CPACareerCoach.com

Are you making silly mistakes in the interview? There is nothing worse then having a bad interview and blowing your chances for a job you really want. It is true that we all learn from bad job interviews and grow from them.

At the same time, we should be striving to get better with each interview. The truth is you are a professional at what you do and probably have no desire to be a professional interviewee. I get that and understand it completely. That is why this blog is dedicated to the most straightforward talk when it comes to job searching. I will not leave anything out.

Not only that, but I am in the trenches everyday as a middle man between companies that want to hire and candidates who want the job. I have the unique benefit of seeing both sides of the aisle.
If you need to, take a moment and review the first two big interview mistakes that we have already discussed:

Fatal Mistake #10: Providing too much information

Fatal Mistake #9:  Trying to answer a question that you do not know an answer for

Today I want to discuss an important aspect of the interview that people take for granted. One of the biggest faults I see that happens to candidates is when they get too comfortable with the person that is interviewing them. Do not fall into this trap. Sure you want to be likable and show charisma but sometimes they are testing you in order to find out the real you.

Fatal Mistake #8: Bad-mouthing Another Employer

When candidates get too comfortable they can begin to do things in order "to be accepted." It is no different then when you were in junior high and you wanted desperately to fit in to a certain group.

So, you acted a certain way or said certain things that you "thought" they wanted to hear. Bashing another employer is a huge mistake. Even if that Hiring Manager is starting to egg it on you still need to stand your ground. It is important for you to remember that they do not really know you all that well yet. They could read you as a complainer, gossiper, or negative person all together if they see you bad-mouthing another employer. You need to fight off the urge and find a better way to present the facts.

Sure, you last company might not have treated employees correctly or they made them work too many hours without recognition. At the same time, the Hiring Manager is thinking that there are two sides to every story. They are asking this question: If I were to hire this person, would they bring the same division, negativity and poison into my department? They are looking for employees who up lift the team and speak words of encouragement. They want team members that are easily managed.

This is also especially true if you are working with recruiters. Sure they want the good, bad and ugly, but you want to let them know that you would not discuss this negativity on any future interviews that they might send you on.That will give them a sense of comfort about placing you in front of their clients. The next time you feel an urge to bad-mouth another employer I urge you to stop and do not do it. If you do not, you just might turn a terrific interview into a bad interview quickly.