You’ve figured out what you want to do. You’ve updated your resume and LinkedIn profile to support your case for adding value in the role you want to do. And you get an interview! Make sure it’s a success. Here are 4 things to avoid when interviewing.

One: Talking too much

I can tell you from experience in interviewing candidates that saying too much happens often. The interviewer asks a question, and the interviewee answers that question and 10 others that weren’t asked. Or, they ramble on around the question. Typically interviewers either have standard questions they ask, or have a list they choose from. When a candidate takes a lot of time with each question, it reduces the number of questions that can be asked because there’s only so much time for the interview.

Sometimes when people get nervous, they talk a lot. Other times they don’t know the answer to the question, but they don’t want to admit it, so they answer imprecisely and with a lot of words. Being prepared for your interview by having a concise statement in mind for every point on your resume will help. Practice. Practice with someone and ask if your answers are an appropriate length and get used to answering precisely and with enough words. Don’t let the pendulum swing to the other side – too few words.

Two: Talking too little

“Tell me about yourself” should elicit more than two sentences worth of content. If the interviewer has to work hard to pull information from you about previous positions, what you studied in school, successes you’ve had and how these impacted the organization you were with, they may give up and move on.

Similar to talking too much, have something to say for every point on your resume. If you are a person of few words, try writing out your responses. Then practice with someone until your responses are an appropriate length. You don’t have to tell anyone anything you are not comfortable with. But if you wrote something on your resume you should have a story to tell around it.

Three: Showing up late

Do whatever you need to do to show up on time. Visit the facility the day before or earlier in the day so you know where it is. Leave plenty of time to park if needed. Show up a little early to account for time you need to sign in.

Four: Dressing too casual

I know of a hiring manager that dismissed a candidate from consideration because they wore sneakers instead of dress shoes to the interview. Fair? Probably not. But why give people a reason to knock you out of contention? Dress nice, and in the interview, ask about the dress code. If the dress code is not something you’re comfortable with, at least you got some experience interviewing and you can decline any offers that come your way. Many times, the dress code is casual for employees, but interview candidates dress more formal. In my area dressing up for an interview is never frowned upon.

Summary

  • Find the right amount of words to articulate the points on your resume – not too many and not too few.
  • Practice interviewing with a friend (or better yet, a friend who has experience interviewing people)
  • Show up on time – do reconnaissance to get familiar with where you are going to make this happen
  • Dress nice
  • Good luck! You’re going to be great!