What NOT to Say in an Interview - Top 12 Things

Hey everyone, this is self made Millennial. I'm Madeline Mann and today I will tell you 12 things that you should definitely not say in job interviews. These are things that people say all the time and you might think they're harmless, but it actually loses them the job. For highly modern and actionable career and job search tips from the person in HR and recruiting who has seen it all. Make sure you subscribe to this channel and hit the bell to get a new video every Thursday. I'm in these interviews. I'm also the one who hears back from all the interviewers to hear their feedback about the candidates. And yes, avoiding these phrases will put you way ahead of your competition who isn't sitting here on YouTube improving your career. Give yourself a round of applause, a sitting o, a seal of approval, and stick around for number 12 as I tell you the most important question that you will be asked in the interview and what the worst answer is, which is actually one of the most common answers. You could be making this mistake and losing the job, but I will help you. And what is the worst answer? Number one, don't ask about salary and benefits in the first call. Let them bring it up. It makes you come off as extrinsically motivated and thinking, hey, what's in it for me? Instead of focusing on a mutual fit between you and the company and the role now. Also, the longer you wait to talk about compensation, often the more leverage you have to negotiate. That's the name of the game, people. I don't make the rules, I make the videos. So. So it's in your best interest to actually hold out. I'll link a popular video on how to negotiate salary on the screen and in the Description. Tip number 2 don't make salary personal. Building off of the last point when it's time to discuss salary, do not give reasons for wanting a certain salary that have to do with your lifestyle. I want this salary because I just had a kid, so I have a lot of expenses. I need the salary to pay for my car payments. You should be paid for what you're worth, not for how many expenses you've accrued. Take a look at industry data and see how much people with the same title make and emphasize any especially desirable skills or knowledge you have that would put you at a higher pay grade. Number three, do not say you haven't tried the product or the service. If they have an accessible product, try it before your interview. Gosh, get the free trial or something. If that isn't feasible, then read reviews online. Ask someone who has been a client of theirs or or just do something to understand it. I was talking to a CEO of a small yogurt company and she says that anyone who hasn't tried the yogurt before the interview is immediately disqualified. I get it. They're about to spend thousands and thousands of dollars hiring someone putting their butt in a seat every day and that person better give a crap a rooney about the product. Number four, don't ask what the company does. I don't remember your company. I just applied to a lot of jobs. Can you give me a refresher? Don't say that. I can almost always always tell when people are resume sprayers. So when they just look at the title of a job description and they shoot their resume over without really reading much about the company or really reading the job description, I can tell because the resumes are really generic and they either don't include a cover letter or they include a cover letter as the complete template. So pointless though. If they're qualified, I will sometimes go against my best judgment and reach out to them. And y', all, they always disappoint me. They're always scattered and unprepared for the call. So I'll link a full playlist of how to not be a resume sprayer in the description since this topic is too big to cover here, but you absolutely have to understand what a company does at a basic level before ever going into an interview with them. And never say that you don't know what a company does to someone who you're speaking to at that company. A fine way to put it is something like I've read a bit about your company and I was very interested in the work you're doing. I would love to hear more about the company from your perspective now. That's perfectly fine. You need to know something about the company, but you definitely don't need to know everything. Number five, don't say you need this job. A sob story is not a bestseller and no one is booking tickets to your guilt trip either. Don't focus on what you need. Focus on the value you can give to the company. And if you feel yourself having that creeping desperation, wanting your closing thoughts in the interview to be I would do anything for this role. Instead, translate that into passion and say it would be dream to work here. I'm very interested in your company. Number six. Playing it cool now. Others played off like I don't really need this job. One person even said to me, you probably can't even afford me and said many Other playing hard to get types of things. Even though he applied for the role, companies will reject qualified people who don't want to work there as much as others because it indicates a lack of passion and motivation. Number seven, don't talk bad about previous employers. You know why? Because they are thinking, well, we're next. We are going to do something to get this person all hot and bothered and then they are going to go run off to the next company that they're going to work for and spill the tea. It also puts you in the victim seat, which in an interview, it's not the time to sit there. I will put a link to the video on how to answer the question why are you leaving your job? Which I show you how to be honest about having a crummy boss or work situation, but framing it in a way that it doesn't actually reflect poorly on you. I mean, I'm essentially teaching you some Jedi mind tricks. I'll link that in the description and I want to add a tip onto this tip and tell you to say the nicest things about your previous employers and coworkers. Saying that you worked on an amazing team, that you were inspired by your boss, and generally lifting up others actually makes you look really good. So don't be shy about doing that. Number eight, don't say I'm good at everything. When you say you're good at everything, it means you're great at nothing. It actually makes it more difficult for a company to slot you into a role when you're so generic about the way you brand yourself and represent your skills. I'll link an entire video I did on this Jack of all trades mentality and spoiler alert. There's a reason why when you open up someone's kitchen drawer, you find spoons and forks, but no sporks. Don't be a spork. Number nine, I want your job. This is a classic mistake that when you asked about your future, you say, well, I'm going to get your job manager, or I want the CEO's job. And this can be interpreted as impatience, a lack of interest in the current job, and that you actually have a high potential of leaving the company. I have a full video on how to answer the question where do you see yourself in five years that you've got to watch and craft a better answer, and I'll link it in the description. Number 10, stuck on old accomplishments. Interviewers want to know what you've accomplished lately, such as within the last three to five years, and have it be related to the role that you're interviewing for. Some people, when they're answering the question tell me about yourself or tell me about one of your biggest accomplishments, they go way back to when they got a high score on their SATs, most likely a completely useless skill for whatever job you're interviewing for. And I've even had people focus on when they built a company when they were 12. If you don't focus on accomplishments within the last few years, they will interpret that as you being a low performer and that you kind of peaked early. Build those recent examples and I will show you how to do this in my video on how to do behavioral interviews. I will link that in the description. Number 11 overconfidence. Don't say I'm the best there is. You can't find anyone else out there like me. You are definitely there to sell yourself, but this comes off as cocky and you actually have no idea what the talent pool looks like. So stick to emphasizing your objective accomplishments and results that you have achieved. Number 12 do not say that you don't have any questions. This is so huge. Many companies will ask you at the end of the interview, do you have any questions for me? And your answer should always be yes. Saying no shows a lack of you vetting the opportunity from your end, lack of curiosity and a lack of analysis of your situation. Your questions should be tailored to the role and the company, asking about major milestones and expectations for the role dynamics on the team. That kind of stuff. Now I've also pre written some questions for you to ask and I will link that video in the description. I'll link a free download of how to craft your perfect answer in the interview to the question Tell me about yourself. This will help you a lot and I will link it in the description like this video and subscribe to this channel. Thanks so much everyone. Wi Fi High five.