Dangerous Statements That Can Ruin Your Interview
Do you find yourself being rejected at job interviews all too often, even though you felt they went well? If your answer is yes, then you may just be ruining your chances of landing your dream job because of an innocent but stupid statement. Here are some statements that you should never say in an interview, even though they seem completely harmless at a glance. You can also better prepare yourself on what to say by reading interview questions online.
1. Any blatant lie
Any lie, no matter how insignificant it may be, is still a lie, and the golden rule of any interview is to never, ever lie. Most people are smart enough to tell the truth about their qualifications, work experience, and other important aspects. After all, these aspects are always confirmed as part of reference and background checks. However, many applicants indulge in small lies. For example, they round up their previous salary or change the dates of their previous positions.
Instead of lying blatantly, you should try to downplay any negatives in your resume and your weaknesses, and also highlight the positives. In other words, you should present yourself in a more positive manner without lying.
2. Sorry for coming late
For obvious reasons, you should never come late for an interview. This is a simple rule that everyone should follow. If you are late for an interview, it can be very difficult for you to recover from the bad impression you've made, even though you are technically perfect for the position. No matter what excuse you give, the recruiter will wonder if you can be trusted to perform well in a job when you cannot even make it on time for an interview.
3. I am a team player
This is an overused statement that usually does more harm than good. You may have been told to use the terms 'team player' and 'people person' during an interview, because almost everyone does the same thing. An interviewer will hear these terms several times a day, so they are just cliché and unimpressive. The ability to interact with people is expected from every job applicant, and from every human for that matter.
If you want to make a strong impression, talk about your strengths that are specific to the position. Instead of saying you are a team player, you should talk about your ability to motivate your team members and give an example as well.
4. I resigned from my previous job because of my boss
The story of the horrible boss is possibly the most overused way of justifying a resignation from previous positions. Unless you have a genuinely unique story related to a horrible manager, it is best to avoid using the story to explain why you left a previous job. Recruiters will definitely want to know the reason, so make sure that you give the real one.
In fact, you should avoid making any negative statements about your previous superiors, because the recruiters may think you are a complainer or an excuse maker. If you have to make a genuine complaint, make sure that you do so without any prejudice and in a neutral way.
- -- Posted by KH Gal on Mon, Apr 16, 2012, at 8:09 AM
- -- Posted by KentuckyTransplant on Mon, Apr 16, 2012, at 4:47 PM
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