CPACareerCoach.com

I hope that through these recent posts you are beginning to see and understand some of the more common interview mistakes that can lead to bad interviews . Many of these mistakes fly under the radar of the average job seeker as they do not even realize that what they are doing is actually hurting their chances and not helping.

If you have missed the first few fatal mistakes that lead to bad interviews then go here for a recap:

Fatal Mistake #10:  Providing too much information
Fatal Mistake #9:  Trying to answer a question that you do not know an answer for

Fatal Mistake #8:  Bad-mouthing Another Employer

In this article, we are going to discuss a little known mistake that most people miss. In fact, most people do not even realize they do this. When you understand how this has the potential to hurt you in an interview then you can avoid it from turning into a bad job interview.

Fatal Mistake #7: Answering a Question that was not Asked

You always want to let the interviewer lead the process. It is easy for some people to start dominating the process or taking control of the interview without even realizing it. I think that this can happen for two reasons:

1. Nerves get the best of us – Sometimes we go into an interview with all of this nervous energy. What we do is channel that energy in the wrong way. We start rambling or start trying to fill in the dead spaces of the conversation with too much side conversation. If you can learn to harness that energy in a good way then you will begin to benefit from your nerves. Nerves are not a bad thing. Nerves can create energy and excitement and help you from coming across as dull and boring.
At the same time, when you let nervousness get the best of you, then you start to do certain things like answering questions that were not asked. You have to remained focused in an interview and stay with the task at hand. Do not try to give 7 different answers to 1 basic question.

2. You are a natural leader – It boils inside some of us to just step and lead a conversation from the start. We may not be all that nervous but we do like to get to know people, converse and fit in. Those are great business qualities to have. A more important business quality is understanding your place in the room at any given meeting. Sometimes, you need to step up and lead and other times that could be the damaging thing to do. In an interview, you are the guest. You were not invited in to interview the other person or the company to find out if it is right for you. That happens later on.

Let me say that again:

Do not go to an interview and begin interviewing the other person.

You need to allow them to lead and you answer only the questions that are asked of you. Now, in almost any interview there comes a time when you can ask questions. As long as you ask the right questions, you can get your answers just fine. Lastly, answering a question that was not asked can come across as cocky and self-indulgent. Your goal is not to take every question and squeeze your top 10 life accomplishments in the question whether it was relevant or not. This can be a tough one as we can start down this path without even realizing it. Remember, you are the guest and keep your answers focused to the question. Avoid those bad job interviews!