I’ve given lots of advice about what to do in interviews and now it’s time to take a look at some of the things that you should avoid doing in interviews.  These are the things that can inadvertently derail your entire interview and cost you the job….without you even realizing it.

Talking too much

For many Hiring Managers I know, including myself, this is pretty high on the list of candidate turn-offs.   As a general rule, you should talk no more than half the time.  Take your cues from what the people on the interview panel say and listen as much as you can.  Your answers to questions will be much better as a result.  One way to get the Hiring Manger to do more talking is to ask the questions you prepared in advance (you did come prepared with questions to ask, didn’t you?).

Here’s another true story.  I was once part of a four-person team interviewing a candidate for an IT  technical support position.  We scheduled 45 minutes for the interview and even mentioned that to the candidate up front.  It actually took over an hour and a half.  Every time we asked a question this candidate would talk for minutes at a time, soaring off onto side issues and meaningless detail.

It got to the point where we’d all silently groan and roll our eyes at each other because this person would not stop talking.  We had to end the interview without asking all our questions because we ran out of time.  Plus, we were simply worn out.  Needless to say, this candidate received no further consideration.

Talking negatively about past employers.  

That  old saying “If you can’t say anything nice, don’t say anything at all,” is particularly relevant during an interview.  If you trash talk previous employers, I’ll assume you’ll also bad mouth your current employer.  Therefore, I probably won’t want to become your current employer.

Having too much “attitude”

Negative or arrogant attitudes are surprisingly common in interviews.  I believe this is frequently the result of trying too hard to come across as being competent and knowledgeable.  One tip here is to not cross your arms during the interview, as this is frequently interpreted as being defensive or arrogant.   It’s best to simply keep your hands on the table in front of you, either crossed or not – your choice.  Avoid keeping your hands in your lap, as that can be interpreted as being meek or weak.

Remember: as a Hiring Manger, I’ll usually offer the job to the best qualified candidate that also comes across as likable.  If you come into the interview with an attitude, how well do you think I’ll like you?

Asking inappropriate questions

By this, I mean asking questions about salary, vacation, benefits, etc.  These are questions that should be asked only when it’s clear you’re going to be offered the job.  It shows bad taste to ask questions of this nature during initial interviews.  Your questions should all be about the specific position for which you’re interviewing.

Many so called “interview experts” recommend asking the interviewer to pose a problem they have and then talk about how you’d solve it.  The idea is that you can somehow “take control” of the interview.   As a Hiring Manager, I consider this tactic gimmicky and manipulative.  Plus, what if I pose a problem you can’t answer, or it’s an answer I don’t like?  You’ve now blown the interview.  This is a high risk tactic that I advise avoiding.

In my next post, I’ll talk very specifically about something every applicant needs to know: how to avoid coming across as a “jerk” in your interview.  Don’t miss it!