September 21, 2018
Newsletter Article
Honesty is best, but you may want to watch how open you are during a job interview. Here are some key things you should never say in an interview.
Being honest in your business and personal dealings is always recommended, but you may wish to reconsider being too open during a job interview.
Firstly, while being interviewed if you state any negatives, these will be the things that remain in the interviewer’s mind long after you leave the room.
The best way to cover this topic is to list some of the things that you should never share or say at interview:
- Anything about religion, politics, or any strong views. You don’t want to offend your interviewer.
- How you are actually feeling right now - nervous, tired, stressed etc.
- Don’t complain about anything, the traffic, the number of stairs, the heat etc.
- Any medical information about yourself unless you’ll need disability assistance to carry out the role.
- Your personal circumstances, e.g. your messy divorce, how hard it has been to secure work or your struggle to make ends meet.
- Disparaging comments about your former employer, supervisor or co-workers. It’s not worth the 5 minutes, of satisfaction you’ll get, plus you never know your interviewer could be their best mate.
- Sharing your real weaknesses, although 9 times out of 10 you’ll be asked about them. When sharing weaknesses state they were in the past and demonstrate the way you have learned to overcome them.
- “No, I don’t have any questions for you”. You MUST have prepared questions and if they have already been answered, ask your interviewer to elaborate on some aspect of the role.
- What will I be earning? This may signal your key motivation is money and this will be covered should you be offered the role or by the employer raising it themselves.
- Don’t drop any names “I did babysitting for the CEO’s children”.
- Personal requests such as a change to the working hours stated, extra leave; asking details of their maternity leave arrangements and if you can work from home.
All of this might appear to be common sense, but having carried out many interviews, I’ve experienced all of the above from candidates, many times.
In regard to discrimination, you don’t need to mention your age, your marital status or religion. Believe it or not, there are still bosses who believe you can’t carry out a role effectively if you have small children.
Being aware of what you say at interview means you’ll have a better chance of securing your new role.
