Bad Interview: How to Avoid Some Classic Interview Blunders

I ran across the site www.howtonailaninterview.com a few weeks ago and ended up watching every last one of their hilarious bad interview videos. After stalling productivity over here at the Brand-yourself.com headquarters for a good 10 minutes as we all watched one bad interview faux pas after another, I felt obliged to write a post about the site and what not to do in an interview.

First, a little background: this site started because a man named Steinar Skipsness was sitting around one day asking himself this question: “What is it that certain people say or do while interviewing that makes them stand out? Why do some people struggle to find work, while others land a job in no time?”

To answer this all important question Steinar decided to go undercover and experience the interview from the other side of the table. He bought a couple small cameras, made a quick stop at home depot, rented out an office for a few days and posted a fake job on Craigslist. He made a few hidden cameras, and presto, the trap was set and the bad interview blunders began piling up instantly.

28 interviews later and Steinar had more or less seen it all, learned a whole lot, and lucky for us, he caught the entire adventure on tape.

When you sit through that many bad interviews, you pick up a lot of good tips, so here are 10 great interview tips from the man himself (to see the rest of his videos and tips head over to the site, you wont be disappointed):

1. Know the company, and why you want to work there: Find out as much as you can about the company before the interview and the interviewer is bound to be impressed. “I like the companies location” was one answer Steinar received and I’m guessing that one usually doesn’t impress your potential employer all that much.

2. Bring a notepad: Taking notes shows your listening, the fact that you brought the notepad shows you’re prepared.

3. Profiles to private: I think the above video says plenty for this one.

4. Don’t badmouth a boss: Easy one to stumble into but not an easy hole to climb out of.

5. Don’t flirt with the interviewer: Unless your super good at it of course : )

6. Less is more: Some things just simply don’t need to be said, if you feel like you may be ranting, you probably are.

7. Have goals in mind.

8. Show some passion!

9. Ask Questions: Asking questions shows the interviewer that you have a strong interest in the job and that you have been thinking about the best way you can help their company.

10.Send a thank you note: Emails are too easy, sending a hand written thank you note is more than worth the extra 5 minutes and 50 cent card.

So there you have it, the lessons learned from 28 interviews and countless slip-ups. I think it would only be fitting to end this post with another bad interview video, so here it is, enjoy!

Evan Watson is an independent writer and the Chief Evangelist at Brand-yourself.com. At Brand-yourself.com Evan Watson combines his passion for writing, entrepreneurship, and making meaningful connections with new people.

Evan Watson is also a self-proclaimed adrenaline junky and enjoys kite-boarding, snowboarding, and wakeboarding. For Evan, family comes before anything else, and he attributes his success and growth almost entirely to being raised in an extremely eclectic, multi-cultural family.

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