17 JOB INTERVIEW DOs AND DON’Ts!

Summary

This video from Richard McMahon of PassMyInterview.com shares 17 essential job interview do's and don'ts. Key tips include preparing answers for common questions, researching the company, staying positive, and dressing professionally. McMahon stresses avoiding negativity about past employers, showing flexibility, and maintaining good manners. He emphasizes the importance of backing up claims with evidence, practicing your answers, and following up with a thank-you email after the interview. These strategies aim to help candidates boost confidence, impress interviewers, and stand out as strong contenders for any role.

Takeaways

• 😀 Prepare an answer to the first question, 'Tell me about yourself,' to overcome initial interview nerves and set the tone for the rest of the interview.
• 📄 Always read the job description beforehand to align your strengths with what the interviewer is looking for.
• 🚫 Do not speak negatively about former employers or co-workers, as it may make you appear unprofessional.
• 🔍 Research the company thoroughly to answer questions like 'Why do you want to work for us?' effectively.
• 💼 Avoid mentioning pay or benefits as the primary reason for wanting the job. Focus on company culture and long-term satisfaction.
• 👔 Dress professionally, regardless of the job position, as it reflects your intentions and high standards.
• ❓ Have at least three smart questions ready to ask at the end of the interview to show genuine interest in the company.
• 🪑 Sit upright and avoid slouching during the interview to convey confidence and discipline.
• 😌 Overcome interview nerves by treating the interview as a meeting, not a formal test.
• 🙋‍♂️ Be prepared to admit weaknesses, but focus on areas you are working to improve to show self-awareness and growth potential.

Q & A

What is the first tip given for succeeding in a job interview?

The first tip is to prepare your answer to the common interview question, 'Tell me about yourself.' This will help you overcome nerves and set a positive tone for the rest of the interview.

Why is it important to read the job description before attending the interview?

Reading the job description allows you to understand the skills and qualities the interviewer is looking for. This enables you to align your strengths with those listed in the job description and answer questions effectively, such as 'What are your strengths?'

Why should you avoid speaking negatively about your former employer?

Speaking negatively about your former employer can make you seem unprofessional and difficult to work with. It's important to come across as positive and friendly, as this shows you can fit easily into a new team.

How can you impress the interviewer with company knowledge?

You can impress the interviewer by researching the company beforehand. This includes visiting their website, checking social media, and learning about their products and services. It helps you answer questions like 'Why do you want to work for us?' confidently.

What should you avoid mentioning when asked, 'Why do you want this job?'

You should avoid mentioning pay or benefits as reasons for wanting the job. Instead, focus on company culture, the opportunity to contribute, and your personal career goals to show you are genuinely interested in the role for professional growth.

Why is dressing professionally for a job interview important?

Dressing professionally shows that you take the interview seriously and have high standards. It reflects positively on your intentions and gives the interviewer a good impression of your professionalism.

What are some smart questions to ask at the end of the interview?

Some smart questions include: 'What advice would you give to the successful candidate who wants to excel in the role?', 'What would you need me to concentrate on in the first 30 days?', and 'What are the next steps in the hiring process?'

How can you prevent nerves from getting the best of you during an interview?

One way to manage nerves is to treat the interview like a meeting between you and the potential employer. Reframing it as a conversation helps you feel more in control and reduces anxiety.

What is a good way to respond when asked about your biggest weakness?

A good response is to mention a real weakness but show willingness to improve. For example, 'I get nervous speaking in front of large groups, but I'm eager to improve in this area and would welcome opportunities to give presentations.'

Why is it important to have evidence to back up your claims during an interview?

Having evidence to support your claims, such as examples of teamwork or problem-solving, makes your statements more credible. It sets you apart from other candidates who may make unsupported claims about their skills.

Outlines

00:00

📋 Introduction and First Tip: Preparing for Interview Questions

Richard McMahon introduces himself and his website, PassMyInterview.com, and explains that the video will cover 17 job interview do's and don'ts. He encourages viewers to subscribe for more interview tips. The first tip focuses on preparing for the question 'Tell me about yourself,' as this can help overcome interview nerves. A sample answer is provided, emphasizing confidence, experience, and a positive impact on the company.

05:01

📄 Know the Job Description and Avoid Negativity

Tip two advises candidates to read the job description before the interview, allowing them to align their strengths with the role’s requirements. Tip three warns against speaking negatively about former employers or co-workers, suggesting instead to highlight the desire for new challenges in a positive tone. An example response to 'Why do you want to leave your job?' is provided, focusing on seeking a fresh challenge without badmouthing previous employers.

