A woman, interviewing for an Administrative Assistant position,answers the common interview question: What is your ideal job? This is an example of an GOOD way to answer this question. Created by Fresno, California’s most respected Recruiting, Staffing and Human Resources consulting firm — Denham Resources.

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But it’s not all bad – however poorly a job interview has gone, you can
always be reassured by the fact that someone, somewhere, has done much,
much worse than you ever have. Here are ten of the worst interview
howlers that I’ve heard of, and ten pieces of interview advice

that can help you to avoid the same mistakes.

10 – Who are you, and what am I doing?

After a telesales job interview that had gone well, the candidate
surprised the panel by saying, offhand, “By the way, I don’t do cold
calling.”

Interview tip: Do your research. Make sure you fully understand what
the company does and what your job entails, otherwise you’re likely to
make an obvious mistake.

9 – Job Train-ing

After an unsuccessful job interview, one candidate followed his
interviewer to the train station. He spent the rest of the train
journey pleading with her to give him the job.

Interview Tip: Enthusiasm is good, desperation is not. Accept it if you
haven’t got the job – hassling your interviewer isn’t likely to get you
anything except a restraining order.

8 – Fancy your chances?

One candidate concluded a job interview by asking the interviewer out on a date.

Interview Tip: No matter how well you think an interview has gone, this
really isn’t a good idea. Make sure you end it professionally.

7 – Demonstrate your skills

When asked to give a practical demonstration of his abilities during a
job interview, this candidate got out a deck of cards and proceeded to
perform a series of magic tricks.

Interview tip: You don’t need interview advice to tell you that this is
a bad idea. Remain professional at all times! Silly jokes,
inappropriate clothes and strange behavior are all guaranteed to put an
interviewer off.

6 – Any questions?

At the end of a job interview, this candidate was told that she could
ask one question and one question only. After thinking intently for a
few minutes, she said “Are you going anywhere nice on your holidays
this summer?”

Interview Tip: You know that you’ll be expected to ask questions at the
end of a job interview, and there’s no excuse not to prepare a few.
Keep your questions focused on the job and the company, and use it as
an opportunity to further express your interest in both.

5 – “I’m sorry, what was your name again?”

During one job interview, a candidate complained at length about his
previous boss. Unfortunately, he didn’t realize that the interviewer
and his former employer were closely related, and even had the same last name.

Interview Tip: This man was particularly unlucky, but it just goes to
show that it is never a good idea to badmouth your former employer.

4 – “So tell me, what is your biggest weakness?”

When pressed to answer this question, one candidate answered “My dishonesty.”

Interview Tip: This is a difficult question to answer. Responses like
“I work too hard” are no good, and owning up to a severe character flaw
might sink your application. Pick a weakness that is true but that
won’t affect the job that you are going for. For example, being erratic
at paperwork is a disaster for an admin role, but is only a minor
drawback for a sales position.

3 – Mums the word!

Everyone knows that you have to switch your phone off during a job
interview. But one candidate, after the first few questions, got his
phone out and called his parents to let them know how well the
interview was going.

Interview tip: Stay focused during an interview. Don’t get complacent
if you think it is going well, and don’t be discouraged if you feel it
is going badly.

2 – A picture is worth a thousand words…

One candidate was asked to draw a picture that best described him. He
drew a clown with blood pouring from its eyes, ears and nose.

Interview Tip: Interviewers are looking for people who can both fill
the role and work well with other people. Worrying personality traits
can be just as off putting as a lack of experience or inadequate
skills, so be on your best behavior in the interview room.

1 – Murder, she said

No matter what unfortunate facts from your past happen to surface in a
job interview, you can’t cause more alarm than this woman did.
Alarmingly, in the middle of the interview she managed to imply that
she’d murdered her husband.

Interview Tip: Think before you speak. Perhaps you think a strange
remark or crude joke will make you memorable – you’d be right, but for
precisely the wrong reasons.

Gail Kenny is the managing director of Gail Kenny Executive Search, an executive travel recruitment agency specializing in travel jobs.
The site caters exclusively to talented individuals with skills and
experience to succeed in the travel management, and businesses looking
for such candidates.

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