The Ten Greatest Mistakes Made in Job Interviews

This segment is brought to you by the "I pretend to know what I'm talking about" section of this blog. And to be clear, I did not make this list up, simply think it is helpful and wanted to share with the masses. So without further adieu, here we have the The Ten Greatest Mistakes Made in Job Interviews:

-Going after large organizations only (such as Fortune 500)

-Hunting all by yourself for places to visit, using ads and resumes

-Doing no homework on an organization before going there

-Allowing the Personnel Department (or Human Resources) to interview you- their primary function is to screen you OUT

- Setting no time limit when you make the appointment with an organization

- Letting your resume be used as the agenda for the job interview

-Talking primarily about yourself, and what benefit the job will be for you

-When answering a question of theirs, talking anywhere from two to fifteen minutes at a time

-Basically approaching them as if you were a job beggar, hoping they will offer you a job, however humble

-Not sending a thank-you note right after the interview


While some may consider these mistakes "common sense" I bet many people fall victim to these practices every day, such as relying too heavily on a resume. Seriously, do you want to hire this piece of paper, or would you like an actual human to perform the everyday tasks of the job? And please don't blast out resumes. Employers get thousands of resumes all the time, and I guarantee do not read a quarter of them. That leaves the schlep who sent the resume feeling rejected and loses self-esteem, when the fact is they just chose the wrong method of communication. If you must email a resume, follow up with a copy via snail mail and a phone call. And by all means find out EXACTLY who you are sending the resume to. As in exactly what person is responsible for hiring you.

As I said, I hope these tips will help people out there, but more importantly by writing these things down I am hoping they will sink into my brain, and will soon begin to practice what I preach...or should I say blog!