10:02

🔍 Research the Company and Focus on Passion, Not Pay

The fourth tip stresses the importance of researching the company to answer questions like 'Why do you want to work for us?' Tip five advises against mentioning pay or benefits when asked why you want the job. Instead, candidates should express their enthusiasm for the company's culture and the opportunity to contribute to the team. A sample answer demonstrates how to highlight the company’s values and the candidate’s long-term job satisfaction.

Keywords

💡Interview Preparation

This concept refers to the actions and steps a candidate should take before attending a job interview. In the video, the speaker emphasizes preparing answers to common interview questions, researching the company, and reviewing the job description as essential parts of interview preparation. These actions help candidates gain confidence and provide relevant responses, which enhance their chances of performing well.

💡Tell Me About Yourself

This is a common opening question in job interviews. The video explains that preparing a well-structured answer to this question helps candidates overcome nervousness and sets a positive tone for the interview. The speaker provides an example response that highlights relevant skills, achievements, and personal traits, illustrating how candidates can confidently introduce themselves in a professional manner.

💡Strengths

Strengths refer to a candidate’s positive attributes, skills, and abilities relevant to the job role. In the video, the speaker advises aligning strengths with the job description to provide a tailored response during the interview. This ensures that candidates present themselves as the ideal fit for the position based on the qualities the employer is looking for.

💡Weaknesses

Weaknesses are areas where a candidate may need improvement. The speaker encourages candidates to acknowledge a genuine weakness but frame it as something they are actively working to improve. This strategy helps candidates appear self-aware and willing to grow, which is appealing to employers. For example, a candidate may admit difficulty with public speaking but express a desire to improve in that area.

💡Company Research

Company research involves gathering information about the organization’s mission, products, and culture before an interview. The video highlights that researching the company helps candidates answer questions like 'Why do you want to work for us?' It shows the interviewer that the candidate is genuinely interested in the organization and its values, which makes a positive impression.

💡Professional Appearance

Professional appearance refers to dressing appropriately for a job interview. The speaker stresses the importance of presenting oneself in a professional and polished manner, regardless of the role being applied for. This demonstrates respect for the opportunity and attention to detail, both of which are crucial in creating a good first impression during an interview.

💡Behavioral Questions

Behavioral questions are designed to assess how candidates have handled specific situations in the past, which can predict future performance. The video mentions the importance of backing up claims, such as being a good team player, with examples from previous job experiences. This helps interviewers assess a candidate’s practical experience and problem-solving abilities.

💡Positive Attitude

A positive attitude refers to maintaining an optimistic and professional demeanor during the interview. The speaker advises against speaking negatively about former employers or co-workers, as this can create a bad impression. Instead, candidates should focus on the positives, such as seeking new challenges, which shows that they are adaptable and forward-thinking.

💡Follow-up

Following up after the interview involves sending a thank-you email to the hiring manager. The speaker explains that this polite gesture can leave a lasting positive impression and demonstrate professionalism. The email should express gratitude for the opportunity, reaffirm interest in the role, and offer to provide any additional information if needed.

💡Interview Nerves

Interview nerves refer to the anxiety and stress candidates often experience before and during interviews. The video suggests several techniques to overcome nerves, such as treating the interview as a 'meeting' and preparing thoroughly. By doing so, candidates can feel more in control and deliver answers more confidently, increasing their chances of success.

Highlights

Prepare your answer to the first question, 'Tell me about yourself,' as it helps ease interview anxiety.

Give a positive and confident example when answering 'Tell me about yourself' to set the tone for the rest of the interview.

Read the job description carefully before the interview to align your strengths with the required skills.

Avoid speaking negatively about previous employers to maintain a positive and professional impression.

Research the company thoroughly before the interview to impress with detailed answers on why you want to work for them.

Don't mention pay or benefits as your main motivation for applying; instead, focus on job satisfaction and contributing to the company.

Dress professionally to make a strong first impression and show respect for the interview process.

Prepare three smart questions to ask at the end of the interview, such as how to excel in the role or next steps in the process.

Maintain proper posture during the interview to show discipline and engagement.

Practice viewing the interview as a meeting to reduce nerves and maintain control over your responses.

Provide a genuine weakness when asked about it, along with an explanation of how you are working to improve.

Practice your answers to common questions in front of a mirror or with someone else to build confidence.

Familiarize yourself with your resume and bring a copy to the interview in case the interviewer asks you to walk through it.

