5 Interview Don’ts for New Job Seekers

By Jillian Owens
October 11, 2013

 

You’ve earned your degree…Time to land that career!

Several successful alums from the University of South Carolina were recently asked to take part in a mock interview/networking session for over 200 grads-to-be.  My successful friend Erin signed me up as well.  It sounded fun.  As the former manager of a few retail establishments, I used to interview and hire staff all the time.  As I’ve given up all hope of ever getting any new subordinates at my current day job, this seemed like a great opportunity to brush up on my skills as an interviewer, as well as check out what this new crop of post-grads has to offer.

I wasn’t sure what to expect.  I remember being a recent graduate and freaking out about getting a real job.  Was majoring in Theatre and English a mistake?  Why did my parents let me make such a terrible choice?  Was I going to end up living in a culvert whittling sticks while muttering to myself in tattered clothing? 

As luck would have it, I managed to land a job in the arts, and have worked in this field ever since.  But these students are entering a far less optimistic job market than I was.  Unemployment is high, and opportunities are few.  I feel for these sorry buggers.  As I spoke with student after student after student, I was surprised at some of the easily fixable gaffes they kept making — gaffes that could cost them their first post-college job. 

I want to set this new batch of job seekers up to succeed.  Maybe it’s because I’m a kind and noble person.  Maybe it’s because I hate seeing sad unemployed hipsters taking up valuable coffee shop table space that I would like to use to write articles like this one (seriously…you’ve been nursing that latte for an HOUR.).  

Here are the Top 5 mistakes I noticed and how to avoid them in your own job quest.

1.  Your handshake is pathetic.

I noticed this occurred more with females than males, which I find disheartening.  Your hand should feel like a hand…not a dead baby squid.  

It shouldn’t  feel like this.  This is bad.

Come on ladies!  Press the webbing between your thumb and index finger firmly into the thumb web of your new friend.  Shake 2-4 times.  Done.  Way to nail that first impression and seem confident and assertive!

2.  Your eye contact is creepy.

Eye contact is important.  It shows confidence, or at least that you’re paying attention.  But I frequently ended up engaged in a game of Deadly Death Stare.  My eyes watered in sympathy as I squirmed under their searing gazes.

 
No…You blink first!

There’s an easy fix to this.  Just look at the person in front of you like a normal human being.  Blink.  Please blink.  Look away for a half a second.  Think of how you would look at a young lady/gentleman who has struck your fancy that you want to impress.  Would you just stare her/him down?  No!  They’d think you were nuts.  Wooing a new employer works the same way.  

3.  You have absolutely NO real-world work experience.

I don’t understand how so many of these students have avoided having to work in an actual job…not an unpaid internship…not some position in student government…but a real honest-to-goodness soul-sucking low-paying job.  How do they live?  

 
Get a Job, you freeloading baby!

But more importantly, as an employer I have no real references to tell me what kind of a worker you are.  I don’t care what the job is.  You could have spent the last 6 months working in the kitchen of a sorority house (but you needn’t follow my career path).  At least that’s something.  No matter how menial, real work experience is extremely valuable and will give you an edge over your equally educated peers.

4.  Your Mom and Dad have done everything for you…and for some reason you tell me about it.

Don’t get me wrong.  It’s awesome that your folks have the cash to bankroll your education, pay your bills, set you up with your first job or internship, and are really excited for you to branch out on your own.  You’re one lucky ducky.  

 
Just a little Halloween costume inspiration

Don’t tell your would-be employer about any of this!  All this does is make them think of you as a codependent child, rather than the competent grownup you hopefully are.  If Daddy set you up with an impressive-looking position in his buddy’s law firm, don’t volunteer that information.  Let me believe you somehow finagled this on your own.  Don’t tell me your parents are eager to be done with paying your bills either.  All this does is remind your interviewer of how inexperienced and young you are.  Don’t let your advantages in life become disadvantages in your job search.

5.  You have a pre-rehearsed speech, rather than conversation skills.

This was one of the most common mistakes I noticed.  Lots of students were happy to tell me about their career aspirations with breakneck speed and with the tone of used car salesmen.  But this isn’t how a conversation works.  Yes, you should definitely have talking points prepared and outlined before an interview, but it’s not something you should memorize unless you can actually sound genuine while saying it.  Like I said, this is a conversation, not a State of the Union Address.  Just be yourself and actually talk to your interviewer.  Ask them questions, and don’t be afraid to talk about non-job related things as well if they come up.  For example:  I ended up talking to one guy about hummingbirds for a few minutes, because that’s how conversations work.  You don’t just want to come off as qualified.  You need to seem like someone your employer would actually want to work with five days out of the week.

I really hope this is helpful for all of you new job seekers out there.  Best of luck!
 

 

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