By Dilip Saraf

Job interviews can often be dreaded events that most candidates do not know how to prepare for. Depending on the job, its level, and the industry in which you have your career such interviews can range from highly technical to a casual “let’s meet and greet” event.

This blog is about some of the more commonly ignored interview pitfalls that job seekers confront. These go beyond the boringly banal: Tell me about yourself, what are your strengths and weaknesses, or even where do you want to be five years from now.

The list below came from the debriefing with my clients, who had recently interviewed at companies that included Google, eBay, New York Life, some late-stage start-ups in the Silicon Valley, and companies in different verticals, including those in finance and payment systems. About 60% of the open positions were technical (software development, chip design, positioning systems, etc.) at various levels and remaining were in accounting, sales, marketing, and administrative areas. So, this is a broad cross-section of interview experiences that captures some of the interview encounters that need careful attention to how you prepare yourself for an interview and how you ace it.

1. Dialog early: Just because you have read the job description does not allow you to assume that the interviewer is screening your fit for that exact job. There is often a disconnect between what HR posts as an opening and what a hiring manager is really looking for. So, after digesting the job description ask early in the interview process some insightful questions about what the job is (especially focusing on the key pain points the interviewer is willing to talk about). Once you enter into this dialog, and if you do this early in the process, you are likely to get synched up with the real job as the hiring manager envisions it, and this alone can give you an edge over those who just go by what they read in the job description, bragging about their résumé accomplishments, and by subjecting themselves to an interrogation.
2. Show vulnerability: No one likes a smartass, or someone who is always right about their point of view. So, when you get a chance to showcase your follies or missteps from your past bring them up in a light-hearted way and show what you learned from them to avoid such traps in the future.
3. Restrain yourself: Some interview questions can be quite dumb or at least you may perceive them to be. So, curb your condescension and seek clarity on what was asked. If the interviewer then makes an even bigger fool of themselves respond in kind (that may be difficult) or pivot the question so that your answer seems appropriate. Manage your physical vocabulary (body language) as you are navigating through this difficulty.
4. Be honest: This comes up often during technical interviews where interviewers can ask some highly technical questions to fathom your depth of expertise in a particular area (often happens during software coding interviews, especially at Google). If the same or similar question has been asked before admit readily and say, Jim from DevOps asked me the same question earlier and I responded to it, but now I have yet another response to that question, since I have thought more about how I responded to Jim. Then go ahead and provide your new response. Such honesty can go a long way, especially if the interviewer calls you on this and then you have to eat crow.
5. Do diligence: In the case of one senior professional (VP level, technical) his hiring manager saw him for about 45 minutes then routed him to another colleague of his and before he left the site the hiring manager told this client to expect an offer that day. There were no in-depth discussions about what their needs were, pain points, or even what my client was being really hired for. When the offer came that day, at the risk of deflating my client’s ego, I asked him to dig further into the job and at least request a meeting with some more senior executives, including the head of that functional area. My client soon found out that the hiring manager was reaching the end of the company’s patience in how he had managed the new area for which he was hired about 10 months back and was trying to buy time by introducing a new variable (my client) into the fog. I asked my client to decline that offer.
6. Salary talk: There is an appropriate time to discuss compensation during the interview process. The first time this can happen is when a recruiter is phone screening you and the next is when they are ready to make you an offer. Sometimes nosy interviewers will display their anxiety early in the process to calibrate themselves against you in how you would be compensated. So, remember two rules when this happens: Tell the interviewer that it is premature to discuss salary as you have not fully explored what the job is, and how you would be providing value in your role; and secondly, mention that you have already discussed this with the recruiter on the phone.
   Similarly, if someone offers you a job with the salary immediately after the interview is complete, do not feel compelled to give your answer right there and then, especially if they insist on it. Ask for some time to get back.
7. How did I do: No matter how badly the interview went never ask this question of any interviewer. If the interview was marginally bad then asking this question highlights your diffidence and may end up being the tipping point not to hire you. So, the best way to see how the interview went is to say, I enjoyed this discussion and knowing more about what you are looking for. What timeline are you working to for filling this position? If the answer is, Well you are one of the early candidates and we have others to see before we decide, you can be sure that you are not their prized candidate. If, on the other hand, the response is, We really liked what we heard, so we need to bring you back to see some others and soon, then you can be more sure that the interview went well!
8. Teaming: Most whip-smart candidates are anxious to impress their interviewers how they alone can move mountains. Although you may believe this for yourself, but what matters in an organization is how you are able to team-up and get things done, despite your smarts. So, if you are “handicapped” with a brilliant mind, pepper your conversations with how you were able to team with varied stakeholders and get things done.
9. Mindfulness: This has to do with being in the moment and being aware of what you have to do the win the situation. If you fumbled a past response do not brood over that and keep your mind in the present moment. This requires self- awareness, resilience, and self-confidence. Remember, being right is not what is required in an interview, doing the right thing is.
10. Right questions: Learn how to ask questions the right way to get the response you can use in advancing your candidacy. Two questions may sound the same, but can elicit different responses. Here is an example: So, what do you do? OR I’m interested in knowing what you do and how you do it? The former may result in just a person’s job title (“I am a software engineer”), the latter may result in the person’s life story (“There was a life-changing event that helped me decide how software xxxxx”). The latter can give you a window into the interviewer’s life for a better personal connection (Chemistry, see below).

Despite doing well on the technical front you can still come out short in how you are rated as a candidate to hire (remember the three Cs: Chemistry, Compatibility, and Competency). So, be mindful of these traps and manage your interview process with this fore knowledge.

Good luck!