The Ten Greatest Mistakes Made in Job Interviews

Whereby Your Chances of Finding a Job Are Greatly Reduced

  1. Going after large corporations only (such as the Fortune 500)
  2. Hunting all by yourself for places to visit, using ads and resumes.
  3. Doing no homework on an organization before going there.
  4. Allowing the Personnel Department (or Human Resources) to interview you - their primary function is to screen you out.
  5. Setting no time limit when you make the appointment with an organization.
  6. Letting your resume be used as the agenda for the job interview.
  7. Talking primarily about yourself, and what benefit the job will be for you.
  8. When answering a question of theirs, talking anywhere from 2 to 15 minutes, at a time.
  9. Basically approaching them as if you were a job-beggar, hoping they will offer you a job, however humble.
  10. Not sending a thank-you note right after the interview.
  

The Ten Commandments For Job Interviews

Whereby Your Chances of Finding a Job Are Vastly Increased

  1. Go after small organizations with twenty or fewer employees, since they create 2/3 of all new jobs.
  2. Hunt for interviews using the aid of friends and acquaintances, because a job-hunt requires eighty pairs of eyes and ears.
  3. Do thorough homework on an organization before going there, using Informational Interviews plus the library.
  4. At any organization, identify who has the power to hire you there, for the position you want, and use your friends and acquaintances' contacts, to get in to see that person.
  5. Ask for just 20 minutes of their time, when asking for the appointment; and keep to your word.
  6. Go to the interview with your own agenda, your own questions and curiosities about whether or not this job fits you.
  7. Talk about yourself only if what you say offers some benefit to that organization, and their 'problems.'
  8. When answering a question of theirs, talk only between 20 seconds and 2 minutes, at any one time.
  9. Basically approach them as if you were a resource person, able to produce better work for that organization than any predecessor.
  10. Always write a thank-you note the same evening of the interview, and mail it at the latest by the next morning.



From What Color is Your Parachute? by Richard Nelson Bolles