Old Fashioned Interview Myths You Can Safely Ignore

1. Myth: Job interviews are a numbers game. You just have to go on as many as possible to increase your chances of getting hired.

Reality: Spoiler alert ahead: quality is definitely more important than quantity when it comes to job interviews. You’re not going to land a great job by throwing spaghetti at the wall and seeing what sticks.

Success Tip: Always go into the interview with one goal: to have them say when you leave, “That’s our candidate.” Yes, ask questions, gather data and listen to your gut about whether this is the job for you. But don’t ask yourself that question in the interview. Stay focused on your goal! Then, if you decide it isn’t the role for you, you can always turn down the offer.

2. Myth: The job interview starts with the meeting with the hiring manager.

Reality: Actually, the job interview starts the second you submit your application. Your potential employer is most likely stalking your social media profiles, especially linkedin, see what kind of shenanigans you’ve been up to.

Success Tip: Get This CheatSheet. Your LinkedIn profile can be the reason for their interview/no interview decision. To stand out from your competition, write posts to share your experience and expertise. You will actually start interviewing for the role the minute they find you on LinkedIn. Plus you become more visible on LI and jobs actually start coming to you!

3. Myth: The recruiter is a gatekeeper to “get past” in order to land the job.

Reality: Sure, the recruiter may hold the key to getting your foot in the door, but they’re not some kind of mythical creature guarding a treasure chest. Treat them like a human being, not a fire-breathing dragon.

Success Tip: Making friends with the recruiter sets you apart They have information about the job, HM and/or company that other candidates won’t have. In fact, that’s the key reason I landed the job as Director of Experienced Hires at Deloitte when all the other candidates had 10-12 years of experience. Me? A whopping 6 months!

4. Myth: The interview is all about the questions they ask and your perfect answers.

Reality: Yes there is the interview that is “out loud”. That’s the one most job seekers prepare for. However, there is also the silent interview, and that is the one that actually makes the hire/no hire decision about you. Hiring managers don’t want to make a hiring mistake. So they are always asking themselves: Are you: A fit with the current team? High maintenance or self-motivated? Going to make me look good for hiring you? Justifiable to my manager for hiring you? Hiring Mistake?

Success Tip: Available on Amazon: The Silent Interview: The Real Reason You Didn’t Get the Job

5. Myth: Practice makes perfect when it comes to job interviews.

Reality: While it’s important to prepare for an interview, perfection is a lofty goal that will only stress you out. However, if you are practicing the wrong thing, you will just get really good at doing the wrong thing. Sadly, without some meaningful feedback, you may never know what you did that made them take a pass on you. Don’t ask your neighbor or the pool guy to listen to and review your answers. Get some expert advice from someone who is interviewing candidates.

Success Tip: Check out A Recruiter Reveals: Interview Mastery Audio Course Why does it matter? Because yesterday’s answers won’t get today’s jobs. And never take a canned answer to your interview.  Recruiters can smell them before you even finish reciting them.

Remember, you may be just one interview away from landing your dream job.

Wishing you a FAST and fabulous conclusion to your search!