Corporate Survivor with Mei Phing : Career Growth In The Corporate World - Ep102: Don't say THIS during job interviews. 10 things NOT to say.

Starting point is 00:00:00 Welcome to the Corporate Survivor Podcast, where we talk about how to grow your career confidence, build your skills and value, increase your salary, and the many lessons we learn in the corporate world. For more career support, click on over to www.mayping.com. This is Mayping, your corporate leader turned career coach. I hope you enjoy, like and subscribe. Have you been to multiple job interviews but not so much success in terms of getting job offers and actually landing the dream job that you're looking for? If this is happening to you, you might be making these 10 mistakes,

Starting point is 00:00:43 saying these 10 things during job interviews that kills off your chances without you realizing it. So in this episode, I will share with you the 10 things that you must not say during a job interview at any cost. And I'll also explain to you why you shouldn't say these things. And more importantly, I will share with you a tip for every of this mistake that you're making, how not to make you a tip for every of this mistake that you're making, how not to make the mistake. So if this is something that you find yourself struggling with during job interviews, it's making you nervous, frustrated, and anxious, make sure that you listen to the end of this episode where I'll share with you this one big

Starting point is 00:01:19 tip on how you can really personalize all these things that I'm telling you today and really make it work for you. Not just a general video or telling you today and really make it work for you. Not just a general video or a podcast, but really making it work for you. All right, so let's dive in. The number one thing to never ever say during a job interview is, how much are you paying me for this job? What is the salary for this position? How is the compensation plan?

Starting point is 00:01:44 Now, all these three things that you're going to say or you have been saying in job interviews have pretty much eliminated you from the process very early on. Because if you are only talking about money or focusing too much on money at the beginning of a job interview, it tells the interviewer, it tells the hiring manager that money is the only consideration for you to take on this position. And you do not necessarily care about the opportunity itself or the career growth potential. So you pretty much come across as a person who is all about the money. So make sure not to do that. So the tip I can share with you on when is really the best time to ask about money, make sure

Starting point is 00:02:27 you're only talking about money after you have managed to demonstrate that you are the best candidate for the position, where you have already had the chance to build some rapport with the interviewer, you have had the chance to talk about your background, skills and experiences, and then you can talk about the money. In one of my earlier episodes, episode 83, I did talk about when is the best time to ask about money during interviews. So if that's something that you want to check out, make sure that you can do that right after this episode. The second thing that you should never ever say during a job interview, and it's this, can you tell me a little bit more about this job? Okay, now let's talk about why this is a really bad thing to say.

Starting point is 00:03:08 If you are going to a job interview and you are asking the interviewer, can you tell me more about this job? Can you tell me about this job? Can you give me information about this job? It just tells the hiring manager that you are not interested in this position at all and therefore, you probably didn't do any research, you didn't try to find out a little not interested in this position at all and therefore you probably didn't do any research, you didn't try to find out a little bit more about this position and therefore you may not even be a suitable candidate because if you're not even researching,

Starting point is 00:03:34 even caring about the role, what makes them think that you are really invested to do a good job? So you're just really setting a very negative impression to the hiring manager and to the interviewer. So what you want to do here is to make sure you read the job description, read the job posting as many times as you need to, as many times as you need to, to familiarize yourself with the roles and responsibilities and the obligations that you really need to be delivering so that during the interview, you can then sell your value. You can explain how your skills matches the job description, how your background matches the job description. It's really, really important that you spend some time, read through the job description in detail. I have worked with hundreds of job seekers and one

Starting point is 00:04:20 of the biggest problems I see is rushing for the interview but not really taking the time to look through the job description in detail. So make sure you pay some focus on that. The third thing never to say during a job interview is, can you tell me about your company? I would really want to know more about your company. Okay, so why this is a very bad thing to say, very similarly to the second one is it shows that you have zero interest in this company at all. It shows and likely indicate that you are just spamming all the job applications

Starting point is 00:04:53 and just hoping that you will just get an interview call. And therefore, you do not look like a very committed candidate. It doesn't look like this role is part of your career plan. It may just be a random application that you're just hoping, you know, fingers crossed, good luck, that you will get the call back. And therefore, it does not make you a very attractive candidate because it shows the interviewer and the hiring managers

