The 3 Things Holding You Back in Your Interviews

Congratulations.

Your resume and cover letter did the job. You got your foot in the door. Now you need to get in the room.

It’s time to prepare for the interview.

80% (or more) of your job interview success depends on your preparation.

As the saying goes … if you fail to plan, you plan to fail.

Your day is won in the days or weeks before. You can clinch the job before you even introduce yourself.

So let’s assume you prepare for the interview like a fiend and show up on the day ready to play.

A few days later, you get a call or an email saying, “Sorry. We have decided to go in a different direction.”

Ouch … this can hurt, but don’t take it personally.

Let me ask you, do you know why you didn’t get the last job you interviewed for?

Unless you follow up with the company, thank them for giving you the opportunity, and ask them for feedback (we recommend everyone do this) then you likely have no idea what you did wrong.

Read the rest of this article, and you will know. We cover the mistakes that 95% of interviewees make—even the experienced ones.

We also show you how to remedy those mistakes. Reading (and putting into action) this guide will immediately propel you in the top 5% of job seekers.

Let’s get started.

Interview Mistake 1—It’s All About Me

This is the biggest error of all. Interviewees only talk about themselves.

They talk about how great they are: “I really want to work for this company”, “If you look at my track record…”, “I have experience in…”

I, I, me, me, and my …

Look, we get it, this is a job you are interviewing for. We all want a good job. We all want a good salary. We all want a job with great benefits. We all want a job that challenges us and gives us a chance to grow and contribute.

But here’s the harsh truth about the job world: nobody cares about you and what you want.

The hiring manager certainly doesn’t. More detail on what a hiring manager does care about in our Owning The Interview course.

Click Here to Access the First Module FREE

Fact: interviewers HATE hiring. They’re busy. They just want to get the interviews over with so they can get back to work.

So here’s how you flip the script: Ask yourself “What can I do for them?” Put yourself in the interviewer’s shoes. Emulate JFK and ask not what this company can do for you, but what you can do for this company.

NOBODY does this in an interview and that’s why so few people have the job of their dreams. Instead of just obsessing over your hopes, goals, and concerns, what about those of the company?

Present yourself as their solution, and you will have more job offers than you will know what to do with.

Interview Mistake 2—Imperfect Preparation

We all know we need to prepare for the interview. But most of us limit our preparation to ironing our clothes the night before and reading the ‘About Us’ page on the company website.

Lazy prep is evident in the questions you ask and the answers you provide on the day. As an example, asking uninspired, generic questions, such as:

“What’s the salary for this job?” or

“What do you do?”

Or even worse, asking NO QUESTIONS. All of those are big red flags for employers.

What about your answers? Have you ever answered questions using phrases like: “_I’m passionate about this role/industry_.” Or “My strengths are this, this and this.”

Can you spot the mistakes in those answers?

If you’re unsure, let me help you out:

1. Excessively focusing on yourself, instead of the opportunity.

Remember: this is not just about you, the interviewer is looking to fill a role. They want to find someone that will help them so they can get back to work. Make sure your responses (and questions) illustrate how you solve their problems.

2. Using overly generic and vague words / concepts.

Words such as passion, enthusiastic, determined, etc, can come across as generic and hallow. You need to take your language from the clouds to the street. From the abstract to the concrete. Instead of talking about nebulous personal qualities, give specific examples and numbers.

Use plain English rather than corporate speak.

3. Using lists instead of stories.

Nobody, especially hiring managers who want to get back to work, want to hear a list of your accomplishments (isn’t that what a resume is for anyway?). But you do need to show how your skills and accomplishments will solve their problems… so how do you do this?

Stories.

Humans are built to get hooked on a good story. Children beg to be told a story before bed. And adults are able to remember more of a story than a list of facts. In fact, before the written word was invented, information was passed along through stories around the campfire.

It’s hardwired into our DNA. So rather than telling explicitly, let your stories and anecdotes show how great you are.

You don’t have to be Shakespeare, just weave the points you’re trying to convey into an engaging story. And it shouldn’t be long—one to two minutes is generally best.

Interview Mistake 3—Poor Non-Verbal Cues

Recall the golden rule of interviewing: “Put yourself in the other person’s shoes.” In addition to evaluating your ability to solve their problems, an interviewer is also thinking: Can I work with this person?

Yes, it’s as simple as that.

It doesn’t matter if you have the world’s best resume and cover letter, you won’t get hired if you aren’t likable. Your future colleagues will be spending more time with you than their own families, so they need to at least tolerate you.

Likability is a hard thing to define or describe, it’s more of a feeling people get. This starts to makes a lot more sense when you know that 93% of all communication is non-verbal.

And while it’s impossible to give you a perfect playbook for how to act in every situation, here are a few fundamental specifics to be aware of:

Your tone of voice:

Be confident, not cocky. Don’t abuse business jargon—unless it’s relevant to that industry—and don’t make it all about you.

Your body language:

Remember, the company desperately wants you to be the friendly solution to their problems (probably more than you do). So relax. It’s an interview, not an interrogation. Be friendly, not stiff or adversarial. Create a dialogue with the hiring manager and put them at ease.

Eye Contact:

Use enough to show that you believe in yourself and can be assertive. But not too much it looks like you’re trying to start a staring contest.

Smile:

Don’t be afraid to smile, it brings warmth to the conversation and brings everyone at ease. Balance it with the professionalism the job requires, but don’t eliminate it from your menu of non-verbal cues.

Here’s a recap of what we’ve learned.

1. Focus on what you can give to the role, the team and the company, not just what you’re getting.
2. Employ stories in your responses to showcase your qualities and accomplishments. Avoid lists or bragging.
3. Utilize non-verbal cues to showcase your likability, which may be more important than even your resume or accomplishments.

Write these on a post-it note and stick it somewhere you’ll see it while preparing for your next interview.

If you really want to take your interview skills to the next level, check out the first module of our flagship course Owning The Interview.

You will get a sneak peek behind the curtain of the recruiting world where we share insider secrets and give you a glimpse into the mind of every interviewer.

Imagine having those insights.

For a limited time, we’re offering this preview of the program—totally FREE. No obligation. No payment details necessary.

Put yourself in the best position to land the job, no matter your level of experience.

Take the first step right now.