5 Humiliating Mistakes To Avoid

Dont Blow Your Next Job Interview
5 Humiliating Mistakes to Avoid

Congratulations on deciding to download and read this Special Report!
Most job seekers are way too satisfied with their job interview skills. They think, Just get
me in front of an employer and Ill get the job. This is common, dangerous thinking. As
an experienced recruiter whos interviewed and helped hire more than 5,000 candidates
over nine years, I can tell you that the truth is far different.
Prove it for yourself. If your interviewing skills were perfect, youd ace 100% of your
interviews, right? Every time you met with a hiring manager, youd get a job offer. But is
that true? Of course not. Nobody bats 1.000 in job interviews.
BUT everyone can improve their interviewing skills.
Because you dont use them every day, your interviewing skills are not as sharp, as, say,
your coffee drinking skills, brush your teeth skills or your shoe tying skills.
Its simply a matter of knowledge and practice. When you know what to do and practice
it every day, you have about a 95% chance of succeeding. Again, you can prove this for
yourself: whens the last time you injured yourself brushing your teeth? Or forgot how to
tie your shoelaces?
When you know the right thing to do, and you practice doing it, you will likely do it right.
Thats what this Special Report and the InterviewPrep.com Web site are all about: give
you the correct knowledge and help you practice, until your interviewing skills are razor
sharp. At that point, acing your next job interview will be as easy as pouring yourself a
glass of water. Knowledge and practice make perfect.
So, lets get started!
First, before I give you the top 5 reasons why people crash and burn in an interview, let
me ask you four big questions about your interview preparation activities. This will help
you get an accurate picture of how well youve prepared so far for your next interview
1) The Company
What do you know about the company? Did you get the majority of your information from
the companies about page? Where else did you look?
Provided by www.InterviewPrep.com
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2) Your Image
Is your resume top notch? 100% error-free? (If so, how do you know?)
Does it accurately and truthfully represent who you are and what you want?
Did you hide or slightly exaggerate anything on your resume?
Do you know how to present yourself to hiring authorities in 90 seconds or less?
What will your references say about your past performance?
Are you mentally hirable?
Has self-doubt crept into your subconscious, where its silently undermining your
chances for success?
3) The Interview
Do you know at least 5 commons questions that you will be asked?
How are you going to answer SAO-type questions?
What questions do you have to ask the interviewer?
Have you role-played with others? That is, have you asked a friend to interview you?
(If not, what evidence do you have that you can give clear, convincing answers in the
interview?)
4) Your Follow-up
Do you know what to say in the follow-up letter?
Is it better to mail or email your note?
When and how often do you place the follow-up phone call?
So how did you do? Did you feel like you had the right answers or do you have a
slight twinge in your stomach?
Dont worry. You dont have to tell me. But youve just done some very valuable practice
answering tough questions. And you will have to answer questions like that the next time
you interview.
Article Overview
I am continually amazed at how people lose a career opportunity before they know it
because of poor interview preparation. You either prepare to win or you prepare to lose.
Its your choice. This article is for those who choose to win through preparation.
Based on my nine years of executive search experience, here are the top 5 humiliating
mistakes that cause job seekers to crash and burn in an interview.
Ignore them at your peril
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Mistake #1
Lack of Preparation 3 key areas
A. Lack of Interview Question Preparation
Imagine going into a test knowing the answers to the questions. You can. I am going to
show you how. The idea here is to script (memorize) your answers to some of the most
common questions before the interview.
Here are four interview questions I can GUARANTEE you will be asked:
Tell me about yourself
o This is the home of the 90 second commercial. You must tell someone
who you are in 90 seconds or less. Start with your education and move
forward in chronological order. In each job tell why you were successful
and why you left the company. The last statement in your 90 second
commercial should state what type of position you desire. Oh, one more
thing, do NOT start your 90 second commercial with I was born
Why should I hire you?
o Think like a hiring manager. What does the hiring manager need? By
hiring you, what problem will you fix for the hiring manager? You need to
tell the hiring manager that you can fix the problem and you can do the
job with a great attitude. Then you provide several examples of how you
got it done.
Tell me your greatest weakness
o I honestly hate this question. The interviewer has probably already heard
all of the lame ole answers about you being a perfectionist blah blah blah
blah, and more blah. This question is not so much about your weakness,
but how you handle the question. Again, you must prescript your answer
PRIOR to the interview. You might want to even be honest with this
answer and tell the hiring manager, that X weakness has been your
Achilles heel, but here is your plan to correct the problem
Do you have any questions for me?
o Your answer, You bet I do, This is the one absolute guaranteed
question you will be asked. Then pull out a list of the following type of
questions (Impress the hiring manager by actually taking a piece of paper
out of your briefcase with a list of questions)
o Why is the position open? How long has it been open? What is the career
path? What type of training is provided? Why do you work for this
company? Your last question to the hiring manager is a closing question.
What is the next step in the interview process? If you dont ask this last
question, you have NOT indicated that you want the job and you should
NOT be depressed when you dont get a call back.
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B. Failure to research the company, its products, and employees

