When In An Interview, Watch What You Say & How You Say It

Answering interview questions can be like playing the board game ‘Battleship’. One wrong move and “BANG” you’ve lost.

What you do say; what you don’t say; and how you say it, will all be critical. A Career Karma practitioner will follow these simple principles:

·?????? Don’t ever say “I think” – this portrays self-doubt. Be confident in what you say.

·?????? Don’t ever say “To be honest” – this potentially gives the impression that you haven’t been entirely honest in your answers up until this point. That is definitely not a good thing.

·?????? Don’t be negative about previous employers or bosses – Like a good politician always put a positive spin when speaking about previous employers and the experience that you gained with them. You don’t want the interviewer to worry that one day you may speak of them in the same vein; also, never forget how small this world can be. For all you know, the interviewer is a personal friend of the old boss who you’ve just been moaning about.

·?????? Don’t ask about pay or benefits early on – This may be information that you would like to know before deciding upon whether you even want the job if offered, but leave asking it until as late as possible in the process. In other words, leave it until after the employer has decided to offer you the job. If you ask too early you will simply look like you are just after “What’s in this for me?” Wait until the end of the interview, or if there is likely to be another interview after this leave it until then. The moral of the story is leave talking about you until as late as possible. Up until then, like being on a first date, this is all about them. Make them feel special and the focus of all of your attentions and rewards will follow.

·?????? Be humble – Don’t brag about your wonderful achievements and how your previous employers have been so lucky to have you. This just displays arrogance. Don’t downplay things either, just be modest and point out that you were just doing your job.

·?????? "We" is good, just not all the time - In a similar vein, absolutely give examples about how you have collaborated in a team, however too much use of the word "we" and they will wonder whether you were just a small cog in a wheel, whereas the project may have been your idea or led by you. If that was the case, make sure you mention it. Don't hide under your own bushel or you risk being beaten by others in this winner takes all game.

·?????? Don’t brown nose – It is one thing to tell a potential admirer how impressive their business is and how you are very keen to work for them, it’s quite another thing to be a blatant arse kisser. Avoid doing this. Even if it did pay off and you somehow got the job, they wouldn’t ever respect you which is a rather important ingredient to a successful and enjoyable employment with a company

·?????? Be passionate – You want this job don’t you? Well tell them and be rightly proud of what you have achieved in your career to date and how it will be of benefit to their company.

To find out more about interviewing and the rest of the career management process, don't forget to get a copy of the book, 'Career Karma - Maximising Your Career Potential'. It is available in both paperback and Kindle formats on Amazon, as well as in e-format on Apple iBooks. The smaller book, 'Resume Karma', is available to download via Amazon Kindle for just $1.

You can also view the Career Karma Hack video series here: https://lnkd.in/grph7GGe