There are certain sections of an interview that can either make or break you, depending on how you go about them. Employers lay out several traps during the interview to see how you react. You, as a job seeker, can lay traps yourself by not being prepared or not taking initiative to qualify yourself as a top job candidate afterwards. Since job seekers seem to fall for common interview traps all too often, we will go over some of the traps that are laid out before during and after an interview, and how to avoid them:
1. The “What do you know about our company?” Question: This question is a trap that can be avoided by studying a company’s website for an hour. Most companies just want you to give a brief overview of what they do, so don’t worry about remembering their mission statement verbatim. If you forget to study the company’s website, don’t fake an answer because the hiring manager will be able to tell.
2. The “What is you biggest weakness?” Question: Some like to answer this question by turning a positive to a negative, like “I work too hard.” Employers really want to see honesty in your answer. Pick an attribute that you feel that you could do better at and let them know how you plan to improve on that ability.
3. The “Do you have any questions?” Question: “No” should never be your response to this question. Employers want to know that you are interested in the position. Don’t be afraid to ask about salary, duties, or steps to take after the interview because questions pertaining to the job are better than silence on your end.
4. Waiting for a call bac:. Playing the waiting game after the interview is one trap that most job seekers fall for. Something as simple as a thank you card will make you more memorable to the hiring manager. When making a thank you letter, remember to bring up conversations that you had with them in order to stand out.
5. Cell Phones: This is a trap set by none other than you. Turn your cell phone off or silent. Never put your phone on “vibrate”.
6. Bringing your Resume: Some companies want you to bring two copies of your resume to an interview, even if you have submitted a resume online. This request is given simply to see if you can follow basic instructions. An interviewer will often ask for you to give them a copy of your resume at the beginning of an interview and not having it will give off a bad impression early.