I’ve recently had a unique
opportunity to help out with recruitment and conduct behavioural interviews
with potential candidates for a job opportunity at the company I work for. This
was my first ever experience “on the other side”, since just two years ago I
was the one applying for the same position.
What struck me the most was how
important the non-verbal communication signals that candidates send are when
making final decisions. The good news is that most of these “common mishaps”
can be eliminated with some self-awareness and could significantly improve your
interview scores.
Here are top 10 common mistakes
that unsuccessful candidates made:
1) Confidence or Cockiness? This is a very
fine line. The best candidates are ones that have solid accomplishments but
don’t over-exaggerate by repeatedly stating how awesome they are. Body language
plays a role here - leaning back in the chair, with your legs crossed and
looking way too relaxed can send off negative signals.
2) Tone of voice – usually we hear people
advise you to speak louder and clearer but I’ve noticed that variation in tone is key. We’ve had
candidates that answered questions in theatre stage voices...we can surely hear
them, but so could the interviewees next door.
3) Eye contact – if there are multiple
interviewers in the room, give each one a fair amount of eye contact instead of
looking down or just only directing your answers at one person. The other
interviewer wants to feel special too!
4) Open body language – sit up straight.
Also, if you rest your hands on the table where the interviewer can see them it
will help you look warmer and relatable.
5) Read the interviewer(s). Do they look
bored?..if so, try to sound more animated and start wrapping up the super-duper-important-and-informative
autobiographical novel you are trying to share in one breath.
6) Be self-aware of your composure beyond
the interview room since other company employees might still see and hear you
in the hallways.
7) Bringing up too much personal life- It’s
ok if you would like to share a life changing situation that’s related to the
question, but don’t get too personal and cross the “too much information”
boundary.
8) Answers with too many fluffy words but no
substance- Be specific. Use the STAR method (Situation, Task, Action, Result) when you provide examples. Try
to quantify your results when possible. For example, saying “I was involved in
charity X and raised $10,000” is better than “I enriched the community through
my work in charity X”.
9) If you have a blog or website- only
post the link of it on your application if you would want the employer to look
at it and you think it will help you get the job.
10) Honesty – I’m not going to say that we
can pick up a fib every single time, but we can certainly notice it when you
keep changing your answer with the follow up questions we ask. Just be honest
straight up. Dishonesty won’t get you a call back.
Another favourite
thing that I’d love to share is a TED talk: “Your Body Language Shapes WhoYou Are” which explains how certain body language poses can help you build confidence
before an interview.
Remember, nothing beats coming prepared, and practice, practice, practice...that’s what friends ...(and Google!) are for.
Happy D-coding,
Darya
Credits to: Tegan, Vicky and
Naryan for adding their experiences to my growing collection of interview
anecdotes.
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