You'd think that by now you'd know what job interview answers not to give, but surprisingly I've heard that a lot of you are still out there making the same blunders you always have!
So, you may think that the following 5 job interview answers that you should NOT employ are common sense, but you really need to drill them into your head. I don't want to have to tell you again! (wink ;-)
1. Avoid job interview answers that are too honest. If an employer asks you about why you left a previous position or why you want to leave your current one, you need to proceed with caution. You need to avoid job interview answers that make you sound negative or that put you in a negative light. This means no harping on how your old boss was a man-whore that hit on anything with legs or rode you till your knees bled (hopefully not literally!) Even if you despise your boss or where you worked, you have to act like you're always positive in your answers unless your goal is scaring away potential employers!
2. Avoid getting too specific in job interview answers. Of course I'm not telling you to act like an airhead that can't keep their facts straight, but you should avoid citing specific people or events that took place where you last worked. It's ok to say things like "we used to do something along those lines," or "we had a similar procedure," in job interview answers but a lot of companies want you to be confidential about their specific practices and especially employees. Don't make your interviewer think that you have loose lips with your job interview answers.
3. Avoid negative statements in job interview answers- everything should be a positive. Of course this is common sense, but again, I don't think I can say it enough. Job interview answers need to be upbeat and positive, never negative or depressing. You should show that even when faced with struggles and adversity, you're able to remain, positive, upbeat and that you continue to do your best and work toward a common goal.
4. Avoid too much eye contact when answering questions. Preaching tons of eye contact is the norm when it comes to what to do when giving your best answers, and it's true that some eye contact can go a long way. If you don't look an interviewer in the eye when you give your job interview answers you might end up looking more like a nervous criminal than a job candidate. Looking them in the eye a little bit conveys interest, honesty and integrity... but doing it too much by blatantly staring just says you're kind of a weirdo.
5. Avoid too many hand gestures accompanying your job interview answers. Of course I don't expect that you're going to flip off your interviewer while you're trying to dazzle them with your answers... but I for one, like to talk with my hands. I'm not even aware of it most of the time but I've learned that I need to keep it under control, especially when I'm trying to come up with creative and original answers because sometimes my hands tend to take on a life of their own. The best job interview answers come from the heart, which means that sometimes I'm moving my hands around like a crazed umpire at a baseball game. You might just end up freaking out your interviewer though if you're doing this too much, so try to keep it under control!
Like I said, these tips to follow when you're trying to give answers are pretty obvious and any fool should know to avoid them... However, I've seen many that fail to! Make sure you keep these mishaps in mind so you don't screw up your next job interview answers.
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