We recently had a great candidate come to eQ for an interview. He came from a company friend who was actually an intern, and a great one too. One morning our intern sent me a note saying that her brother needed a job, and that she would LOVE for him to work at eQ because of the great experience she had. Fast forward 2 phone conversations and several email exchanges; we brought him in for an interview.
While we didn’t have anything at eQ that was imminent in terms of a position that he would fit, he was someone that we would keep “warm” and consider 1st should something arise – based on the great recommendation his sister gave us. After all, he was well spoken, presented himself as if he had 5 more years of experience than he actually had, and was entry-level, a blank canvas, which we love.
The interview went well, until our Talent Consultant asked, “Any big plans this weekend?” To which he answered, “Probably sit around my apartment and get high.”
WOW! Sit around your apartment and get high? Out of ALL the great things you could’ve said: take a long walk in the park becoming one with nature, reading a great business book, giving food to the homeless. You decided to pick the only one that will get you asked to leave?
We recognize that this is an anomaly, and that most people wouldn’t answer the question in this way. BUT, after interviewing thousands of people, we’ve seen it all, and have put together the top 7 things NEVER to say in an interview:
1. DO NOT hit on the person interviewing you. This should be a given, but you’d be surprised about how many people go there. It’s like an opportunity for them to see if you have a weak point, and to see if they can sway you for a job and a date. Ladies and gentlemen – don’t do it. It makes you look like a desperate idiot.
2. DO NOT bash your former or your current boss. Boss bashing (even the smallest of offenses) makes you look like a rookie, REGARDLESS of how big of a jerk your boss is/was.
3. DO NOT repeatedly say the name of the person that is interviewing you. I recently had an interview with a guy that made $350K per year and he kept saying, “Misti…you see….”, “Let me tell you, Misti.” It was distracting and actually a bit demeaning. I get it that maybe he was trying to connect, but his consistent use of my name actually distracted me from what he was saying.
4. DO NOT inflate your salary and paint a picture that you make more than you do. This will come back to bite you when the interviewer asks for your W2s, and you have to defend how you came up with your “number.”
5. DO NOT name drop. As an interviewer, there are very few things that I find more annoying than someone who name drops. Especially if they name drop people I don’t know. If you are best friends with Obama, Jay-Z, Prince William, or Dave Matthews, go ahead and name drop. Anyone else – just stop.
6. DO NOT say that you are interviewing “to see what’s out there.” Nothing communicates lackadaisical like someone who is just “practicing interviewing,” and not focused on what they want, or why they are taking up an hour of your time. If you are really just seeing what’s out there, you will be better off keeping it to yourself.
7. DO NOT use meaningless metaphors and phrases such as: “I see the writing on the wall.” Really? What writing? What wall? Is it a lazy way to say that you had an idea this was going to happen? Okay – then why didn’t you do anything about it? My other favorite is the default people go to when talking about compensation. I would estimate that 80% of candidates I’ve interviewed say, “I want to make six figures.” Awesome – now we are getting somewhere? You want to make $100,000 or $999,999? Could you be a little more specific please? OH – and why do you think you are deserving of $100K if that’s what you meant in the first place?
I get that these 7 things might come across harsh. The good news is that it will be less harsh to hear it now than losing the job of your dreams. Or worse yet – getting asked to leave.
Misti Aaronson is the Executive Vice President and a partner at entreQuest. She utilizes her talents and expertise from working with countless organizations to help businesses grow through expert talent acquisition, growth methodology and development of their teams.
