Job Interview Mistakes to Avoid and How to Shine Instead

In this episode of the Liz Career Coaching Podcast, I share practical tips for tailoring your experiences to align with organizational needs, identifying and articulating your strengths, and leveraging tools like AI for interview prep. I also highlight the importance of professionalism, authentic storytelling, and creating a lasting impression through personality, body language, and tone. Whether you're launching your career or advancing to your next opportunity, I offer insights to help you stand out and land the job you deserve.  This episode was sponsored by Kelley Francis.

Key Takeaways:

1. Tailor Your Experience: Research the organization thoroughly and align your skills to their mission and goals.
2. Know Your Strengths: Reflect on your achievements and bring specific examples that showcase your unique value.
3. Leverage AI Tools: Use tools like LinkedIn’s interview prep and https://yoodli.ai/ to practice and refine your responses.
4. Professionalism Matters: Arrive prepared, dress appropriately, and ensure a distraction-free environment for virtual interviews.
5. Ask Thoughtful Questions: Use the interview as a two-way street to assess if the organization aligns with your career values.
6. Follow Up with Gratitude: Send a personalized thank-you email to reinforce your interest and highlight key points from the interview.

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Kelley Francis

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• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lizherrera1/
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• Website:  https://www.lizcareercoaching.net/
• Email: lizcareercoaching@gmail.com

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Transcript

 Welcome to the Liz career coaching podcast. My name is Liz Herrera and I'm your host, career coach, and job search ally. People strive to find career happiness. Purpose and satisfaction and yet end up in a career path that does not align with their goals and overall purpose. If you are launching your career or ready for your next career move, this podcast will empower you to pave your path and take the action steps to get you where you need to be.

Let's get started. 

Today's episode of the Liz Career Coaching Podcast is brought to you by our amazing sponsor, Kelly Francis. Kelly is passionate about supporting the advancement of educational and professional opportunities for those underrepresented in engineering, technology, and business. If you're looking to level up your career, Kelly provides a personalized coaching session that can make a real difference in students identifying their career goals.

For listeners. Connect with Kelly Francis on LinkedIn and mention Liz career in a direct message to schedule your free personalized coaching session. Be sure to check out the show notes for contact information.  Welcome to the Liz career coaching podcast. My name is Liz Herrera and I am your host. This episode was inspired by the overwhelming popularity of episode 15,  eight strategies to build your confidence for your next job interview, as well as an uptick of clients requesting mock interviews. 

As a career coach, I love to prepare candidates for job interviews and provide them with strategies and resources so that they show up to their interview with confidence.  Through my 20 years of experience interviewing and preparing candidates for interviews, I find that a lot of people not only struggle with articulating their value,  but often do not take the time to prepare and recognize all of the aspects of the job interview.

That are within their control to stand out and leave a positive lasting impression. So today I thought I would share some strategies and biggest mistakes candidates make and some actionable steps to help you shine for your next job interview. All right, so let's get down to business. So number one, tailor your experiences and skills to the needs of the organization.

I feel like I sound like a broken record as I. Continuously give this type of advice, but I cannot emphasize this enough. You have to research the company and really have an understanding of the organization and the department you are interviewing for. Why do you want to work there? It's so important to familiarize yourself with the company's recent news, their mission and values. 

After all, you're applying to a role and to an organization that you feel you are, you're going to be a good fit for. And by doing so, you will be positioning yourself to a great advantage. You'll be able to speak to your specific skills, your strengths, your qualifications, and career aspirations as they align to that particular organization. 

In addition, you have to remember that the job interview is a two way street. When you are researching the company, this is also a chance for you to assess the organization's values, the needs, the work environment, and for you to determine if this is what you are looking for in terms of your, your career and your next, your next career move. 

In my personal experience interviewing candidates. The ones that truly stand out are those that can articulate specific examples as to why they want to work for the organization, along with their personal experiences and career goals that support that work at hand.  So let's say you're applying to a non profit organization.

It is so important. to showcase how your unique experiences align with that particular organization's mission and goals. So for instance, if you are a candidate with a background in forging strategic partnerships and you are applying to a non profit that has recently collaborated with local schools to provide after school programs, you might frame your experience something like, something like this.

I was particularly impressed by your recent collaboration with local schools to offer after school programs. In my previous role, I successfully formed strategic partnerships with community leaders and organizations, which led to the creation of several impactful community initiatives. I believe that my experience in identifying and cultivating new collaborations could significantly expand your network and resource base, helping to further enhance your after school programs and reach even more students, which is your goal.

