But it’s not all bad – however poorly a job interview has gone, you can always be reassured by the fact that someone, somewhere, has done much, much worse than you ever have. Here are ten of the worst interview howlers that I’ve heard of, and ten pieces of interview advice that can help you to avoid the same mistakes.

10 – Who are you, and what am I doing?

After a telesales job interview that had gone well, the candidate surprised the panel by saying, offhand, “By the way, I don’t do cold calling.”

Interview tip: Do your research. Make sure you fully understand what the company does and what your job entails, otherwise you’re likely to make an obvious mistake.

9 – Job Train-ing

After an unsuccessful job interview, one candidate followed his interviewer to the train station. He spent the rest of the train journey pleading with her to give him the job.

Interview Tip: Enthusiasm is good, desperation is not. Accept it if you haven’t got the job – hassling your interviewer isn’t likely to get you anything except a restraining order.

8 – Fancy your chances?

One candidate concluded a job interview by asking the interviewer out on a date.

Interview Tip: No matter how well you think an interview has gone, this really isn’t a good idea. Make sure you end it professionally.

7 – Demonstrate your skills

When asked to give a practical demonstration of his abilities during a job interview, this candidate got out a deck of cards and proceeded to perform a series of magic tricks.

Interview tip: You don’t need interview advice to tell you that this is a bad idea. Remain professional at all times! Silly jokes, inappropriate clothes and strange behaviour are all guaranteed to put an interviewer off.

6 – Any questions?

At the end of a job interview, this candidate was told that she could ask one question and one question only. After thinking intently for a few minutes, she said “Are you going anywhere nice on your holidays this summer?”

Interview Tip: You know that you’ll be expected to ask questions at the end of a job interview, and there’s no excuse not to prepare a few. Keep your questions focused on the job and the company, and use it as an opportunity to further express your interest in both.

5 – “I’m sorry, what was your name again?”

During one job interview, a candidate complained at length about his previous boss. Unfortunately, he didn’t realize that the interviewer and his former employer were closely related, and even had the same last name.

Interview Tip: This man was particularly unlucky, but it just goes to show that it is never a good idea to badmouth your former employer.

4 – “So tell me, what is your biggest weakness?”

When pressed to answer this question, one candidate answered “My dishonesty.”

Interview Tip: This is a difficult question to answer. Responses like “I work too hard” are no good, and owning up to a severe character flaw might sink your application. Pick a weakness that is true but that won’t affect the job that you are going for. For example, being erratic at paperwork is a disaster for an admin role, but is only a minor drawback for a sales position.

3 – Mums the word!

Everyone knows that you have to switch your phone off during a job interview. But one candidate, after the first few questions, got his phone out and called his parents to let them know how well the interview was going.

Interview tip: Stay focused during an interview. Don’t get complacent if you think it is going well, and don’t be discouraged if you feel it is going badly.

2 – A picture is worth a thousand words…

One candidate was asked to draw a picture that best described him. He drew a clown with blood pouring from its eyes, ears and nose.

Interview Tip: Interviewers are looking for people who can both fill the role and work well with other people. Worrying personality traits can be just as off putting as a lack of experience or inadequate skills, so be on your best behaviour in the interview room.

1 – Murder, she said

No matter what unfortunate facts from your past happen to surface in a job interview, you can’t cause more alarm than this woman did. Alarmingly, in the middle of the interview she managed to imply that she’d murdered her husband.

Interview Tip: Think before you speak. Perhaps you think a strange remark or crude joke will make you memorable – you’d be right, but for precisely the wrong reasons. Job Interview Videos

* you have to make a good first impression

* always ask insightful job interview questions

* learn as much as you can about the company

* they’ll probably ask interview questions designed to trip you up

* have some quick answers to interview questions at the ready

Not bad, as far as rules go: some of them make perfect sense. But getting the job you want isn’t about following rules or giving the ‘right’ interview answer.

It’s about presenting yourself in the most authentic way that takes care of you and the interviewers at the same time.

So many people chuck their chances away: they don’t take enough care and interview preparation time so that the whole process is enjoyable, stimulating and informative for both parties.

Your First Opportunity: Getting The Interview

If you want the job, chances are so do about a million other eager people, so your application has to stand out from the crowd. British CVs are usually dull and boring, and people create them as historical documents, rather than as marketing tools. You can boost your chances of getting an interview by making your CV look and ’sound’ special.

