“I’m Organized” & Other Job Interview Blunders

I love helping people find jobs.

It’s one of my favorite things in the world and brings me a profound sense of gratification.

Through my company, overall interest in the job search, and Miami Talent Pipeline community initiative, I tend to come in contact with a lot of job openings and candidates.

I’ve kept a list over the past couple years of common job interview blunders I’ve witnessed, and today I’d like to share them with the world.  You would think the things on this list are common sense, but I’m sad to report they’re not.  Our school career counselors are probably crying in a corner somewhere.

1) State What You Want — You need to tell the interviewer you want the job.  Sounds obvious, right?  Not so fast.

Unlike your latest Tinder match, your job interviewer likely doesn’t have the telepathic ability to read between the lines of cryptic messages hinting at your true intentions.

If you want the job, tell them.  Tell them in the interview.  Tell them again in your follow-ups.  Don’t leave anything to chance.

2) “I’m Organized” — I get chest palpitations when someone refers to him or herself as “an organized person” during an interview.

Organization is a prerequisite of living as a functioning member of our 21st century society.  Telling an interviewer you’re organized does nothing to improve your candidacy, and in fact, it makes them instantly perceive you as someone who might not be worth their time.  This is a red flag.

3) Target Key Questions — Brain teasers and career goals aside, there are a few routine but key questions you should have rock-solid answers to.  These will come up in some form, and I’ve found 75% of people have lame answers.

• What are you good at?
  
• What are you bad at, or what do you not like doing?
  
• Why this organization in particular?

4) It’s Not All About You — Finding a company that allows you to sit on bouncy balls at your desk, drag your pet to the office, mainline single origin coffee from a tap, and pretend to work from home four times a month is great.  It is really really great.

By all means go find your purpose, and don’t settle for an organization that doesn’t embrace that.

But guess what?  No employer is going to hire you because of your dog.  They are going to hire you because of the skills you bring to THEM.

5) Regis Philbin Can’t Help — Remember that show Who Wants to Be a Millionaire with Regis Philbin?  Just before a tough question, the dramatic music would play as the lights spiraled down and Regis gazed into the camera trying to stay awake after 20 years of boring talk show appearances.

I’m afraid job interviews don’t work like that.

There are no lifelines, and you can’t phone a friend.  If you’re unable to answer a question, that’s fine.  But whatever you do, don’t lie about it — your interviewer will eventually find the truth through reference checks or your job performance.

At the end of the day, interviews are about confidence, personality fit, and the degree to which you as the interviewee can bring value to the organization.  There is no perfect recipe, but please do take these 5 tips to heart so you can avoid some of the embarrassing situations I’ve encountered.

May the odds be ever in your favor.

See you next Sunday at 8:30pm.  🙂