To get the job, you have to do more than visit the companies about page. The average
job seeker usually finds this page and stops here; however, if you want to separate
yourself from the crowd, you must take a few extra steps. When it comes to company
and people research, here are a few good starter questions that you need to answer:
What is the companys stock price? Is it trending up or down?

Who is the president of the company? How many divisions are there in the
company?
How would you sell their top product?
Who is their biggest competition?
How impressed would the hiring manager be if you asked him/her about the
latest press release? (Go to the News section to find press releases).
Other helpful research resources to evaluate a company:

Yahoo Finance
Trade associations
Find a friend who has worked for the company by using the Networking Now
functionality on the major job boards
Try sending out an email to your friends asking them if they know anyone who
works for the company.
C. Poorly written resume

There is NO excuse for a poorly written resume. Especially given the Interview Writing
Module that comes as part of the InterviewPrep.com System.
However you get it done, make sure your resume not only looks good, but is easy to
read, relevant and CONVINCING. Every sentence, bullet point and paragraph in it must
be relevant to the job you seek. Your resume should prove to employers that youve
done this sort of work before, youve done it well, and you can do it again.
My only other tip on your resume is to never, EVER lie. Also, make sure your phone
number is correct and that the resume screams your accomplishments in a bulleted
format. (OK, I gave you two more tips for free.)
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Mistake #2
When candidates cannot Tell me about a time when
You really have to be prepared to answer these questions accurately.
Hiring professionals call these type of questions Behavioral or SAO (Situation, Action,
Outcome) questions. The hiring manager is trying to use your past behavior as a
predictive measure for your future performance. They want to see how you have
handled similar problems or issues in your past. The hiring manager NEEDS to know
that you CAN solve their problemso in this section, show them that you are their
special problem solver.
Here is the format you must have in your mind when you answer these questions.
Situation: Explain the situation (problem)
Action: Explain what action you took
Outcome: Explain the outcome, but when you do this, make sure you use
quantifiable numbers i.e., show how you increased revenue, or decreased costs
by $4,000 per quarter or 23%.
Special Top Secret Hint: Hiring managers love numbers, dollars and percentages.
It helps them quickly measure your performance. So be specific!
Here are some sample Tell me about a time when questions.
Tell me about a time when:
You delivered a big project on time
You brought a former customer back into a current customer status
You launched a new product resulting in 20% revenue growth
You streamlined a major administrative nightmare
You fought the giant to get a C in Physics 202
Anything that required you to put a plan together to reach goals
WarningDont lie or over estimate, if you do not have hard numbers to back up
your story, then guesstimate on the conservative side and you might even tell the
hiring manager that you dont have the hard numbers, but here is you best
guesstimate.
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Mistake #3
Failure to know thyself
If Socrates were alive, hed give you this advice: Before you can sell thyself to an
employer, thou must first know thyself.
In other words, you MUST be the expert on your skills, your wants and your desires.
Remember that you are at least 50% of the equation here -- it takes a company and an
employee to create every job. And dont forget that you are interviewing the company,
too.
Example: Do you know what kind of workplace will be the best cultural or personality fit
for you?
When you visit a prospective employer, do you feel a fit with the other workers? Does
the building give off a positive vibe to you? Does it feel like a place where you can
produce your best results?
If not, then you should consider walking out the door.
I know a fellow recruiter who interviewed for a job with a top firm. As he walked into the
office, the interviewer quickly hid a pink bottle of Pepto Bismol and roll of Tums in his