Support any claims about your skills with real-life examples to stand out as a credible candidate.

Follow up after the interview with a thank-you email to leave a positive, lasting impression.

Transcripts

hi there my name is richard mcmahon from

the interview training website

passmyinterview.com and in this next

tutorial i will give you 17 job

interview do's and don'ts so if you have

a job interview coming up for any role

or any organization the interview tips

that i'm about to give you are going to

make a massive difference to your

performance at your job interview and

just very quickly if you are new to the

channel please make sure you hit the

subscribe button because then i can keep

you updated with all the latest

interview tips top scoring answers and

strategies and please give the video a

like because that tells me you find the

tutorials useful thank you very much

let's get straight into the presentation

number one

do make sure you get your answer ready

to the first interview question tell me

about yourself now most people get hit

by interview nerves at the start of

their job interview but a great way to

quickly overcome any anxiety or

interview jitters is to make sure you

prepare your answer to the question tell

me about yourself because if you can

answer this question with confidence it

sets you up nicely for the rest of your

interview here's a great example answer

to the interview question tell me about

yourself tell me about yourself here we

go i am a dedicated hard-working

professional who takes great pride in

the work i do for my employer now being

someone who already has the skills and

qualities needed in this role i am

confident i can quickly have a positive

impact in your team over the years i've

worked in several positions that have

prepared me for this role i have a

proven track record of achievement for

example in my last job i helped the

company increase sales by recommending

different ways to my manager that the

company could advertise its products and

services more effectively online

outside of work i keep myself fit and

active which in turn enables me to

maintain optimum concentration levels

when i am at work

people have often described me as

trustworthy and reliable a great

teamworker and someone who is not afraid

to take on challenges that are outside

of my comfort zone if you do employ me i

will work hard to help the company beat

its closest competitors and i will

strive to continually improve in the

position that's a fantastic answer to

that first interview question tell me

about yourself number two

do read the job description before you

attend your interview now the job

description tells you the different

skills and qualities the interviewer is

looking for now if you know the skills

and qualities needed for the job you've

applied for you can easily answer the

interview question what are your

strengths

now all you need to do is align your

strengths with those listed on the job

description number three don't be

negative about former employers or

co-workers now a surefire way to fail

your interview is to talk negatively

about your previous employer now lots of

candidates do this because they feel

their employer treated them poorly they

had a bad boss or the work environment

was toxic however it is essential that

you come across in your interview as a

positive and friendly collaborator who

can easily fit into their team so when

the interviewer says to you why do you

want to leave your job say this i want

to leave my job because i am seeking a

fresh challenge with a different team

where i can put my experience skills and

expertise to good use

i've loved working for my employer but i

am now ready for a change with hopefully

your company in this role number four

do make sure you research the company

before your job interview now a simple

yet highly effective way to impress at

your job interview is to research their

company my advice is to look at their

website check out their social media

pages and look into their products and

services now by researching their

company it will enable you to answer the

interview questions why do you want to

work for us and what you know about our

company number five don't ever say the

pay or the benefits are what made you

apply for the position now when the

hiring manager says to you why do you

want this job don't mention the pay or

the perks instead give an answer that

shows you want the job for reasons that

allow you to work in a positive

environment and that will enable you to

achieve your goals so here's a brilliant

example answer to the tough interview

question why do you want this job why do

you want this job here we go i want this

job because my research tells me you

have a great company culture and working

environment and you support your staff

to be the best versions of themselves

possible i want this job because i feel

i can make a big difference to the team

in the role and i will be able to add

value to your company job satisfaction

is very important to me and i believe i

will be very happy in this position for

many years to come number six

do make sure you dress professionally

for your job interview now regardless of

the job you are applying for make an

effort in your appearance it says so

much about your intentions and it also

tells the interviewer you have high

standards so for example if i turned up

to a job interview dressed like this

would you hire me probably not so make

an effort in your appearance make sure

you dress professionally because it will

make a big difference number seven do

make sure you have three smart questions

ready to ask at the end of your job

interview now there is a strong

possibility the hiring manager will say

to you at the end of your interview do

you have any questions for us now this

is your chance to show the interviewer

you want to work for their company you

want it to succeed and you are a smart

person who they should seriously

consider hiring let me now give you

three great questions to ask at the end

of your interview question number one

what advice would you give to the

successful candidate who wants to excel

in the role question number two what

would you need me to concentrate on in

the first 30 days of starting that's a

great question and number three what are

the next steps of the process and when