And of course, if you have any tangible examples  where you can quantify, that would make an even stronger case. So understanding the specific goals of the organization and the requirements of the position can really help you think about your own experiences, skills, and qualifications.  This tailored approach highlights your fit for the role and it really does help the employer make the connection as to why You are suitable for the position and it also demonstrates your genuine interest in the organization and their, and their mission overall.

All right. Number two,  as a strengths based career coach, I'm going to say it. You have to know your strengths.  Part of your career development process is reflecting on what you bring to the table. What are those innate strengths? How have you added value in your previous roles?  If it's been a while and you need some space for reflection, which I find is very common with a lot of job seekers, I'm going to share a few questions that you can reflect on.

So I would encourage you to maybe take a moment  to journal, assess, jot some ideas down, because you really need to create a space for yourself to do this. So these are some questions that I want you to reflect on.  Think about situations where your skills have been acknowledged by others, team members, other, you know, maybe people that you've worked with, supervisors.

What are some skills that people tend to come to you for?  I want you to reflect on the achievements that have given you a sense of pride and fulfillment,  When you are faced with a challenge, an obstacle, what strengths do you rely on?  I want you to analyze how you approach and overcome obstacles and challenges. 

What kind of problems do you enjoy solving? Are they technical? Are they creative? Social? Strategic? I want you to think about that.  Think about stories and examples where you have overcome challenges and how you have contributed to your organization because of your strengths. Remember to think about specific examples that align with the position that you are interviewing for.

That's why it's so important. to really take a deep dive into that job description and to the pain points of that organization.  So let's say for instance, the, uh, the position requires skills in project management. Talk about a successful project that you led. Highlighting your organizational skills, your leadership.

For instance, you might share an example such as I led a cross functional team to launch a new product within six months, which resulted in a 20 percent increase in sales. Numbers always tell a good story. Or let's say something in training and development. So maybe you might say something like, developed and delivered a comprehensive project management training program for 50 employees, enhancing their skills and knowledge, and contributing to a 30 percent improvement.

in project delivery times. And of course, you would go into, you know, specific details as to your process. So I would always recommend using the STAR method. And if you're not familiar with the STAR method, that is basically a formula that you can use when you are answering behavioral based questions. And STAR Uh, the, you know, the acronym is for Situation, Task, Action, and Result.

That really helps you really take a deeper dive into your examples, and it humanizes your stories.  So this is a great way to illustrate your successes. Um, this will ensure that you are providing context. and substance to the examples that you provide.  One of the biggest mistakes that candidates often make is providing generic examples.

that do not fully capture their unique skills and experiences. I have experiences myself when interviewing candidates where they look amazing on paper, they have an awesome resume, and when we ask them to share particular examples or, you know, to highlight any type of skills that they might have,  they fall short and they are not able to articulate their skills.

the full story of their experiences. And so some of the common pitfalls and examples of generic responses are things like, Oh, I'm a hard worker. I have good work ethic.  This statement is extremely vague and overused. It doesn't provide any specific evidence of Your hard work or how it benefited your previous employers.

So a better approach would be  to share an example of a time where your hard work led to a significant achievement or resolved a challenging situation.  Another popular generic statement is  I'm a team player. I work well in a team. This is a very broad statement that does not illustrate how you contribute to a team or how you handle team dynamics.

So a better approach would be for you to describe a particular project where your teamwork led to a successful outcome highlighting your role. So remember to really talk about So I want you to think about your specific contribution to that team and what skills you brought to the table.  Now I have to note that when, when you are sharing an example of how you worked in a team and you know, how, when you're sharing that success story, I oftentimes hear people saying like, Oh, we did this, we did that, which is great.

Right. Cause that's part of a team, but I really want you to hone in on what your contribution was because while we are contributing as a team, I feel that. We each of us as individuals bring our own strengths. So you really have to recognize and Highlight what you specifically bring to that team dynamic So it's something that I really want you to pay attention to and it might be helpful to even talk to colleagues that can maybe share insight As to what you bring to the table and some of your strains, I find that other people can identify these a lot quicker and it might be easier for others to recognize your strains than you might recognize in yourself.

All right, number three, leveraging AI to practice interviewing. I'm a huge proponent of leveraging tools to help you best prepare for all aspects of the job search and interviewing is no different. I know a lot of people are. A little bit intimidated or weary of artificial intelligence, but let me tell you, these tools can be extremely helpful.

