Episode 9 Don't Say That in the Interview
Don't Say That in the Interview
Hi and welcome to the Student Affairs Job Search by the Job Hakr.
I’m your host Dave Eng from the Student Affairs Job Search by the Job Hakr.
On the student affairs job search we dive deeply into the steps needed to move forward in our careers.
Find out more at www.jobhakr.com
On today’s show we’ll talk about what you shouldn’t say during an interview.
Student affairs interviews are already incredibly challenging.
There great tips out there for what you SHOULD say during an interview.
These cover how you should prepare for regularly asked interview questions.
But there are also certain things that you just shouldn’t DO in any interview.
This episode will cover what you SHOULDN’T do during the student affairs job interview.
This episode will also cover how you can pivot during your conversation.
This is done in order to present your best self.
That’s because ultimately you want to demonstrate that you are the best candidate for the role.
One of the things that you should definitely avoid in any interview is badmouthing.
That means saying anything bad about your former (or current) institution or supervisor.
Saying something like “my boss is the worst boss ever” will definitely reflect badly on you.
Even saying something as benign as “I don’t get along with my boss that well,” is ill-advised.
Instead, what you can say is that you’ve had some challenging circumstances in your past jobs.
THEN you should talk about what you’ve done to address them.
Pivot during your interview response to pose yourself as a growing professional…
Rather than a bitter colleague
This will do you wonders.
Remember: it’s not about the problems that you’ve had in the past.
It’s what you’ve done to address and overcome them.
Are you constantly looking at your phone during an interview?
Then stop it!
This prevents you from responding in the moment.
It means that you’re not paying attention.
This specifically happens with entry level student affairs candidates in addressing cell phone etiquette.
Don’t interrupt the interviewer to answer or check your phone.
It’s just bad practice.
In addition, you should welcome opportunities to explain and paint a picture.
You want to tell your interviewers a story about your professional accomplishments.
Never answer a question with “it’s on my resume.”
That sounds both uncouth and unprofessional.
Responding with a more detailed story is a much better response.
Also, don’t just re-read your resume during an interview.
That’s because the interviewer wants to hear the story from YOU.
Stories are a great way to communicate your past and professional accomplishments.
But these stories need to be structured properly.
Stories need to be relevant to your professional accomplishments.
While your service trip to Costa Rica or your study aboard program to South Africa may have been great and educational; it doesn’t do you any good if those stories don’t directly respond to what the interviewer wants to know: how well will you do in this position.
Answering that question for your interviewer should always be your top priority.
Remember to do some basic research before your interview.
You don’t want to go into your interview without any background information on the institution or your interviewer.
So asking a questions like “who does this college serve…” or “…are there mostly commuter students here?” screams of someone who hasn’t done any basic research.
This is especially true if you have information about your interviewer but haven’t done any research about them.
Not knowing about their office, functional area, or basic duties is definitely a no-no.
You don’t have to have a complete history of what they’ve done and where they’ve been (though that is useful).
But, you need to know the basics of what they do at the institution.
While delivering insightful responses to your interviewer is a great step in the right direction; you also need to present yourself well.
That means avoiding verbal fillers like “um” and “like.”
The worst offenders are those entry level job candidates who weave a really compelling story about their professional accomplishments and then end it with a shuddering “So, Yeah...”
In addition, you don’t want to go down the “try-hard” path of telling everyone and anyone that you’re a “SELF-MOTIVATED, QUICK LEARNER WITH LEADERSHIP SKILLS.”
This is honestly the kind of qualities that ALL employers want to find their candidates.
So explaining to your interviewer that you have these traits is the equivalent of bragging that you know how to use a keyboard and can write an email.
Those traits and skills are assumed.
Lastly, don’t fall for the trap of indicating a weakness as a strength.
This is especially evident if you answer with something like “My weakness is that I’m a perfectionist.”
What the interviewer is trying to determine here is where you’ve witnessed a lacking in your skills, abilities, or character.
Then they want to know what you’ve done to change and address it.
Finally, the most common mistakes made during a student affairs job interview is not having any questions left for the interviewer at the end.
Saying that you don’t have any questions indicates that you either weren’t prepared for interview or you weren’t enthusiastic enough to ask anything.
Note: you don’t always have to ask tangible “objective” questions of your interviewers.
Instead you can always rely and ask cultural questions of the institution.
Examples include “What is like to work here?” or “Why do you continue to work here?”
Personally my favorite question to ask at the end of most interviews is “If you had to describe the culture of this institution / office / unit as a day of the week; then what day of the week would it be and why?”
I like it because it’s a creative question that asks for a single unambiguous answer.
Also, my interviewers aren’t paralyzed in responding because they only have 7 options to respond with.
The real answer is how they justify why they believe it’s a Monday, Wednesday, or Sunday.
There are many things that can go right during a student affairs interview.
But there are also a host of things that can go poorly.
That happens if you choose to badmouth a past employer; lack attention in the interview; fail to prepare; have poor presentation skills or don’t have any questions prepared at the end of the interview.
This episode helped shed some light on what not to do during an interview.
Now, use your new found knowledge to be the best candidate you can be!
I hope you found this episode useful.
If you’d like some additional tips on your search then a great place to start is my eBook “Getting Started in your Student Affairs Job Search.”
You can download it for free at www.jobhakr.com/gettingstarted
You can also get a full transcript of this episode including links to references in the description or show notes.
Thanks for joining me!
Again, I’m your host Dave Eng from the Student Affairs Job Search by the Job Hakr.
On the student affairs job search we dive deeply into the steps needed to move forward in our careers.
If you liked this episode please consider commenting, sharing, and subscribing.
Subscribing is absolutely free and ensures that you’ll get the next episode of The Student Affairs Job Search delivered directly to you.
I’d also love it if you took some time to rate the show!
I live to lift others with learning.
So, if you found this episode useful, consider sharing it with someone who could benefit.
Also make sure to visit the Job Hakr online at jobhakr.com
The Job Hakr is also on Twitter and Facebook at Job Hakr
Also, feel free to email me anytime at dave@jobhakr.com
Happy searching!
References
30 Things You Should Never Say in a Job Interview. (n.d.). Retrieved October 14, 2019, from https://www.themuse.com/advice/30-things-you-should-never-say-in-a-job-interview.
Adeshola, A. (2019, June 13). 7 Things Top Candidates Never Say In A Job Interview. Retrieved October 14, 2019, from https://www.forbes.com/sites/adunolaadeshola/2019/06/13/7-things-top-candidates-never-say-in-a-job-interview/#ae0c0093c97b.
Burnett, J. (2019, May 16). Don't say these 5 types of words during a job interview. Retrieved October 14, 2019, from https://www.theladders.com/career-advice/dont-say-these-types-of-words-during-a-job-interview.
Doyle, A. (2019, June 12). 25 Things You Should Never Say During a Job Interview. Retrieved October 14, 2019, from https://www.thebalance.com/never-say-during-interview-2060574.
Eng, D. (2019, September 30). Your Greatest Weakness - Job Hakr: Student Affairs Job Search. Retrieved October 17, 2019, from https://www.jobhakr.com/blog-1/2019/9/30/your-greatest-weakness.
Moore, E. (2018, July 13). Never say these 6 things in a job interview. Retrieved October 14, 2019, from https://www.fastcompany.com/90201358/never-say-these-6-things-in-a-job-interview.