could i contact you to find out the

results of my interview number eight do

not slouch in the interview chair this

is really poor because if you do slouch

in the interview chair it gives the

impression you are lazy and you lack

discipline make sure you sit upright in

the interview chair smile and be

confident in your abilities number nine

don't let nerves get the better of you

now one of the reasons why so many

people fail interviews is because nerves

get the better of them now one way to

overcome interview nerves is to start

treating the interview as a meeting

between you and a potential employer now

the word interview makes you feel

nervous so by treating it as a meeting

which at the end of the day that's all

it is will help you regain control of

your feelings now for more tips on how

to overcome interview nerves click the

link at the top of the video when you're

ready number 10

don't ever say in an interview you don't

have any weaknesses so during your job

interview you will need to answer the

tough interview question what's your

biggest weakness it is essential you do

actually give a weakness here's a great

response what's your biggest weakness i

would say my biggest weakness is the

fact that i'm not very good yet at

talking in front of large groups of

people i get quite nervous and i forget

what it is i want to say however this is

an area i would genuinely like to

improve in and if there are any

opportunities for me to give

presentations in this role i would love

to give it a try number 11

do make sure you practice your answers

before the interview now one of the best

ways to get ready for your job interview

is to sit down in front of a friend or

relative or even in front of a mirror

and practice your answers to the

questions that are most likely to come

up during your job interview now there

are ten

common questions that feature during all

job interviews here they are question

one tell me about yourself question two

why do you want to work for us question

three what you know about our company

question four why should we hire you

question five what are your strengths

question six what's your biggest

weakness question seven why do you want

to leave your job question number eight

how would you handle conflict with a

co-worker question nine where do you see

yourself in five years and question ten

do you have any questions for us now if

you want brilliant top scoring answers

to those 10 questions and more click

that link in the top right hand corner

of the video when you're ready number 12

do make sure you read through your cv or

resume before the interview now at the

start of your job interview the hiring

manager might ask you to read through

your resume they might say walk me

through your resume therefore it's a

great idea to not only familiarize

yourself with the document but you can

also take a copy along with you to the

interview so you can refer to it number

13 don't say you are good at something

without being able to back it up with

evidence what do i mean by that well

anybody can say during their interview

they are a good team worker or they are

great at solving problems but not

everybody can back up their claims with

evidence so if you want to stand out

during your job interview make sure you

have previous examples ready of where

you have worked as part of a team and

solved a difficult problem at work

because if you give the hiring manager

examples of these under other important

workplace competencies you are far more

likely to get hired number 14

don't rush your answers now there is a

tendency when we are nervous to speak

quickly we rush our answers because we

want the interview to be over now this

is a mistake

calm yourself down

think before you give your answer to the

question and then speak in a calm and

controlled manner because when you slow

down

it puts you across as a confident and

self-assured person number 15 do make

sure you say during your interview that

you are a flexible and adaptable person

this is a great one now one of the

things the hiring manager will look for

from the successful candidate is

flexibility and adaptability if you can

show the hiring manager you are willing

to put in extra hours or make yourself

available to come into work at short

notice when needed you are again far

more likely to get hired number 16

do always show good manners throughout

the interview now good manners are

rarely utilized during job interviews

but they are a great way to impress the

hiring manager so be polite to the

receptionist when you turn up for your

interview don't sit down in the

interview chair until invited to do so

and at the start of the interview say

thank you for being given the

opportunity to be interviewed for the

job so good manners will go a long way

to helping you get the job you deserve

number 17 do make sure you follow up

once you get home after the interview so

one of the best ways to give a good

impression is to send a thank you email

to the hiring manager once you get home

from your interview here's what to send

dear sir madam thank you for giving me

the chance to be interviewed for the

position today i thoroughly enjoyed the

process and learning more about your

company i would very much love to work

for your organization and if you need

any further information to help you make

a decision please do not hesitate to

contact me kind regards richard mcmahon

so there's 17 job interview do's and

don'ts really important tips great tips

that will help you be the standout

candidate at your job interview now if

you want to accelerate your learning

even further and you want to beat all of

the competition at your interview click

that link right now in the top right

hand corner of the video head through to

my website pass myinterview.com and you

can download my full set of 50 top

scoring answers to difficult interview

questions it's a fantastic resource you

can have it within your inbox within two

minutes from now and it's going to help

make you be the standout candidate at

your interview finally don't forget to

hit the subscribe button please do give

the video a like i very much appreciate

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linkedin i have put my linkedin link in

the description below the video thank

you very much for watching and i wish

you all the best for passing your

interview