7 Interview Do's and Don'ts

ORLANDO, Fla. (Ivanhoe Newswire) --An impressive resume, a ton of experience. You look amazing on paper, but do you have the interview skills to get your dream job? We’ll show you the mistakes one woman makes, and find out what you can do to avoid them.

“It can happen within the first 30 seconds,” Brandi Britton, a hiring manager told Ivanhoe.

Brandi Britton has interviewed thousands of employees. She says a few seconds is all it takes for job-seekers to seal their own fate.  From inappropriate attire, to being unprepared.

“The interview’s over, your chance of getting that job opportunity has ended,” Britton said.

According to recent research, women can’t afford to miss those opportunities.  From June 2009 to May 2011, women lost about 220,000 jobs while men gained close to 770,000 jobs.

Yvonne Coleman doesn’t want to be an interview casualty. The part-time radio personality and small business owner wants to get back into the corporate world, but she hasn’t been on an interview in a while. She’s taking advantage of a mock interview service.

Critiquer Michelle Clark takes note of each answer, and notices Coleman makes a few mistakes. Rewind to the introduction. When asked, Coleman started out strong, but like a lot of women…

“They don’t know quite where to end it,” Michelle Clark told Ivanhoe.

Clark recommends women treat the intro like an appetizer. 

“You want to give just enough information, realizing that the main course is coming a bit later,” Clark explained.

So, limit yourself to two minutes or less. Also, don’t be broad with your answers. Coleman veered off into her radio background while interviewing for a corporate job.

“An employer in this unique situation may have discounted as not being valuable to them,” Clark said.

So, talk about specific experiences for specific positions. And if you’re stumped by a question…don’t start stumbling!

“For some people, it can be a stumbling block that they aren’t able to recover from,” Clark said.

In the spotlight, Coleman tripped up a bit, but made a good recovery.  If you’re thrown an unexpected question...

“Utilize what we call the pregnant pause,” Clark said.

Don’t feel compelled to answer right away.  A little silence is okay as you mull over the question.  Then repeat the question, and answer as best as you can, or ask for clarification then answer. 

Coleman says she learned a lot from her interview critique.

“There’s thing that I feel good about and there’s things that I know I can do differently,”  Coleman concluded.

Things to help her and you stand out from a crowded field of applicants.

Experts say to always have two or three questions ready for your interviewer. Here are a few suggestions. First, ask what’s the biggest goal for this company in the next five years and how  I would be able to help you accomplish that goal? Next ask, who has been the best at this job and what can I do better? Another question to ask, describe my career path if I’m the hardest worker and best person for the job.

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