Cold Calls

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Interview Myths
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Interview MythsThe following information was
obtained from Haldanes Best Answers to Tough
Interview Questions

• Some of the advice each one of has received about
  the job interview over our lifetime may be
  somewhat out of date or unrealistic. Lets look
  at several commonly held job interview myths and
  realities to get a better understanding of what
  works best.

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Myth 1

• Myth Every interview in my job search will be
  a job interview.
• Reality Some of the most fruitful interviews
  you engage in are informational
  interviews. These are interviews which
  you set up and conduct to gain
  information, advice, referrals and to be
  favorably remembered. Informational
  interviews often lead to job interviews and
  provide invaluable information for your later
  job interviews--including the process of
  negotiating your salary.

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Myth 2

• Myth For the employer, the purpose of the
  interview is to determine if you are qualified
  for the job.
• Reality The employer has already determined that
  you are qualified for the job before he or she
  invites you to the interview. The primary
  purpose of the interview is to determine
  whether or not you will fit into the
  organization- -your personality and likability.
  The employer will be looking for chemistry. In
  the end, the employer wants to hire someone
  who is both qualified and likeable.

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Myth 3

• Myth My goal in a job interview is to get the
  job.
• Reality Your goal is to both give and elicit
  information-- especially if this is your first
  interview with this employer--and get a second
  interview! You want to impress the interviewer
  favorably so that you will remain a candidate
  and be called back for another of what will
  probably be a series of interviews, and you
  also want to get information as to what the
  employer needs. That will both help you
  present your accomplishments so that they
  demonstrate your fit for the particular
  position and help you determine if this is a
  job you likely will accept if it is offered.

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Myth 4

• Myth I have always been able to talk my way
  through anything. Ill just go into the
  interview and dazzle the interviewer with my
  verbosity.
• Reality You may fill silence, but verbosity will
  most likely come out as a stream of
  consciousness without focus. You need to be
  highly focused in the interview--both with your
  responses to questions and the targeted
  questions you ask. Preparation is a necessity
  even for those comfortable with their
  conversational abilities.

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Myth 5

• Myth I should do most of the talking in the
  interview because they want to know more about
  me.
• Reality You need to talk, but you also need to
  ask questions of the interviewer(s) and listen
  to the answers. The questions you ask will
  provide you with information you need to
  determine whether this job is right for you.
  Your questions will also impress the
  interviewer if they are questions geared to
  determining more depth about the position and
  the qualities needed to excel on the job. Your
  talk should be focused. Avoid long rambling
  responses.

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Myth 6

• Myth If there is something about me that may
  be perceived as negative, such as that I was
  fired from a job, I should fully explain the
  situation if asked about it.
• Reality Be honest in a way that reflects
  positively on you. Address the situation in a
  way that shows you have taken something
  positive from the experience--turned it into
  an opportunity. Keep your comments focused and
  brief. Dont dwell on what happened. This is a
  situation where most people talk too much. And
  dont disparage your former boss or company.

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Myth 7

• Myth If I am asked a clearly illegal question
  I should set the interviewer straight so he or
  she wont do it again.
• Reality It may make you feel good for the
  moment, but it will rarely, if ever, get you
  the job. You might turn it around and
  politely indicate that it is a question you
  have never been asked before and you are
  curious as to why it is important to the job
  under consideration. But in most cases, if you
  still want an opportunity and the job, you will
  frame a positive response.

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Myth 8

• Myth If I am asked about my salary
  expectations, Ill give a high figure. That
  way they will assume I am worth a lot.
• Reality Try to avoid discussion of salary until
  there is a job offer on the table. Even then,
  try to get the interviewer to state a figure
  first. If you are in a situation where you are
  forced to respond, state a range based on
  salary comparable for the position which you
  gathered in preparation for the interview. The
  low figure of the salary range should not be
  lower than the lowest figure you are willing to
  accept.

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Myth 9

• Myth I certainly dont want the employer to
  think I am desperate for a job, so I will be
  as low-key as possible.
• Reality No, you do not want to appear desperate
  for just any job. But you do want to appear
  interested and enthusiastic about this job.
  Employers favor dynamic and energetic people
  who indicate genuine interest and enthusiasm
  with their work.

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Myth 10

• Myth It is impossible to be too confident in
  a job interview.
• Reality It is called being cocky, and unless one
  of the job qualifications is being obnoxious,
  it will not advance your candidacy. You want
  to appear self-assured and confident of your
  ability to do the job. You do not want to
  appear cocky.