Don't Talk Too Much

If you go on and on about yourself, you may not sell interviewers on hiring you. Learn to keep them involved

The gift of gab can be something of a curse during an interview. You could end up talking your way right out of the job. It's important to remember that interviewers are only human, and their attention tends to wane as you speak. Fully understanding this is critical to effectively communicating during any interview. Your response should be less than a minute and a half when an interviewer asks you to “tell me about yourself.” Why? You'll have that interviewer's attention for just about 90 seconds.

SIX MISTAKES

It's tough to avoid typical interview traps if you're unsure what they are. Here are a half dozen to watch out for.

1. Confusing an Interview with an Interrogation.

Most candidates expect to be interrogated. An interrogation occurs when one person asks all the questions and the other gives the answers. An interview is a business conversation in which both people ask and respond to questions.

2. Making a So-Called Weakness Seem Positive.

Interviewers frequently ask candidates, "What are your weaknesses?" Conventional interview wisdom dictates that you highlight a weakness like "I'm a perfectionist," and turn it into a positive. Interviewers are not impressed, because they've probably heard the same answer a hundred times. If you are asked this question, highlight a skill that you wish to improve upon and describe what you are doing to enhance your skill in this area. Interviewers don't care what your weaknesses are. They want to see how you handle the question and what your answer indicates about you.

3. Failing to Ask Questions.

Every interview concludes with the interviewer asking if you have any questions. The worst thing to say is that you have no questions. Having no questions prepared indicates you are not interested and not prepared. Interviewers are more impressed by the questions you ask than the selling points you try to make.

4. Researching the Company But Not Yourself.

Candidates intellectually prepare by researching the company. Most job seekers do not research themselves by taking inventory of their experience, knowledge and skills. Formulating a talent inventory prepares you to immediately respond to any question about your experience. You must be prepared to discuss any part of your background.

5. Leaving Your Cell Phone On.

We may live in a wired, always-available society, but a ringing cell phone is not appropriate for an interview. Turn it off before you enter the company.

6. Waiting for a Call.

Time is your enemy after the interview. After you send a thank-you email and note to every interviewer, follow up a couple of days later with either a question or additional information. Contact the person who can hire you -- not the HR department. HR is famous for not returning calls. Additional information can be details about your talents, a recent competitor's press release or industry trends. Your intention is to keep everyone's memory of you fresh.

The 4 P's of Interviewing

   1. Preparation.

   2. Practice.

   3. Personal presentation.

   4. Perceptive questions.

 Preparation

Candidates should have “looked at the Web site, read the company's brochure, talked to people who've worked there. That's kind of baseline homework.

Another thing is not really preparing for the interview itself. Applicants should sit down and think, what are they going to ask me when I'm in that interview?' With a little bit of asking around, you can find out things like, do they use behavior-based questions, do they use case-based questions, do they use a really unstructured conversational interview.”

Practice

Candidates can often anticipate the kinds of questions -– if not the exact questions -- they'll be asked during interviews, particularly if they've done their due diligence. Once you've determined the probable questions, it is advised practicing in front of someone.

They always talk about preparing yourself -- looking in the mirror and answering the question. It's much more difficult to give your answer to a live person and ask them what they thought of your answer than to look yourself in the mirror and do it.

Personal Presentation

Dressing appropriately is sometimes lost on recent graduates. At times young people will show up wearing a coat when a suit would really be more fitting. Or even if they do come with the right tie or suit, sometimes it's that they're not well-presented. They're wrinkled, or they're wearing white pants in January. It could be a lot of different things that are easy to fix, but it just doesn't help them when they're up against a lot of competition for a position.” Again, doing your homework should reveal the appropriate attire.

Be sure to cover all the standard points of interviewing etiquette as well. “Even the basics -- like a good handshake, not being nervous, smiling -- because they don't see the real you if you're uptight,” he says. “And basic eye contact; a lot of people put a lot of weight into eye contact. Maintaining that is really important.”

Perceptive Questions

It's profoundly disappointing in interviews to get to the end and say, “Do you have any questions I can answer for you?” and they say, “Nope, I think you answered them all,” and that's the end of it. It's just really disappointing and reflects negatively on the candidate.”

Ten Interview Fashion Blunders What Not to Wear to the Interview

Nowadays, if you were to ask 100 people their opinion about what to wear to an interview, the majority would answer: “Dress on the conservative side.” With that in mind, here are some suggestions on how to avoid fashion blunders.

Anna Wildermuth, an image consultant and incoming president of the Association of Image Consultants International, says, “Clothes should be a part of who you are and should not be noticed.” She cites 10 dressing faux pas to avoid when interview time comes around:

    * Wild Nail Polish -- for women or men. Extremely long or uncut nails are a real turnoff, too. Your nails should be groomed and neat.

    * Jewelry That Jangles: Don't wear more than two rings per hand or one earring per ear. No face jewelry or ankle bracelets allowed at the interview.

    * Open-Toed or Backless Shoes: And mules are a definite no-no. Out-of-date shoes should be thrown out or kept for other occasions.

    * Out-of-Date Suits with lapels that are too wide (three inches or more) or too narrow (one inch or less). A good tailor can alter lapels. The style for men's jackets is full-body and looser rather than fitted or tight.

    * Leather Jackets for Men or Women: Even leather blazers are not good for interviewing purposes. They look like outerwear.

    * Turtlenecks for Men: A tie is preferable, at least in the first go-around. At the very least, wear a collared shirt.

    * Red Briefcases: Briefcases, purses and shoes should all be conservative in color and in good condition.

Conservative colors in various shades of blue and gray are the best. Wearing black to the interview could be viewed as too serious. If you do wear black, make sure that there is another color near your face to soften the look. Brown is still considered questionable as a business color, and probably should be avoided. Change your outfit's look for a second interview by wearing a different color shirt, scarf or tie.

An interview is not the place to make a fashion statement, though those in the art fields and the very famous can be more adventurous. Everyone else should opt for a conservative look. “More and more companies are returning to traditional professional dress,” says Wildermuth.