I’ve sat through many, many job interviews as a candidate — which means I’ve definitely made a few mistakes.
When I spoke to the HR experts who contributed advice to my 8 Steps for Interview Prep book [non-affiliate link here], there were a few problems that two or three of them mentioned. I used these comments to come up with the three main mistakes interviewees make… Whether or not those interviewees are native-English speakers.
What do the mistakes have in common?
They’re all about confident communication.
Mistake 1: Job candidates rush their answers and make the interview feel like a verbal exam.
Anyone who gets anxious about public speaking, verbal exams, or in new social situations is likely to make this mistake. And it’s understandable — most people are nervous when it’s time to go into a job interview.
My face used to turn red (and my voice would shake) whenever I gave presentations or went into interviews… So I’ve been guilty of rushing my answers and presentations just to get through my practiced speeches, too.
Good interviewers should try to put you at ease. But if you don’t prepare your answers… Or prepare a conversational style of answers… You’ll miss out on really connecting with your interviewer.
So why is it such a big mistake to rush your answers?
Things that can go wrong with this job interview mistake:
- You might misunderstand a question.
- You could miss a social signal from the interviewer.
- You may forget part of your answer.
What to do instead of rushing your answers:
- Ask for clarification.
- Leave space for additional questions.
- Ask for time if you need it.
How to practice:
- Ask your mock interviewer to interrupt you with questions for additional details.
- During your interview practices, ask your mock interviewer for more time or to repeat part of a question.
Have doubts about whether or not you should apply for the job? I have another blog post about that with advice from some HR experts.
Mistake 2: Job candidates don’t ask questions during (or after) the main interview.
Mistake number 2 usually happens when an interviewee is already making mistake number 1. If you’re rushing so much you can’t slow down, you probably aren’t remembering to ask questions, either.
The best interviews feel like a conversation, not an exam or interrogation.
Things that can go wrong with this job interview mistake:
- You look unprepared.
- You seem uninterested.
- You can’t connect with the interviewer.
What to do instead of only answering questions:
- Ask questions when you think about them. (As long as you wait for the end of the interviewer’s sentence!)
- Comment on statements the interviewer makes.
- Ask for more detail.
- Prepare questions before the interview.
How to practice:
- Ask your mock interviewer some prepared questions between questions you answer.
- Practice spontaneous conversation skills and make it a goal to ask questions.
Mistake 3: Job candidates don’t want to admit they don’t know the answer to a question.
Obviously, you’re in this interview to convince the company they should pay you. That means they expect you to have the answer to every question they ask… right?
Not always.
Sometimes, they want to understand how you think or why you make the decisions you make. (I go into more detail about that in my post about non-technical interview questions.)
When you’re comfortable admitting you don’t know the answer, you can build trust and connection, depending on how you answer it.
Things that can go wrong with this job interview mistake:
- You look untrustworthy when you get it wrong.
- The interviewer doesn’t understand your potential for growth and learning.
What to do instead:
- Admit what you don’t know.
- Describe what you “guess” the answer is — and why.
- Talk about similar tasks.
How to practice:
- Put questions you don’t know how to answer in the list your mock interviewer uses.
- If there is a skill on the job description you can’t do, but you can do something similar, practice talking about that.
You know about these interview mistakes… What now?
Apply for my 8-week-long group interview program, starting April 11th!
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