Use good paper, design a personal logo, fiddle with the layout to make it easy on the eyes. Edit it ruthlessly. People always put in too much detail. Highlight the bits that relate to the job you’re going for. They don’t need to know you went to St Mary’s School when you were 12! Put ‘who you are now’ at the beginning of your CV, and leave education and qualifications for the end.

If you don’t have what you think are the right educational qualifications, don’t worry. Just leave them off. If you include enough interesting and intriguing material about who you are now, what you didn’t do is far less important.

I recommend a short paragraph at the beginning that says something about your personal qualities and your business skills. A short statement about what you’re seeking can also go down a treat.

As we know, a job for life is so rare nowadays, that eclectic, unusual and even inconsistent CVs are OK as long as they’re presented well.

Even if you think your current job stinks, look at the good points as though you were looking at it from the outside in. Most jobs appear much better from the outside than they do from the inside (only you know the real truth); so pump up the goodies and soft-pedal the baddies!

So that worked. You’ve got the Interview; now what?

Preparing For a Job Interview

Here’s the key and the most important thing to remember when preparing for interview

Before you go through the door, tell yourself that unless they are simply going through the motions because they’ve already appointed someone, they want it to be you.

They want to know their search is over, so for the length of the interview, the job is yours. You need to make the most of it.

Having said that, first impressions are incredibly important. Be yourself right from the start, turning up the volume on those bits of you that most match the job; turning down the volume on the bits that don’t. However, never ever shut the volume off entirely, as you will then be pretending to be someone you’re not – a sure recipe for disaster.

Not a good idea to lie! You can be judicious with the truth, but lies have a tendency to return and bite you in the bum! Even if they don’t know you’ve lied, you will be giving out signals that are a give-away that something is wrong.

Being put on the spot can feel very uncomfortable, and it’s easy to fall into a defensive posture. If you’re not sure of answering interview questions or feel boxed into a corner it’s all right to buy time – including saying ‘I need some time to think about that.’

No matter how nervous you are, you do need to look after the people interviewing you. Show that you know how to communicate and relate to people: ask surprising questions.

Have a stockpile of question to ask at interview and anecdotes of past triumphs (and even a few disasters, as long as their funny or humorous side is apparent). This is not just a list of what you can do, but some personal examples that paint the whole picture.

There are no right answers to job interview questioning. In fact a good interview question is one that allows you a chance to talk about yourself.

Job Interview Follow-up

At the end of your interview, if you haven’t been advised, ask when they think they’ll be making their decision. At least then you’ll know how long you’ll have to wait before you hear.

Many places don’t automatically let people know if they haven’t got the job; so one follow-up call is allowable. More than that and it can feel like badgering.

No matter how badly you think the interview went, if you want the job, always send a follow-up interview thank you letter. Since most of us think of clever things to say after the fact, include one or two of those, referring to something specific from the interview.

Use phrases such as:

‘I’ve given a lot of thought to our interview and…’

‘Something you mentioned got me thinking…’

‘What you said about _______ really struck home…’

If you don’t get the job and you’re curious why not, phone up and get some feedback. It may help you for the next interview.
Click here and find out how you can interview better than any one of your competing job applicants

First of all, you must define your objective: Once you’ve determined your labor-of-choice, compare that to your skill sets, and the skill sets required to perform the job you want to pursue – do you have those skills? The answer requires some self-evaluation. List and review an earnest inventory of your interests, talents and abilities, job experiences and preferred labors, determining therefrom the industries and areas of endeavor that you prefer to pursue. Be as vague or specific as you require. Use the results of those internal inquiries to organize a well defined job search campaign.

Once you have determined your goals, write an effective resume which addresses key aspects of the job/industry reflected in your goals. If your job search goals include more than one job title, create a separate focused resume for each title, highlighting qualifications to match the type of employment you want to perform. Show through the words and form of the resume content where you are headed in your career, what you can do within that work environment, what you have done – as you express your employment resume record. Strive to exhibit your resume content in a way that seems to satisfy the issues a prospective employer may address relative to the job in question. See things from the employer’s perspective — what qualities do they seek for the position? What skills do they require? What issues are they seeking to resolve in the job? Your resume should illustrate an answer to those questions and more.

