Glassdoor<\/a>.<\/p>\nNow, that\u2019s not to discourage you or suggest that recruiters don\u2019t care about you. The point is, though, that they go through the interview process a lot more often than you do \u2014 so when you give what you think seems like a well thought-out, unique and interesting response, they may have already heard it a few times that week alone.<\/p>\n
If you truly want to stand out in their eyes, Glassdoor, says you need to avoid these clich\u00e9 answers and dig deeper into what kind of information they\u2019re really looking for.<\/p>\n
But which interview responses are the worst offenders, and what should you say instead?<\/p>\n
The recruitment specialist reached out to a number of recruiters, HR professionals, career coaches and other experts to hear their thoughts.<\/p>\n
These are the seven answers they advised job seekers avoid at all costs:<\/p>\n
\nSituation #1<\/strong><\/p>\nQ: Tell me about yourself.<\/strong><\/p>\nA:<\/strong> Details of your family life, medical history or professional flaws.<\/p>\nWhy It\u2019s Bad<\/strong>: \u201cAvoid ANYTHING personal that will be held against you in the interview or if you are hired. There are topics such as health and family that the employer should not bring up (because it\u2019s illegal.) You should avoid these things too. Also, don\u2019t bring up your shortcomings. If you are invited to interview, the interviewers believe you can do the job. Be confident and believe in yourself,\u201d said Devay Campbell, Career Coach at Career 2 Cents.<\/p>\nWhat to Say Instead<\/strong>: A narrative that outlines your work experience thus far, why it\u2019s relevant to the current position, where you want it to take you and, if you have time left, a couple short details that shed light on who you are as a person, such as interests and hobbies.<\/p>\n
\nSituation #2<\/strong><\/p>\nQ: Tell me what you know about the company.<\/strong><\/p>\nA: Very obvious details, like their industry, or avoiding a straight answer completely.<\/p>\n
Why It\u2019s Bad<\/strong>: Failing to research the company that you\u2019re applying to suggests to the interviewer that you either don\u2019t truly take it seriously, are lazy or just don\u2019t have common sense. \u201cIf [candidates] are unprepared to answer this question, the likelihood of them securing a position with a company shrinks dramatically,\u201d said Dave Lopes, Director of Recruiting at Badger Maps.<\/p>\n\u201cEven fifteen minutes of browsing their website will prepare the candidate to answer this question adequately.\u201d<\/p>\n
What to Say Instead<\/strong>: Describe things like the product\/service the company provides, their target market and their business model, among other publicly available, business-critical information.<\/p>\n
\nSituation #3<\/strong><\/p>\nQ: What\u2019s your greatest strength?<\/strong><\/p>\nA: \u201cI\u2019m a team player.\u201d<\/p>\n
Why It\u2019s Bad<\/strong>: \u201c[The] answer is too broad \u2014 no specifics about your unique qualities,\u201d said Laura MacLeod, HR expert and consultant at From The Inside Out Project. \u201cEVERYONE should be a \u2018team player\u2019 \u2014 so what makes you special? Feels forced and inauthentic, [like you\u2019re just] spouting a phrase you think HR wants to hear.\u201d<\/p>\nWhat to Say Instead<\/strong>: \u201cBe specific about HOW you collaborate with co-workers and connect with other departments to produce the best product [and] WHY you think it\u2019s crucial to develop these connections and develop relationships. Give examples from previous work experience,\u201d MacLeod said.<\/p>\n
\nSituation #4<\/strong><\/p>\nQ: What\u2019s your greatest weakness?<\/strong><\/p>\nA: \u201cI work too hard\/I\u2019m a perfectionist.\u201d<\/p>\n
Why It\u2019s Bad<\/strong>: \u201cThis answer comes from candidates who are trying to share something they perceive as a strength, cloaked as a weakness. Who wouldn\u2019t want an employee whose biggest flaw is being too driven or striving for perfection?\u201d said Mikaela Kiner of UniquelyHR.<\/p>\n\u201cThe problem is that the candidates who provide this answer are unwilling to admit to their real areas of development. We all have them \u2014 I want to talk to people who know what theirs are, and are actively working to improve.\u201d<\/p>\n
What to Say Instead<\/strong>: \u201cCandidates should be honest. By the time we\u2019ve had a few jobs, I think each of us knows what we need to work on,\u201d Kiner said. \u201cBe ready to honestly share something you need to develop, how you know\/who\u2019s given you feedback and what you\u2019re doing to get better.<\/p>\nThe ideal answer demonstrates a willingness to be self-aware, and also that you\u2019re a continuous learner.\u201d<\/p>\n
\nSituation #5<\/strong><\/p>\nQ: Where do yourself in five years?<\/strong><\/p>\nA: \u201cDoing this job still.\u201d<\/p>\n
