If you’re preparing for an interview, you should know that there are a host of things not to say. Most of the things you shouldn’t say are common sense: no cursing, no slang, no inappropriate jokes, and so forth. But most people wouldn’t think of being rude during an interview, because there’s a potential job on the line and those don’t come along often these days.
However some interviewees don’t know where to draw the line with certain questions and topics. I’d say that the three most dangerous topics during a job interview are money, previous employment, and whatever company is conducting the interview at that time. So I’d like to address each of these topics in the context of a job interview so you know what not to say.
Negative comments about your former employer
When you’re in an interview setting, both you and the person conducting the interview know that you want a job. So there’s no reason that you need to badmouth your previous (or current) employer in order to make your intention clear. Nor do you need to make fun of your previous employer in an effort to look cool or unaffected by leaving them. This kind of behavior is typically looked down upon by interviewers because it makes you look immature and unable to discuss your job history in a positive light. It also begs the question of whether or not you’d do the same thing if you ever left the company conducting the interview.
Blunt questions about pay and benefits
The worst thing you could do in an interview is ask about money from the start. You need to understand that there is a purposeful and structured quality to all job interviews, with certain topics taking priority over others. The subject of payment won’t come up at all until the interviewer thinks that you’re a qualified candidate for the job, and that moment might not even come up during your first interview. During your first interview, the potential employer will try to understand how your skills could fit in with the rest of the company. It’s more or less a discussion of your worth ethic, experience, and character. So if you ask about money up front, the only thing the interviewer will know about your character is that you have money on the brain. And that’s not a good thing.
Questions about the company’s basic structure
Interviewers expect some level of preparedness from you, and that includes knowing a bit about your potential employer. If you’re being interviewed by a restaurant, you should know something about their cuisine and some of the more popular items on the menu. If you’re interviewing at a law firm, you should at least express some interest in their area of law even if you don’t know anything about it. If you just feign ignorance about everything the company does, you run the risk of looking ill informed or downright disinterested, neither of which is attractive to a company looking for new hires. So make sure to do some research before you go in for the interview!
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This guest post is contributed by Angelita Williams, who writes on the topics of online courses. She welcomes your comments at her email Id: angelita.williams7 @gmail.com.