Hooray, you've been invited to an interview!Surely, when you heard about this for the first time, you were overwhelmed with joy. However, slowly positive emotions begin to give way to anxiety, and the thought of how to behave at an interview does not leave your head. And you are right, because any experience and qualifications can be crossed out by improper behavior: no matter how valuable a specialist is, if he shows up to a meeting with an employer naked or drunk, he will not be hired. Of course, we are exaggerating, but in general the example is very illustrative: some applicants in terms of the stupidity and unforgivability of their actions are not far from the situation described above. So, how to behave correctly at an interview to get the job of your dreams?

List of common errors

Oddly enough, we will start with “bad advice”,namely, with examples of how not to behave. Statistics show that most job seekers tend to make the same mistakes in their behavior during an interview. And what is the best way to avoid them? It is right to know your enemy by sight. Most often, job seekers are given the “spitball” in cases where the following occurs:

Delay How many times have we told the world thatBeing late for an interview is a mortal sin for any job seeker, but no! Recruiters constantly complain that a potential employee was late or did not show up at all. But that's not the worst of it - some time after a "failed" interview, such job seekers start calling with an offer to reschedule the meeting or with questions about a "future" job. "Some people have enough nerve!" exclaims Irina, an HR manager at a large company. From a recruiter's point of view, being late for an interview literally "screams" about the applicant's shortcomings: lack of motivation, unreliability, irresponsibility, laziness, unprofessionalism and much more. In addition, do not forget about the importance of the first impression made by a potential employee on the person conducting the interview. What do you think it will be like if the employee is half an hour late? Something tells me that he will never see a position again.

Lack of culture I wonder if this trendis present in all countries, or are we forced to write about it in relation to Russia? Unfortunately, it is not uncommon for a person to come to an interview and start behaving rudely and boorishly. This is not always expressed directly, but such things as addressing someone as “you”, telling vulgar jokes, and threatening (yes, this happens!) are considered uncultured at an interview. Some applicants manage to come to an interview drunk and then sincerely do not understand why they were refused employment. After such stories, you feel sorry for some recruiters! Of course, such behavior is sometimes forgiven for applicants for the positions of laborers - especially when there is no one to work, and the vacancy needs to be filled urgently. However, if there are no such restrictions, then a person who drinks and swears will most likely not be hired even as a loader, fortunately now there are plenty of young students who are quite sane and at the same time ready to work.

Silly questions and carelessness This paragraphdeserves a separate place in the list. It happens that applicants show miracles of stupidity, shortsightedness and inattention. Most often this is manifested in curious questions and no less curious answers to them. For example, one girl who claims to be a secretary in a company selling office supplies asked her to leave her job half an hour before the time agreed in the interview, because she wanted to make time for home to watch her favorite TV series. She did not fail to inform the general director, who talked with her and, of course, she did not receive the post.

Accompaniment Another mistake in a long list“blunders” of job seekers. Some of them come to the interview accompanied by their mother, father, husband or friends. To say that this is discouraging is to say nothing. We will tell you a story: a girl came to get a job as a sales manager in an organization offering long-distance communication services. But she did not come alone, but with her husband. And this same husband immediately declared that he does not accept overtime, announced the salary amount he was interested in and inquired about the age of the boss. It took the recruiter twenty minutes to persuade him to go out the door and give the opportunity to talk to his wife alone. Both laughter and tears! Such situations periodically happen to yesterday's university graduates. It is not worth reminding that a serious company after such a show will not even continue the conversation with you, because such escorts clearly speak about the inadequacy of the applicant and his lack of independence. In addition, will he then also go to work holding his mother's hand?

The desire to appear cool and indifferentSo, from “recruiter fantasy” we move on to less obvious and therefore more dangerous mistakes of novice job seekers. One of them is feigned indifference and composure - this is when we try to look calm, businesslike and self-confident, but in the end we turn into “snow queens”. Remember, employers are not interested in such candidates! All this looks boring and unnatural, and if not, then it may seem that you don’t give a damn about the position offered to you. The person conducting the interview understands that excitement is a completely natural and understandable thing, but the lack of passion and inspiration can put him off.

Negative feedback about previous employers orclients Sometimes it may seem like a bad opinion of your former boss - especially if he or she was a competitor of the organization that is interviewing you now - is a smart move. But don't be fooled - in ninety-nine percent of cases, a negative reference to them will ruin all your efforts to please a potential employer. Firstly, it makes you look like a quarrelsome and conflict-prone person. Secondly, the employer is afraid that if your business relationship doesn't work out, you will also speak about him or her. And no one wants that. So he or she will probably prefer to ignore your candidacy and hire someone less vindictive.

A story about personal problems Sometimes it happens thatDuring an interview, the recruiter asks questions about your personal life: marital status, interests, plans. However, in this case, he has a very specific interest - to assess your overall success, the stability of your personal life, and he does not expect you to tell him about your whole background. For example, about how you argued with your boyfriend because he gave you the wrong flowers for your anniversary. He does not need this information at all, and after this, he will consider you an eccentric and narrow-minded person. There are situations when the interviewer really crosses the line and starts asking overly personal questions. In this case, behave with restraint and calmly ask why he needs such information - perhaps this is just another test of stress resistance. If such questions continue, you have the right not to answer them.

