Fantastic Ways To Screw Up A Job Interview

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Back in my recruiting days, I once had a hiring manager say to me about people he interviewed for jobs: "If it's not 'yes,' it's 'no.'"

In other words, unless the candidate made a truly great impression during the interview, they probably weren't getting the job. And trust me, it's really, really easy to introduce doubt about a candidate into the process. Managers are always looking for reasons to say 'no' - because it's a lot easier than taking a risk on somebody who's less than perfect. It's not fair, but it's reality. Here are some fantastic ways I've personally seen interviewees sabotage their chances.

• Showing up late.
   

• Leaving your cell phone on – and it rings during the interview. Extra points for stopping the interview to answer it.
   

• Checking your phone's messages during the interview.
   

• Being visibly sick during the interview. Seriously, reschedule the interview; you won't impress anyone with your dedication, and you may gross them out by coughing on them.
   

• Sending "thank you" notes afterward to some interviewers and not others.
   

• Asking no questions during the interview. You'll appear bored.
   

• Asking stupid questions. Yes, there is such a thing as a stupid question. Especially dull, obviously improvised questions which clearly illustrate you didn't prepare.
   

• Bringing up salary before they do.
   

• Swearing. This isn't limited to the 7 words you can't say on television. If you wouldn't say it in front of your sweet, old grandmother, don't say it in the interview.
   

• Not dressing up for the interview. Business casual usually applies after you've gotten the job.
   

• Taking bathroom breaks during the interview. Repeatedly.
   

• Calling the interviewer "dude."
   

• Behaving nicely to the hiring manager, and rude to Human Resources.
   

• Giving varying answers to different interviewers asking the same interview question. Trust me, they'll compare notes.
   

• Having bad breath. It's a bad idea to eat a tuna fish sandwich with onions just before your meeting. Oh, and remember to use deodorant, too.
   

• Hitting on an interviewer.
   

• Lying. Probing questions can flesh out dishonest information pretty quickly.
   

• Badmouthing your current or former employer.

I'm sure I'm missing a few beauties. Feel free to send me your favorite examples – if I get enough, I'll include them in a future article!

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Scott Singer is the President and Founder of Insider Career Strategies Resume Writing & Career Coaching, a firm dedicated to guiding job seekers and companies through the job search and hiring process. Insider Career Strategies provides resume writing, LinkedIn profile development, and career coaching services, including a free resume review. You can email Scott Singer at scott.singer@insidercs.com, or via the website, www.insidercs.com.

The Dos and Don'ts of Post-Interview "Thank You" Notes

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It's a no-brainer to send "thank you" notes after a job interview – or at least it should be. This simple act of post-interview gratitude can propel your candidacy forward. Here are some guidelines you should follow when sending "thank you" notes:

•Be prompt. Send your notes no later than the morning after the interview. This will reinforce that the position for which you interviewed is front of mind and demonstrate your orientation toward action.

•Be brief. Short and sweet. Indicate your appreciation and interest, and perhaps reference a memorable aspect of the conversation, which will demonstrate that you were listening and engaged.

•Send it by email. It's true that a handwritten note on personal stationery demonstrates charm and care you'll never find in any email, but letters sent by post also take a long time to arrive and can easily get lost or ignored in the company mail room (I've witnessed this firsthand). If you'd like to send a note via traditional mail, do so in addition to an email; instead consider dropping the note off at the company's front desk without fanfare.

•Proofread the heck out of it. Typos and grammatical errors introduce or reinforce negative perceptions an interviewer might have about your communications skills.

•Don't forget anyone. Sending "thank you" notes to some interviewers and forgetting to send to others can get you knocked out of consideration, even after an outstanding interview. Here's why – the interview team will meet after the interview to discuss your candidacy and come to consensus about your qualifications, fit, and presentation; if it becomes clear that you sent notes only to certain individuals, others interviewers might feel marginalized. Send notes to everyone you meet or speak with – from the CEO, to the Corporate Recruiter, to the Administrative Assistant who scheduled your agenda. If you don't have someone's email address, ask the person who arranged your interview to provide it to you.

•Don't go overboard. A simple note will suffice. Resist the urge to drop off gifts such as cupcakes or candies. Such gestures, while potentially heartfelt, tend to be viewed by employers with skepticism, as an attempt to curry favor.

•Most importantly – remember to send it! Shockingly few job seekers even bother to send "thank you" notes. It's an easy way to make a positive impression. Why waste the opportunity?

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Scott Singer is the President and Founder of Insider Career Strategies Resume Writing & Career Coaching, a firm dedicated to guiding job seekers and companies through the job search and hiring process. Insider Career Strategies provides resume writing, LinkedIn profile development, and career coaching services, including a free resume review. You can email Scott Singer at scott.singer@insidercs.com, or via the website, www.insidercs.com.

How To Nail The Interview Question, "Tell Me About Yourself!"

"Wait, wait, I know this one!" / iStockphoto.com (Wavebreakmedia)

The interview question, "Tell me about yourself," is painful for so many reasons:

• It's vague, and wide open to interpretation.
• It's unclear what the interviewer wants to know about you. Are they interested in your work history? Or are they interested in knowing your golf score? Your inability to read the interviewer's mind can toss you out of the running.
• It is, quite frankly, a lazy question. It requires no imagination or planning on the part of the interviewer, and places the burden squarely on you to make of it what you can.

When I was a recruiter and I had to run into an interview with acandidate with little time to prepare, I asked this question, too. Sorry.

Regardless of how the interviewer asks this question, you should really be hearing the following question:

"Why should I hire you?"

The best strategy here is to toss out your best "elevator speech." In case you haven't heard the term, an elevator speech refers to a short sales pitch that can be delivered during a brief elevator ride with your intended target.

As an example, let's say you devised an incredible new chemical process for converting lead to gold, and you find yourself in an elevator ride with the president of a chemical company. The ride in the elevator might last two minutes, at most. How can you sell your idea to the president in that time?

You only get one chance to make a first impression, right? How can you open your interview as strongly as possible? You need to load your answer with your qualifications, and give the hiring managers reasons, to hire you.

Let's say you're a teacher interviewing for a tenure-track educator position at a school district. The conversation might look something like this:

Interviewer: So, tell me about yourself (yawns).

Job Hunter: I would be glad to. I am a highly skilled and experienced educator, with over ten years of experience in changing the lives of young students for the better. My teaching methods have been recognized as highly advanced, and I currently hold the latest state certifications. Over the last three years, my classes have consistently ranked in the top tier of standardized test scores. In addition, I have experience mentoring students in not just the classroom setting, but through my leadership in extracurricular activities such as coaching the soccer team and academic tutoring.

Interviewer: (Perking up) Very interesting! As you know, we have a teaching position available, but we also lost our last soccer coach last week.

Think about what makes you unique and exciting to a hiring manager. Then polish it into your own elevator speech. Then you'll be ready the next time an employer asks you to, "Tell me about yourself."

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Scott Singer is the President and Founder of Insider Career Strategies Resume Writing & Career Coaching, a firm dedicated to guiding job seekers and companies through the job search and hiring process. Insider Career Strategies provides resume writing, LinkedIn profile development, and career coaching services, including a free resume review. You can email Scott Singer at scott.singer@insidercs.com, or via the website, www.insidercs.com.