Five Job Interview Mistakes I Read About and Then Made in 2010
Tuesday, January 18th, 2011 Tags: caffeine, employment, interviews, jobs
Category: Breaking In, Interviews, Job Hunt, Job Hunt, Tips n' Tricks, Unemployed No Comments 
In the whirlwind year of 2010, I set a personal record and went on five job interviews. Each of them resulted in rejection and a pint of Ben and Jerry’s. I could almost always pinpoint the reason why I knew they would not be asking me to start on Monday. The most baffling thing is that I’ve read about these mistakes before in other various job hunting articles. Why was I still making them? Trial and error, I suppose. Below are the five major job interview mistakes I was fully aware of and then made in 2010. Try your hardest not to make them, okay?
1) Being too nervous
I actually had one interviewer ask me, “Why are you so nervous?” I’m not sure why I such a bumbling moron that day, but after I heard that question, I knew I wasn’t going to be hearing from them. Perhaps it was the copious amount of caffeine I had drank that day (not recommended). Or perhaps it was just plain old-fashioned nerves that I let get the best of me. Regardless, I blew it harder than Louis Armstrong.
2) Being too calm.
I never thought being too calm could hurt me, but unless you’re applying to be a poker player, try to be a perkier version of yourself (I still wouldn’t recommend drinking a lot of caffeine). After one particular interview I felt like I hadn’t outwardly expressed enough enthusiasm for the job. Such a bummer since my insides were having a mini Mardi Gras celebration. Clearly the company thought I had potential to work for them based on my resume, but I think I came off as too apathetic towards the position.
3) Stressing one skill set area and neglecting the others
I got a call saying a show was looking for an Office PA. To say I was stoked beyond belief would be a gross understatement. I redid my resume to stress my office experience and during the interview it was all I talked about. I mean, they were looking for an Office PA right? I got the dreaded phone call the next day telling me they went with someone with “more production experience.” Talk about a kick in the throat. I have plenty of production experience, I just didn’t think to bring it up during the interview. Be sure to touch on all of your skills, not just the one(s) you think they want to hear about.
4) Relying on the interviewer to do all the talking
This sort of ties in with number three, but there was one interview where I barely said anything, let alone if I could do the job. I think this happened due to lack of preparation. I didn’t know what questions to ask and I didn’t sell myself nearly enough, if at all. A dumb move considering that’s what show biz is all about. I’m not saying talk until they know your great grandfather’s shoe size, but definitely try to leave an impression.
5) Not following through
I had been called in for a second interview, but after that meeting I never contacted them to ask if I was still in consideration. I didn’t put my “I am bothering them, oh my god I am bothering them” neurosis aside and pick up the phone. I didn’t even drop them a quick email. I might have also blown that interview by telling them I ultimately wanted to write for TV, but I still think I could have had a fighting chance had I followed through and proved I wanted the job.
Obviously it’s imperative to do well during a job interview, and the more “no’s” I hear, the louder this message becomes. The only job I did end up getting was one I didn’t have to interview for (imagine that). That fluke of a situation won’t be happening again any time soon. And since this town is about who you know, and I don’t know many people, I better work on my interview skills. Even if you know tons of people, that still usually just gets you an interview.
If you find yourself making these same mistakes, sounds like you better work on yours as well. If you have a job, hopefully this article made you chuckle a bit at my expense.
Here’s to a fruitful and gainfully employed 2011!
If you have any other job interview tips, please leave them in the comment section.