desk drawer. As he sat down, my colleague noticed that papers were strewn all over the
office and carpeting -- the place was a mess. It became abundantly clear that this was
not where he wanted to be in five years, so he spent about 15 minutes talking and then
cordially ended the interview.
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Mistake #4
Failure to practice, practice, practice
Let me give you some bad news and good news.
First the bad news: failure to practice is THE most common mistake I see among
candidates I interview. And its probably THE single reason I send most of them home
without a job offer.
Good news: avoiding this error is one of the quickest and easiest ways to get hired
faster.
Practice really does make perfect. And it can dramatically shorten your job search.
Make time to physically answer mock interview questions in front of a mirror, say your
answers out loud, hear your answers, do you sound knowledgeable and capable or do
you ramble on and say nothing. Or better yet, have a friend ask you the questions in
person.
One successful job seeker I know would make up interview question flash cards, with
questions written on one side and his answers on the other. It worked for him and he
always got the job he wanted -- and a pay raise to boot.
Mistake #5
Failure to close the Deal
It does not matter if you are an IT guru, a receptionist, or a mechanic, if you want the job,
you are now a sales person, and yes you have to ask for the order...i.e. ask for the job.
Tell the hiring manger you want the job. A sample close would be: Mr. Hiring Manager,
based on our discussions and my background, I know that I can perform this job better
than any other candidate and I know that I can exceed your expectations. I want this
position. When do I start? or where do we go from here? Use whatever words you feel
comfortable with, but tell the manager you want the job and you are ready to start. Dont
just leave the interviewer wondering if you are interested.
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BONUS -- Mistake #6
Failure to apply for the right position
Do an honest career talent inventory and apply to the jobs that your experience will
prove you can do the job. If you are trying to make a career change, then you really have
to know your talent inventory and you really have to show how those skills are
transferable to the new industry/job.
***EXTRA BONUS Material***

8 Quick refresher points
1. Dress for a job, not for a date. Unless you are interviewing for a modeling
agency, stick with the conservative look.
o Men: wear a dark suit, white shirt, power tie.
o Women: if your legs are showing wear panty hose and close-toed shoes.
o Men and women: avoid excessive jewelry, aromatic hand lotions and
excess perfume.
2. Be concise in your answers -- know when to stop talking.
3. Dont be afraid of silence. This is related to #2 above: silence can be used by
an interviewing manager to see if can talk yourself out of a job
4. Arrive on time, every time. Get there at least 15 minutes before the interview,
so youll have time to shift gears and get ready mentally.
5. Turn your cell phone off during the interview. In fact, youre best of leaving it
in the car. A ringing cell phone in an interview is like a big belch -- a potential
career killer.
6. Send an email thank-you note. Do this within 24 hours of your interview.
7. Place a follow-up call. Do this two days after sending your thank-you note.
8. Bring a notebook and take notes. Jotting down notes in the interview proves
you are ready and eager to start work.
Bring five copies of your resume, and other supplemental material to the interview.
Examples of what else you might bring: drivers license, college transcript, driving record
(if required), and a brag book (your accomplishments collected in a 3-ring binder) etc.
Learning how to interview and what to say in an interview

is the purpose of this Special Report.
Increasing your interviewing skills so you can get the job is
InterviewPrep.com
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About www.InterviewPrep.com
Founded in 2002, www.InterviewPrep.com was created to provide job seekers with the
online tools needed to improve their interviewing skills.
You can forward this report to your friends and colleagues, as long as you make
no changes to it. Thank you!
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Dont Blow Your Next Job Interview