I encourage my students and my clients to use these tools because they can really help you feel confident in your https: otter. ai 

As well as identifying industry specific questions that you may be asked. So I want to share a few of my go to AI tools and strategies that I like to share with job seekers and people that are preparing for a job interview. So if you're looking to practice more of the common questions, you can head on over to LinkedIn.

And if you go under the jobs tab. You're going to find the interview prep tool. You're also going to find some short videos from recruiters and career experts that provide tips on how to approach the different types of questions. That is extremely helpful. Uh, it is a great tool because you can record yourself as well and you can answer each question and you will receive AI powered feedback.

on your interview responses, including pace, filler words, and tips to improve your responses. You can also share your interview recording with a first degree connection to receive human feedback. Which I highly encourage you to do as well. There's nothing like getting feedback from an actual person. So I love that you have that option as well.

Another great tool that I actually require my students to use is called Udly. ai. So it is a free tool where you can practice answering interview questions. And you receive some fairly profound feedback including pace, filler words, And also they provide suggestions on how to articulate your responses with more clarity as well as tone and delivery.

So the feedback that I get from this tool, a lot of my students will say, this was really helpful. I didn't realize that I had these filler words or just, you know, some suggestions and how to add a little more substance to some of the examples. So I think it's actually thorough and such a great tool to use for as a mock interview.

What I also like about this tool is that you can personalize the interview for the type of role and company that you are, uh, that you are interviewing for, including the type of interviewer style, uh, that you want. So you can choose if you want Uh, professional, friendly, technical, behavioral, or stress. So it's really neat that you're able to, to really customize that interview experience.

The interview tool also has other features, uh, and videos such as speech warm ups, which I've actually tried. before recording a podcast. Um, so yeah, there's speech warmup exercises and other strategies that can support you as you prepare for a presentation.  Now, while there are some limitations with the free version, I believe that you can still gain a lot of value and have great practice just from using this tool.

So I highly recommend it. Now, some of you may be feeling a little apprehensive about using chat GPT. But I'm going to share a few basic tips on how you may be able to leverage this tool for interview prep So let's say you want to start, you know, I I always say start simple start basic get your feet wet Uh, let's say you're preparing for a job interview and you're like, okay I'm, just looking for some basic interview questions.

You can  Ask for tailored interview questions so you can you know go on chat gpt and write a prompt You Something like, um, you can see something like play the role of an interviewer for a public relations specialist position. And what this is going to do, it's going to generate some common public relations questions that you can use to practice.

You can even be specific with prompts and ask for behavioral based. technical or role specific questions. Now, if you have a job description for the role you are, you are practicing for, you can copy and paste the job description onto JETCBT  and ask it to generate a list of interview questions based on the key responsibilities and qualifications listed in that job description.

So after you copy and paste the job description, you can simply use a prompt like Based on this job description for a public relations specialist, can you create a set of interview questions? You can also ask ChatGPT to provide feedback on your responses, focusing on contact,  rather content, structure, clarity, and relevance to the job description. 

Again, let me remind you, using AI is simply a supplemental tool called ChatGPT. To help you prepare for the interview But I do want you to use it with caution and that you don't overly rely on it  As a end all be all I think I think it can be a great warm up tool To help you brainstorm through how you are going to tell Your professional story and specific examples from your work experience  Ai obviously does not know your professional background You And so you don't want to use any generic responses.

I know a lot of people will say, Oh, you know, how do I respond to that? How can I respond to this particular question? It's good for brainstorming and it might give you some ideas, but remember, this is, you have to remember to tell your unique story, AI doesn't know who you are, it's just a brainstorming buddy.

That's how I see it. So the idea is not to sound fancy and over the top. I think employers will see right through that. It's just to help you dig a little deeper into some examples, some scenarios, and skills that you may not have considered. And then of course, tailoring it to your specific examples.

Remember that even though some parts of the job search process from the recruitment side might have aspects of artificial intelligence,  you are going to eventually be communicating with another human being. So, while I encourage people to write out interview responses as a brainstorming exercise, I do caution you to please never read off a script if you are interviewing by phone or via Zoom.

You never want to sound rehearsed. Be natural. Be organic. You know, it's very evident when a job seeker appears rehearsed or if they're reading off a script. It's off putting. Uh, and, and you want to be confident. So, again, you want to have an organic conversation. This is just a tool to help you brainstorm, think of ideas, and then you practice.

