You said What?

Any hiring manager who has been around for awhile could write a book about the amusing and inappropriate things said in interviews. We all know someone who frequently sticks their foot in their mouth and seems to have no internal censor. If this sounds like you, take a few moments to learn what topics you should avoid in interviews.

• What is the pay/salary for this position? - Although the answer to this question may be a determining factor in whether or not you will want to pursue this job, pay should always be brought up first by the hiring manager. If they ask you what your salary goals are, give them a reasonable range based on the standard within the industry in that particular city.



• Be aware of your grammar - Avoid slang and keep the conversation formal. Change “yea” to “yes”, “thanks” to “thank you”, and “hi” to “good morning/afternoon”, etc. Leave the casual out of the conversation throughout the interview process. And absolutely no profanity.



• Avoid obvious questions about the company - Don’t waste the hiring managers time by walking into an interview without knowing anything about the company. In this age of information overload, there is no excuse for not doing your research before the first interview.



• Speaking negatively about former bosses/employers - Any negativity you bring to an interview is a reflection on you. No matter how bad your previous job was, don’t dwell on it. Briefly state why you left and move on.

Keep personal problems, religious beliefs and medical issues out of the interview process. You may have concerns that will need to be addressed at some point, however wait until you have been offered the job, then schedule a meeting with the Human Resources Manager to discuss these personal issues.

Do Your Research Before the Interview

Common sense should tell you that if you’re going to an interview unprepared, you might as well just stay at home. However, JobsByFax has found that a surprising number of hiring managers name their biggest pet peeve with interviewees is lack of preparation. Although it’s great to prepare a list of intelligent questions relating to the company, it’s not the hiring managers job to spend valuable interview time educating you on something as easy as what products the company sells. There are some things that you should already know.

Finding basic information about the company you are interviewing for is as easy as a visit to the company website. So what should you know about the company prior to the interview and what should you ask when you get there?

When doing your research, look for answers to the following questions:

• How old is the company and approximate number of employees?


• What products and/or services does the company sell and who is their primary customer?


• Does the company have a solid reputation among it’s competitors and the public, in general?


• Are there offices in other locations and where are they? Where is the corporate office?


• Have there been recent employee layoffs?

So where do you go to find the answers? The company website is the most logical, but don’t limit yourself to that alone. Keep in mind, you won’t find anything negative about the company on their own website and they will likely not tell you anything unflattering during the interview. You will have to dig a little deeper to find a truly objective source of information that may enlighten you to the bad, as well as the good. Google the company name and you will likely find newspaper articles, press releases, and financial reports. For the informal and unbiased information, turn to business blogs and social networking sites.

During the interview, impress the hiring manager with intelligent questions about the company that would be difficult to find through research. Some examples include:

• What is the management style of the person that I will be reporting to?


• What are the growth prospects for this position?


• Describe a typical day/week that the person you hire can expect in this position?


• How much travel is expected and is relocation a possibility?


• What do you like most about working for this company?