Why It\u2019s Bad<\/strong>: \u201cA lot of interviewees say this because they believe it shows a great deal of loyalty and commitment to the company, making them the perfect hire. However, what this actually does is suggest a lack of ambition. Employers don\u2019t want to know that you will want to be in the same position five years later, they want to know what you will do to develop yourself and the company,\u201d said Steve Pritchard, HR Consultant for Ben Sherman.<\/p>\n\u201c[This] is your opportunity to showcase your ambition and drive. Five years is a long time, and to suggest to a potential boss that you don\u2019t see yourself progressing at all in that time shows a distinct absence of zeal.\u201d<\/p>\n
What to Say Instead<\/strong>: \u201cCandidates who truly want the job will know a natural progression\u2026 can occur in that role, but a bit of extra research couldn\u2019t hurt,\u201d Pritchard said.<\/p>\n\u201cResearch the various departments within the company and see where there may be opportunity to branch out. Explain to the interviewer your goals; how would you like to grow within the department? More to the point, ultimately, how would you like to help grow the department and indeed the business? What skills do you possess that help you to achieve this?<\/p>\n
Naturally, you want your employer to believe you will be a loyal worker who won\u2019t jump ship in the next couple of years. At the same time, though, you should be giving them an explanation as to why you are worth keeping for five years in the first place.\u201d<\/p>\n
\nSituation #6<\/strong><\/p>\nQ: Why do you want to work here?<\/strong><\/p>\nA: \u201cBecause I need a job.\u201d<\/p>\n
Why It\u2019s Bad<\/strong>: You might think this candid answer could come off as funny or refreshingly honest, but make no mistake: If you don\u2019t give a real reason why a company should hire you, they won\u2019t. There are almost always plenty of other candidates for them to choose from.<\/p>\nWhat to Say Instead<\/strong>: \u201cTo answer this correctly, you must [do] research on the company and have [an] answer about the things they believe in, new products or [initiatives] or where they are going,\u201d Campbell said.<\/p>\nA few better answers?<\/p>\n
\u201cYou are a leader in the _____ industry and I want to be aligned with an organization [that\u2019s] on the cutting edge and leading the pack,\u201d \u201c[your] mission of ______ is aligned with my personal values,\u201d or \u201cI am excited that you\u2026 just introduced (or will be introducing) ______ to [the] market. You are doing great things and I am certain I can learn and grow here,\u201d said Campbell.<\/p>\n
\nSituation #7<\/strong><\/p>\nQ: \u201cWhy should I hire you this for this position?\u201d<\/strong>
\nA: \u201cBecause I\u2019m passionate about it.\u201d<\/p>\nWhy It\u2019s Bad<\/strong>: \u201cBeing passionate does not help you stand out from other candidates,\u201d says Natasha Bowman, Chief Consultant at Performance ReNEW and author of the book You Can\u2019t Do That At Work! 100 Common Mistakes That Managers Make. \u201cA more unique, appropriate response would be to specifically align your background with that of the organization.\u201d<\/p>\nWhat to Say Instead<\/strong>: \u201cDemonstrate your passion by discussing quantifiable results you\u2019ve obtained for other organizations,\u201d Bowman says. \u201cHow active [are you] in industry trade organizations? What measures do you take to develop yourself outside of the workplace?\u201d<\/p>\n
\nRead: 15 interview questions you should be prepared to answer<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"When you finally score an interview, it can feel like a huge deal. And to you, it is! It\u2019s the first big step towards finally getting the job of your dreams.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":10,"featured_media":267145,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[9872],"tags":[7186,26],"class_list":["post-288498","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-business","tag-glassdoor","tag-headline"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/businesstech.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/288498","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/businesstech.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/businesstech.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/businesstech.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/10"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/businesstech.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=288498"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/businesstech.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/288498\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":289868,"href":"https:\/\/businesstech.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/288498\/revisions\/289868"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/businesstech.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/267145"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/businesstech.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=288498"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/businesstech.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=288498"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/businesstech.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=288498"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}