And once you go to the job interview, you'll have these examples top of mind.  Um, I feel that sometimes when you are reading from a script or it's too rehearsed, uh, it does create a barrier and a disconnect between you and the interviewer. And that is the last thing that you want, because you want to connect with another human being.

So remember you are being interviewed for your skills, your qualifications, and your expertise. Um, you are going to be part of a team where you will need to engage with other humans. So be sure to show your personality for this, I like to call it a very human experience. That is the job interview. So be sure that you take the time to practice a mock interview.

If you are a student at a university, take advantage of your career office. Every career office, I'm going to put that out there, offers this type of resource, take advantage of it. If you are an alum, you might want to reach out to university to see if they have any, um, mock interview services for you, or you can reach out to a career coach like me.

So I love doing mock interviews. So if you are preparing for an interview, You are welcome to reach out to me. I'm at LizCareerCoaching at gmail. com. I'm on LinkedIn. Reach out. We can work together and I will help you prepare for that job interview. Alright, number four. I want to take it back to the basics of interview tips.

I know that interviews can be very stressful and this is why I'm sharing these tips with you because I want you to bring your amazing self I To your upcoming job interview. I don't want to I don't want any trivial or subjective things That can come up in a job interview to make you appear less competitive When I know this is not the case because you my friend are Competitive and so these are again some very basic things that can be that can essentially be deal breakers  You want to arrive early?

If you are interviewing in person, you want to make sure that you plan ahead and arrive to the interview location anywhere between 10 to 15  minutes early.  Don't arrive an hour early. You don't want to be an eager beaver. Uh, but you do want to get there a little bit early. This shows that you are punctual.

And it also allows you some time to compose yourself and just take it in process and get settled in So 10 to 15 minutes is what I would recommend. You want to make sure you bring your necessary documents So maybe i'm old school, but I would say bring some, you know, multiple copies of your resume a list of references and if If you have a portfolio, which I highly recommend any type of artifacts, anything that you can showcase during an interview.

I'm a visual person, so I like using a portfolio or just something to showcase some of my work. Uh, or if it's virtual, but you want to let them know ahead of time that you want to be able to showcase some of that work, I think that would be a way to really stand out. Now, if you are doing a virtual interview, make sure that you test out the platform.

I know I've been in situations where I've, you know, attended a meeting. Thankfully, it's a meeting and not a job interview. And my Zoom, for some reason, wants to update or it's doing something wacky. And then it takes several minutes and I'm a few minutes late. If it's a job interview, you do not want to be a few minutes late.

So make sure your zoom is up to date and that you are, you know, all set up. Make sure that your internet connection is up to par and that you are in a quiet place. You do not want any distractions. So you have to plan ahead and make sure there is minimal noise. I can tell you that  I have been in quite a number of interviews where I have taken these virtual interview calls and some of these candidates have taken these calls in the most random places. 

When I say random, it's like people taking calls in their car,  in, outside, I mean all kinds of distractions and noises. And it is, it is honestly very distracting and I will tell you that in the interview process when assessing the candidates, the environment that the candidate is in does come up in conversation.

So again, make sure that you plan accordingly so that you can best, you can, you know, bring your best foot forward. and that your interview is being assessed by your expertise and qualifications and not because of things that you could potentially control.  Of course, there are unpredictable circumstances that may be out of your control, so just be honest about your situation with your, with the person who is interviewing you and the hiring team.

Again, they are human and there is a level of sympathy. Because they do want you to succeed after all so it is important for you to be honest So there are some circumstances But anything that you can control, please make sure that you control and that is environment. All right number five Create a lasting impression through personality body language and tone  Would say, you know, you want to make sure that you dress appropriately Choose professional attire that fits the company's culture You So for a corporate job, a suit is appropriate for a creative agency, maybe more of a casual, you know, attire might be more suitable.

So you really have to do your homework. You have to research the organization. I tend to overdress, but also think again about the culture of the organization and what's going to be a good fit, but you always want to bring your best foot forward, uh, in terms of how you dress and how you show up.  The other thing is having a positive attitude and don't forget to show your personality.

You want to be authentic, bring your authentic self to that interview. I think a lot of times people get so nervous and they come across very serious. They're intimidated, they're scared and they put a barrier. By not showcasing that amazing personality. So I want you to, uh, bring your personality. Don't be afraid to smile, show your enthusiasm.