Inattention to the words of the interlocutor Of course,this is not such a blatant "blunder", as the delay or insult of the former boss. But many for many recruiters inattention is also the reason for refusal to the competitor. Agree, who will like the person who infinitely refines and replies what was discussed earlier? An inattentive worker is more likely to make mistakes and will not be able to communicate with people. Therefore, during the interview, it is worth concentrating on the person who conducts it, and not on what products should be bought for dinner.

Refusal to participate in testing of Applicants is veryare often scared by the prospect of possible testing: it seems to them that as a result of such events some of their secrets, mysteries and carefully hidden shortcomings will emerge. Some are so afraid of this that they completely refuse to fill out any surveys and methods. This is fundamentally wrong, since it creates the feeling that you are hiding something or simply sabotaging the recruiter's work. Of course, during testing, the interviewer may discover something that you did not say. But this is not the main goal! The main goal of testing is to provide the employer with objective information (which is what the test gives - they are also called "psyche meters"). And if you tried to be honest and objective in assessing your qualities, then the tests will not show anything "like that".

The Internet is full of template responsesvarious guides on the topic of “How to behave at an interview and get a top manager position without knowing anything.” Of course, we are exaggerating, but in most of these guides, all the recommendations are template and the same. Recruiters are already sick of people whose main drawback is “workaholism” and who see themselves in the management of a company in five years. This means that the person did not even try to talk about himself - he just stupidly repeated the advice he read on the Internet. Will he get the job? Most likely, no.

Frequently asked Questions

Everything is clear with the errors.But many questions remain open regarding the applicant's behavior at the interview: what to say, how to say it, when and what actions to accompany it with. Some people still do not understand what to tell about themselves and what should be kept silent. Let's try to figure it all out?

• “What speech rate should I choose?"When meeting with an employer, we often wonder how quickly we should talk about ourselves. It should be noted that there is no single answer to this question, and it very often depends on the temperament of the person conducting the interview, as well as on its format. But the most advantageous, as usual, is the "golden mean" option: take into account all the features of the situation and speak calmly, measuredly and to the point. Do not "chatter" like a machine gun or slowly chew your words - this can be perceived by the recruiter as a lack of self-presentation skills or even as inadequacy.
• “To lie or not to lie?"Of course, each of us was taught by our mothers from childhood that lying is very bad. However, as we grew up, we realized that sometimes telling the truth is even worse. For example, if you tell a story about a boorish boss when asked about leaving your previous job, this will not earn you bonus points. That is why, when answering some questions, it is better to embellish the reality a little. But you should not lie about your interests, plans for life, knowledge and skills - there is a high risk that the secret will become apparent.
• “How to behave during testing?"Many organizations now use testing as an objective method of assessing candidates for vacancies. How should you behave to get a job? As sincerely as possible. This is not a joke - many tests have so-called "lie scales" that are quite complex and sensitive to deception. And it is best not to try to understand what is behind this or that question, but to answer it calmly and honestly. If your qualities meet the employer's requirements - you will be hired, if not - no big deal, on the contrary, it is good that you did not waste time on a job that is not suitable for you.
• “How to highlight your strengths?"Tell about your achievements at your previous place of work: what projects you completed, what was your contribution to the common cause, etc. ... But this is not the most important thing. It is much more important to demonstrate your strengths in real time in front of the recruiter. For example, you declare that your strong quality is stress resistance, and suddenly a stressful situation arises during the interview. If you cry or get confused, the recruiter will decide that you exaggerated everything. But if you behave confidently and with dignity, find an unconventional way out of the situation - this will be the best demonstration of your advantages.
• “How to answer the question about disadvantages?” All applicants are asked about negative qualities, since it is clear that everyone has them. However, this is not a reason to tell the recruiter what a bad person you are or, on the contrary, to convince him that you are a superwoman. But you should also not say that your biggest flaw is an uncontrollable desire to work: it is hackneyed, and no one believes it anymore. We offer you the following technique: when talking about your minuses, mention your real, but not the most terrible qualities and tell how you manage to overcome them or turn them into pluses. For example, you can mention laziness and say that you fight it by planning. This will demonstrate an adult and mature position, adequate self-esteem, as well as the ability to work on yourself and achieve success.
• “How to manipulate a recruiter?"The Internet is full of guides on how to "adapt" to a recruiter and influence him using NLP or other methods. But using all these techniques, do not forget that the HR manager, for the most part, is a person with psychological training and is much more sensitive and experienced in matters of influencing people. Of course, you can polish your speech and manner of behavior, but trying to suggest something to him is probably not worth it.

Let's sum up the results

So, let's try to summarize all the information,given above. It is best to behave calmly and confidently at the interview, thinking about what you say and do. You should not hide your excitement, and if it is off the charts, you can honestly warn the recruiter about it and explain the reason. Try to find a happy medium between a fast and slow pace, and it is best to adapt to the interlocutor - of course, if you feel comfortable. Gesture moderately, because this adds liveliness to your words, but do not overdo it. When talking about yourself, emphasize those of your features that are interesting and beneficial to the employer. Be honest and do not lie - just try to emphasize the positive. Talk about your achievements - this is not bragging, but convincing the "client" - the employer to purchase the "product" - your services. Do not interrupt the recruiter - let him be the leader in conducting the interview (unless you want to demonstrate the opposite). Remember that the interview is your self-presentation. Everything is important: your appearance, your words, your actions and your manners. The employer will form an impression of you based on how you behave, and no excuses like “I’m different in real life” will work on him (people always trust their own eyes more than other people’s words). Therefore, approach the upcoming interview responsibly, but without fear - and its outcome will be a success for you! We recommend reading:

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