Starting point is 00:05:17 that you are probably trying your luck and you have zero interest in the company and therefore means you may not be dedicated if you're given this position and therefore you will unlikely get the position. Fourth thing never to say during a job interview is what I call fluffy words. So quote-unquote fluffy words that are meaningless

Starting point is 00:05:40 and it's things that every single candidate is saying. So what do I mean by fluffy words? I'm a very motivated person. I am very dedicated. I'm very enthusiastic. Great. I'm sure these are amazing words to describe yourself. But guess what? Hundreds of other candidates are also describing themselves in this what I call fluffy words. So it sounds a little bit empty to the hiring manager or the interviewer because they have probably heard these terms like hundreds and hundreds of times throughout their range, you know, throughout the interview process. So what you want to do is to give examples to demonstrate that quality that you have mentioned. So great, you want to say that you're enthusiastic,

Starting point is 00:06:23 perfect. But can you also share an example of how did you manage to. So great, you want to say that you're enthusiastic. Perfect. But can you also share an example of how did you manage to demonstrate that enthusiasm? This is a much better strategy and a much better answer to help the hiring manager and interviewer understand how this good quality that you have

Starting point is 00:06:39 translated into your commitment and therefore they can probably also see how you can have this good quality should you be given the opportunity to join this company. On to the fifth thing never ever to say during a job interview is, I hate my boss, I hate my team, I hate my senior, I hate my colleagues, I hate my company. Anything that is really negative, you should avoid it from talking about these specifics or these details during a job interview because you will come across as a person who complains a lot. You will also come across as a person who cannot get along with

Starting point is 00:07:16 other people. You cannot collaborate. You don't have teamwork. So basically, all these really negative qualities that will be tagged to it the moment you start talking about how you really hated your boss or you hated this and hated that. So just negative impression that you are creating, even though you feel like you want to express yourself, but just so you know, doing a job interview is for you to demonstrate that you're the best candidate, not necessarily for you to complain and air all these dirty laundry from your past experiences. So make sure if you want to talk about your past experiences, talk about the things that you have learned in the previous role. Some takeaways that you have, maybe some skills that you have developed.

Starting point is 00:08:01 This is a much better angle to take rather than talking about negative stuff. Focus on you. Always focus on yourself because you are there to add value and to demonstrate your value. So make sure that you focus on that. The next thing not to say during a job interview is, can you teach me? This may sound like a no-brainer, but saying something such as,

Starting point is 00:08:21 can you teach me? It makes you come across as somebody who is not proactive at all. You sound like a person who needs to be hand-holded. You need somebody helping you all the time. It also sounds like you need a lot of training. And there's probably a lot more time commitment that's needed from the new company should you be hired. So make sure not to say things like that.

Starting point is 00:08:43 You want to say and demonstrate your proactiveness by saying that because you're interested in this area or you have been upskilling yourself, taking different certifications, multiple things. But show proactiveness is a much better strategy and a much better answer to give during job interviews. The next thing not to say during a job interview is, it's not my fault. During job interviews, you may be asked to provide examples or talk about some of your working experiences or maybe some projects that you have done. So one of the big mistakes I see job seekers make or candidates

Starting point is 00:09:17 make is for them to say, this is not my fault, this is not my problem, it's somebody else's fault, it was my boss's fault, it was my colleague's fault, it was my senior's fault. It has got nothing to do with me. So this may make you come across as somebody who does not take responsibility, somebody who does not want to be accountable for their work, and more importantly, somebody who is not willing to improve and learn. So this point closely relates to the part of, I hate my boss, I hate my senior, I hate whoever and whoever. So just be careful when you talk about things that are not your problem. It's much better to focus your answer on a skill that you continue to develop. Sure, maybe you had some weaknesses. We all have weaknesses. That's okay. But you just want to make sure you focus on

Starting point is 00:10:04 how you have been learning and growing in your position, the previous position, or even the previous positions, depending on how long your career history is. On to the number eight thing never to say during a job interview is, I really need this job. I understand that it may be a very challenging journey for you in job search. That's true. However, you need to remember that doing the job interview is for the interviewers and hiring managers to better assess if you are the best candidate for the position, not necessarily your personal circumstances