Professional references become your next interest. A dream job will sometimes require you have earnest, reliable, professional references, thereby verifying your credentials and skills. In fact, I suggest serious job seekers collect written references prior to beginning their job search. Know what a person will say about you before they say it to a prospective employer. A standard professional reference on letterhead is usually a short, non-specific letter-of-introduction with a complimentary tone. Collect them now, so you have them later. As an alternative approach, consider creating a basic reference check document to collect and organize select references. Design the document to identify the date, names of the players, contact details, and to acknowledge it is a written reference to support you. By including each person’s contact information, it’s easy for a prospective employer to verify the validity and value of the reference, if they choose to make a direct contact. The reference sheet could also include questions relating to job titles, basic job duties, general employment dates, and more revealing open ended inquiries like: how well you did on your job?, how you treated others?, your strengths and weaknesses?, technical or administrative skills, and maybe a short area for final comments. Make it one sheet. One side. Keep things simple. When an individual agrees to use your reference form, instead of company letterhead, you focus them on topics important to your goals.

Now it’s time to create a distribution list for your new, highly defined resume(s) and written references. Use that list to start generating interest from select employers that move you towards your dream job goals. Make a list of preferred employers. Use internet search engines and job post web sites to identify job openings of the sort you prefer; also use regional and local newspapers, library directories, State and County employment offices, and other job post sources to find companies that offer the sort of employment you seek. Include all matching employers, even if it seems a preferred company is not hiring now, still include them. Gather names, addresses, titles, phone numbers, job details, etc. The list will help you reach out to draw attention to your skills and talents. Create a comprehensive list, put your favorite employers first. Research each key employer choice. Information gathered on preferred employer firms will help you later at a job interview, to show you are motivated and interested; and to help you determine who to contact at a given company to get the job process started.

If your job search is not confidential, as you organize your job search, strive to network with people you know from your industry of choice, like allied industry specialists, suppliers and vendors and such. Talk about business but inquire about job opportunities. And don’t limit your career networking only to industry contacts. Consider those in your community who may have a job lead to offer – maybe a teacher or neighbor, a cousin or other family member, people you may know from a club, church, association or other organization. Don’t impose on relationships, but consider your logical, reasonable choices.

Next, it’s time to begin to set up job interviews. Create a simple, clearly defined cover letter for your resume. Use it to introduce your immediate value to the company and intention to pursue employment with them, and the job you seek. But keep it simple. Make it clear you hope to set up a face-to-face job interview, or as a distant second choice, a phone discussion. Combine that with your resume. Distribute those two documents to your list of prospective employers. Use whatever means required to deliver your resume, including fax, email, postal service, by disc, etc. It’s okay to send a resume to more than one individual at a large organization. Follow up those resume sends with a phone call, no more than five business days after the resume distribution. Keep a hardcopy of your resume nearby for quick reference when unexpected phone inquiries arrive for details about your background.

The defining event in your job search is the job interview itself. Don’t leave the outcome to chance. Plan. Practice. Know what you are going to say at the interview. Don’t expect you will offer up the perfect answer to important interview questions unless you have anticipated the questions first and prepared for them. Research the questions and the answers. Be thorough. Write out your answers. Writing helps focus ideas. Practice your answers till they flow and are simply stated and make good sense. Use examples from your own employment experiences to illustrate concepts or skills. Have a friend or partner read your interview questions, and critique your answers to them. Don’t convince yourself you can do a great interview without performing the tasks suggested above. Don’t leave to chance the outcome of your dream job employment interviews. Prepare in advance.

After any job interview, send each person you met at the interview a follow up communications – a thank you. Like the resume distribution, the follow up message could be delivered by fax, email, a thank you card – just so you convey to the interviewer(s) your thanks for taking time to interview you. That message also gives you a forum to briefly tout the advantages of having you as an employee, and your continued interest in employment with their firm, and what you’d like to see happen as the next step of the process.

Follow the 8 guidelines above and you will improve your chances of landing your dream job. Don’t fudge on these job search tasks. Be thorough in your work. Challenge yourself to do your best. Your efforts will be expressed the first day you start work at your dream job.

GOOD LUCK IN YOUR JOB SEARCH