digg this | mixx! | reddit | del.icio.us | Newsvine | |  e-mail article |  print | post comments | NEWSLETTER ©DiversityInc. Reproduction in any format is absolutely prohibited.

This article originally appeared on DiversityInc.com on May 10, 2005

A job candidate who has years of experience, stellar qualifications and wears the right suit but still can't get past the first interview may be committing one or more of the following mistakes that executive recruiters and human-resources professionals say are definite deal-breakers:

• NOT BEING PREPARED: Although it may seem to be common sense, human-resource directors have encountered more than one candidate who arrives for an interview ill-prepared. "Sometimes when we interview candidates for senior-level positions, they fall short in a couple of areas," says Mary Beth DeNooyer, director, Diversity & Talent Development, The Pepsi Bottling Group (No. 14 on The DiversityInc Top 50 Companies for Diversity list). These shortcomings include: 1) prepared answers for common questions, but no substantive response to queries concerning their career and relevant key learnings and 2) not enough company information to ask insightful questions.

  "They ask about the company because they feel obligated to, but they are very perfunctory questions," says DeNooyer.

• FIBBING ABOUT A PAST FAUX PAS: In a recent Korn/Ferry International survey, almost 70 percent of the executive recruiters polled said the No. 1 piece of information job seekers fabricate is the reason they left a job. Uncomfortable about explaining the logistics of a layoff?

  "Rather than obfuscate or alter the reasons for leaving, it's always best to be straightforward about the situation," says Robert Damon, president, North American division of Korn/Ferry. It's said that downsizing and restructuring have lost their stigma and are becoming more generally accepted as a norm by employers. In any case, the truth has a way of coming out anyway.

• LACKING PASSION: A listless, lackluster presentation during an interview speaks louder than your words do. "Most people who apply for jobs meet the minimum requirements for the job, so how do you differentiate yourself from your competition?" asks Clay Osborne, human resources vice president at Bausch & Lomb, No. 33 on The DiversityInc Top 50 Companies for Diversity list.

  But you can't show honest-to-goodness excitement about something you could care less about. Go where your passion lies and apply for jobs where you can naturally express that passion, he advises. Do something you don't anticipate yourself tiring of. You've probably heard of the book Do What You Love, the Money Will Follow. The other upside of this philosophy is that loving what you do (or in this case, are interviewing to do) will keep you energized. You may even be able to pass on the morning java.

• NOT KNOWING HOW YOU ADD TO THE BOTTOM LINE: Can you grow or lead this organization? Then making a business case for what you think you'll be able to do is key during your interviewing process.

  "You're basically selling yourself and telling them what kind of contribution you will be able to make. Something that goes much beyond just answering the questions about what you did in the past," says Steve Pollock, founder of the online recruitment resource, WetFeet. Demonstrate this by applying your skills to the challenges the company may be facing. Perhaps this means offering a marketing technique in an area where your research shows the company has untapped potential. "Corporate executives [who are] interviewing someone for a senior position will be impressed that the candidate has gone through the effort to really understand the organization enough to come in and offer a suggestion about an opportunity," he adds.

• TALKING TOO MUCH: It's the most common mistake made during an interview. Perhaps it's awkward nervousness or overconfidence. Whatever the reason, be certain brevity goes a long way. "The strongest candidates effectively correlate their experience in a concise and compelling manner," says Caroline Nahas, a regional managing director of Korn/Ferry International.

digg this | mixx! | reddit | del.icio.us | Newsvine | |  e-mail article |  print | post comments | NEWSLETTER

Send Your Comments About This Article Now