Starting point is 00:10:37 on how desperate you need the job and multiple things. So sometimes if you explain too much about how this job is so important to you or you really need this job, otherwise you cannot pay your bills and multiple things, you may come across as somebody who is just randomly applying for the job and just accepting the first offer even though you may not be suitable. And therefore, you may not have the right skills or experiences to do a job well done. And this may create stress for the company that's hiring you. Or maybe they think that you might resign, which could be the case. So personal situation, let's keep it out of the interview process

Starting point is 00:11:15 and just really focus on explaining why you find this role is really interesting to you and how you can contribute. So always focus on demonstrating your value, selling yourself. That's really what you need to be talking about. Anything that's personal, anything else that's irrelevant should not be included as part of the interview answers. Okay, on to the last two things that you should never talk about during the job interviews that can really destroy your chances of getting that offer is number nine, how many days of annual leave do I get? How does the leave system work? How does the PTO system work? Sure, it's a fair question. We all want to know our compensation and benefit, right? Aside from salary, you may also be

Starting point is 00:11:57 interested, how many days off do I get? Sure. Again, the challenge I have for you is to think about what is the impression that you are creating. If you are talking about taking holidays and taking vacation, you have not gotten the job yet. So the impression that you are creating to the interviewer or hiring manager is the fact that this person cares about the holidays way more than delivering value. Because think about it, you have not joined the company yet. And even after you join the company, it will take you a little bit of time to demonstrate your value.

Starting point is 00:12:31 So asking things about holidays, vacation and benefits too early on during the interview process will make you come across as somebody who is not very dedicated. And it may destroy all the value that you have shared, all the examples that you have shared prior to this point, prior to this question being asked. Every good thing, every good answer that you have given may just be like wiped off just like that.

Starting point is 00:12:55 Okay, so make sure not to repeat this mistake. On to the last thing, the number 10 of what not to say during a job interview is, do I have to work late? Sure, I do understand that maybe you do want to find out. I think work-life balance is something that is very critical and you should focus on. However, again, depending on how the interview goes and when you ask this question during the interview, again, it might create a negative impression as somebody who, as you, you know, you as somebody who is not very dedicated, again, trying to go on vacation, trying to like leave on time,

Starting point is 00:13:29 without first investing the time and effort to maybe learn about the role. So again, it all comes back to impression at the end of the day. I won't say it's right or wrong, but you should be aware that whatever answers that you're giving, it is creating an impression of yourself. And therefore, if you want to put your best foot forward or rather the best virtual face forward, make sure that you are aware of how your answers can be creating an impression to the interviewer and the hiring manager. So make sure that of all the 10 things that I've said today, how many of these mistakes are you currently making during your

Starting point is 00:14:05 job interviews? This will give you a much clearer indicator as to why you are not getting that callback, why you're not progressing during the interview process, and why you are not getting that job offer. Okay, thank you for staying to the end of this episode. And now I'm going to share with you the one big tip on how you can make all these points relevant to you. Whatever that I've just said, at the end of the day, it depends on that specific interview that you're attending, that specific role, that specific company. So therefore, you really want to tailor in by doing some research on the industry of the company, the nature of the company, and the nature of the role, together with your personality,

Starting point is 00:14:48 and then refine the answer a little bit more. It's not a simple copy and paste at every single interview because depending on the roles that you apply for, you may need to use different examples. You may need to demonstrate different skills. So make sure that you contextualize and only pick the relevant examples to talk about. A simple copy and paste answer is not going to cut it nowadays. The competition is stiff, let's be

Starting point is 00:15:11 honest, the competition is stiff. So always consider specific to that company, specific to that position and taking your own experiences in consolidation, refine the answer. There is no standard template answer, right? But make sure you're at least avoiding these 10 killer things not to say because that can really strike you off the interview process, even though you maybe,

Starting point is 00:15:39 you are the best person for the job. But the way that you're answering is clearly not giving the best impression at all. So if you want to learn a little bit more and really listen to more inspiring stories from my hundreds of clients that I've worked with to improve their job search process, make sure that you check out the multiple playlists that I have on improving your job search strategy and really even improving your work performance as well. So make sure that you check out those playlists after this episode and wishing you all the best in your job search journey. And hopefully, fingers crossed, you can get that job offer that you truly deserve. Until next time, bye!

Corporate Survivor with Mei Phing : Career Growth In The Corporate World - Ep102: Don't say THIS during job interviews. 10 things NOT to say.

There aren't comments yet for this episode. Click on any sentence in the transcript to leave a comment.