she is personable, but to a limit. You can find clues to interests by a quick glance at office items

· No matter what the interviewer’s style is, answer direct questions in a direct way. If you want more information, ask for it as a follow up

You can improve your chances of meeting the communication style of an interviewer by allowing him or her to set the conversation tone.

Erik Larson is a master’s level career counselor and an internationally certified as a Career Management Practitioner (CMP) by the Institute for Career Certification International. He was also recognized as a National Certified Counselor (NCC) through the National Board for Certified Counselors. You can check out his site at ResumeIndex.com.

by Mark Anthony Dyson

Diversity and Inclusion Workplace for Job Seekers with Nathan Parcells

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It was Nathan Parcells article on Come Recommended’s blog, Why Diversity is a Hard Problem to Solve in the Workplace, that inspired this interview back in May. Many job seekers desire a culture that includes a variety of people to enjoy and learn from.

Nathan Parcells is co-founder and CMO of InternMatch, a leading site for helping companies hire amazing interns and students find amazing internships. InternMatch was started as a social venture with the goal of helping students of all backgrounds be able to find great internships regardless of connections. InternMatch’s Diversity and Internship Hangout is the first ever event to have top speakers from different industries share insights about their diversity initiatives. InternMatch now has over 5 million annual student visitors, and Nathan’s writings have been featured in Forbes, VentureBeat, the WSJ, Washington Post and more.

Nathan and I discussed the following challenges in hiring and maintaining a diverse and inclusive workplace:

Although many companies desire to hire it is still a complex issue to discuss and implement
Most companies recognize the need to hire diverse individuals to create a dynamic team
Employees can voice their concerns to Human Resources to empower change within the company
Companies could support high school level groups to help build diversity early
The article he wrote for Come Recommend and the stats that were cited
Some of the obstacles in reaching minority groups and the need for mentors

Please, enjoy the conversation and please add to it in the comment section.

by Mark Anthony Dyson

Who Says It’s a Man’s World: Interview with Emily Bennington

Book Review: Who Says It's a Man's World — Book Review: Who Says It’s a Man’s World

This interview with Emily Bennington is the heels of the review here. Before posting the final edit of the interview I notice there were several inspirational quotes. Bennington’s employment experience and perspective offers women inspiration to take careful stock of her career path and focus on being great to achieve greatness. I hope you are inspired after reading as much of this advice is applicable to all job seekers.

1. Did you ever think how different Who Says It’s a Man’s World would have been if it were written in the 1980’s? Why not or how so?

Ha! Great question. Despite the aggressive-sounding title of the book, Who Says It’s a Man’s World is actually about being a magnificent woman first and then building a solid career from that place. So, in that sense the advice is timeless and just as relevant in the 80’s as it is today.

2. Most authors who write career books do not include the worksheets and exercises that you did making your work much more valuable to the reader. What was your thought process to include such practical advice?

Thank you so much. I thought it was important to include these tools because I’m interested in learning that goes beyond just educating – I want readers to actually change habits that aren’t serving them. But in order to do that, there has to be a framework for applying new skills and knowledge.

3. What lessons should job seekers take away from a primarily workplace book?

At the end of the day, Who Says It’s a Man’s World is about discovering WHO you would be if you were working at your best and mindfully taking action each day to reinforce those values. So from that perspective there is no line between “job seekers” and “employed.” It’s about working from your authentic self regardless of what you do. That said, if you are a job seeker and you’ve gone through the process in the book of identifying your virtues (what matters most to you), your intentions (specific behaviors that underscore your virtues), and career goals (what is your general direction), you’re going to come into interviews with a much clearer sense of what you bring to the table and a confidence that’s attractive to potential employers.

4. Are messages like yours reaching new graduates? Why should they be concerned at the beginning?

Many employers are totally enchanted by the enthusiasm and skill set that new grads bring to the table. Still, if there is one challenge I hear over and over again it’s that these same employers sometimes find it difficult to assimilate the energy of new grads into established work teams. There’s a chapter in Who Says that addresses the top three skill gaps surveyed employers cited that are specific to new grad hires and so I think the more students can become aware of these perceptions before they enter the workforce, the more they will be able to address them proactively.

5. What do graduates understand about career value now that more seasoned professionals didn’t understand at the same age range?

I think the author Marianne Williamson summed this up best when she said younger generations know more about things that change while older generations know more about things that don’t change. In other words, young adults may be on the cusp of all that is trendy and innovative, but seasoned professionals deeply understand the importance of core values. Great teams have a mix of both.

6. Do young career women and mature career women value the same career goals, skills, or attributes? If they differ, where in the middle can they meet?

There is a middle ground for everyone and it is this: You must be a magnificent woman first to have a magnificent career. Goals and skills will come and go, but defining the values on which you stand as a professional should be your north star always.

7. Out of the five professional development areas, where do women excel the most, and where do they fall short?

I can’t speak to the areas in which professional women excel or fall short overall because that’s so subjective to each of us as individuals. I will say, however, that I believe this is an unprecedented period in business where many executive teams are taking a very serious look at what their companies stand for beyond just making a profit for shareholders. This is great news for women, of course, because the notion of leadership by nurturing the collective is so central to who we are.

8. Are women in leadership (Directors to Executives) who wrestle with family commitments thinking in terms of being an example to the people they lead?

I certainly hope so. The pressure to be available 24/7 in business today is destructive to families because when you’re on your phone, you can’t truly BE with your spouse and children. If real change is going to come in this area, it has to start with women who draw boundaries for themselves and model that behavior for their teams.

9. Within the survey/study, is there any evidence or pattern showing how professional development is viewed by management? It seems that many employers are leaving career development in general up to the employee.

Professional development is a real grey area in business. Some companies are outstanding at it while others totally suck. The ones that excel have full leadership buy-in and actually put their resources where their mouth is when it comes to “people first.” Still, I strongly believe it’s up to each individual to take charge of your own professional development and fill in any gaps between where you are and where you want to be. No one will ever care about your career more than you do.

10. Occasionally, authors write advice books finding that there were lessons that affected them as much as the reader. Did you have a moment like during or after writing? If so, what was one thing in retrospect that was an “aha moment.”

Actually, my whole definition of success was redefined with this book. When I first started writing, it was all about helping readers get to the corner office. By the end of the process, I figured out that a white-knuckle grip on “goals” was actually a recipe for unhappiness in our careers. This book taught me that real success is about putting the WHO before the WHAT I will forever be grateful for that lesson.

EMILY BENNINGTON is a frequent speaker on the topic of career success and has been featured on Fox Business, CNN, and ABC, and quoted in publications including the Wall Street Journal, New York Post, and Washington Post Express. She is a contributing writer for Monster.com, a featured blogger for The Huffington Post, Forbes Woman, and US News and World Report, and coauthor of Effective Immediately.