You're excited about this job. You are the best fit. You want to be able to share examples of all of the incredible work you have achieved over the years. You get to talk about all the amazing things that you have already contributed  previous organizations. And so this is your moment to shine and really be proud of your career thus far and the possibility of making an impact to this future organization. 

Always be mindful as to how you respond to certain questions.  I always like to caution candidates to be mindful as to not to speak negatively about past employers.  So if you are asked about a challenging situation or, you know, tell me of a time when you dealt with someone that was difficult, resist the urge to bad mouth a situation, a colleague, a supervisor.

Focus more on what you learned from that experience. So rather than criticizing your former boss, highlight how much you've grown from your experience or how you navigated a difficult situation. situation. So make sure that you keep it diplomatic. Don't bad mouth anything. Don't be negative. And again, just speaking to your ability to navigate difficult situations.

So keep it simple and keep it positive. All right.  Number six, at the end of the interview, make sure that you ask thoughtful questions. Never leave an interview without asking for follow up questions. Again, It's a two way street. So you want to frame questions based on your values. What do you want to know about?

Maybe what are some of the deal breakers for you? So you want to prepare questions and this also shows your genuine interest in the position in the organization. So you can ask things like,  Can you tell me more about the team I'll be working with? Or what are the immediate challenges this role will tackle?

You can also ask questions about, you know, their experience in the organization and what exciting projects they are working on. What is rewarding for them? What, what have they enjoyed most about being part of that organization? So you can even bring it to the people that are interviewing you. Ask them about their own experiences.

I think that can be really telling and helpful for you.  Again, you know, this is a two way street and this is an opportunity for you to ask questions that could very well be deal breakers for you.  This is a very strategic time for you to gather information that you are going to need if you are offered the position.

So these questions are a strategy for you to determine if this is going to be a right fit for you.  All right. Number seven, follow up and send a thank you note. I know you might think that's old school, but a thank you email can go a long way. I believe that a personalized thank you email within 24 hours, you know, you want to be able to send that.

I think that can really be impactful. You can mention something specific from the interview. You want to remind them of something from your conversation. If you interviewed with a search committee, you want to make sure that you get the contact information so that you can send individual thank you notes.

And what I like about thank you, follow up emails is that. If there is something that maybe you forgot to mention or something that you want to reiterate or emphasize, the thank you email is a great opportunity to emphasize your interest in the position and the organization and just some skills or pain points that you can address based on the questions that you asked about the challenges that they're currently facing.

So it's such a great strategy in that follow up and to really Showcase that you're interested in the role and what you bring to the table. So send a thank you note All right. Remember that a job interview is an opportunity for you to showcase The unique value that you bring to the organization So as you prepare I want you to really Gain confidence from your experiences All the amazing skills that you have your transferable skills And the research that you have done  About that organization.

I want you to walk into that interview room or log into that video call with confidence You Knowing you've put in the work to shine and stand out from your competition,  your experience, your authenticity and preparation.  will speak volumes. This isn't just about landing a job. It's about taking that next exciting step in your career journey.

So believe in yourself and go show them exactly why you are a perfect fit for this role.  If you're looking for a career coach for a mock interview, again, let me remind you, I would love to work with you. I love preparing candidates for job interviews. You can reach out to me at LizCareerCoaching  at gmail.

com. So head on over to LizCareerCoaching. net. To review my packages, rates, and client testimonial. And I also want to mention that I was recognized as one of the top 15 coaches in Chicago by Influence Digest. How cool is that? I know I mentioned that in another episode, but I thought I would, uh, mention that again.

I'm very grateful for these recognitions.  Again, my purpose is to serve you and share my knowledge and experience because I want people to find fulfillment in their career. After all, we spend so much time and energy and hours into our day to day and it's really about our purpose and what we want to contribute in our lifetime and the legacy we want to leave behind and the impact we want to have in society.

And I believe that. Our careers are vehicles for that and so I am just someone that wants to empower you and be your ally and inspire you to chase that. I love what I do and I want the same for, uh, for other people. Alright, so if my content resonates with you, I would love to hear from you connect with me on linkedin connect with me on instagram Send me a message follow me, whatever you want I want to hear from you if there are any topics that you want to hear about Or just anything that you want to, uh, learn more about, please let me know.

All right. Thanks for tuning in to the Liz career coaching podcast. If you found today's episode helpful, please share it with others that may benefit from this content. This is Liz Herrera, your career coach and job search ally.