Job Interview Myths
Posted April 15th, 2013
If you are interviewing for a job, you have most likely heard about the things you need to do, such as dressing properly, arriving on time, researching the company, and practicing your answers. And you have probably heard about things you should not do, such as criticizing a former employer. All good advice.
But along with the good advice, a good deal of misinformation also gets circulated, advice that doesn’t really have any evidence to support it.
Among this questionable information is the idea that there is a right or wrong answer to the questions asked. That is untrue. There are many ways to answer a question, and the interviewer is more likely paying attention to your reasoning and your knowledge, more to how you respond and react.
Another piece of misinformation is the idea that only those people with the most experience have a shot at the job. If that were true, there would be no point to interviewing – the hiring manager would just pick the most experienced person from the stack of resumes. While qualifications are important, hiring managers are also looking at a person’s skills, character traits, personality, and education. They’re also trying to determine if the person would be a good fit for the company.
Another falsehood that has crept into interviewing lore is that you should always accept food or drink if offered. Usually, the reverse is true – interviewers don’t want to spend their day getting up and down to get coffee for job applicants.
Another misapprehension is that applicants are always interviewed by trained recruiters. Often, interviewers are managers or co-workers, and they may not be as competent at interviewing as they could be. So it’s best to keep your answers to the point, using specific concrete examples, and avoiding boilerplate responses.
An additional mistaken belief is that you need to keep your answers short. Not true at all. Actually, interviewers like answers to be longer so they have more time to assess you as an applicant. You need to use the interview to your advantage by putting to use all of the background research you have done on the company. Analysts say that applicants should be doing most of the talking during interviews, about two-thirds of the time.
If you’re looking for work in Oakland, San Jose or San Francisco, contact the recruiters at Bayside Solutions. We have many temporary and even direct-hire opportunities with some of the Bay Area’s top employers. Contact us today.
