Stop kicking yourself. The interview is over and you’ve given it your best shot. Sure, you made a few mistakes. Few are perfect in the pressure cooker of a job interview.
But you can get better for next time. By paying attention to your results.
Because many are getting precious few interview opportunities these days. And so it would make sense to prepare for a job interview like your career depended upon it. Because it might.
How are you preparing? And what results are you getting?
The question today is about interview regrets. When you leave the interview kicking yourself for one of the following reasons:
1. You got “cute” or tried to be funny with the wrong person during the first 5 minutes of the interview.
2. When asked for examples of leadership, a tough situation, a personal triumph, a lesson learned . . . you froze.
3. You decided to write a resume that suggested experience you don’t really have. And paid a price.
4. You left the impression that you’d be fine working independently when you are really a social person.
5. You ordered pasta with red sauce during the lunch interview. And paid the price.
6. You prepared great questions to determine fit and never asked them. Instead you were a punching bag for a one way interview
7. You did not adapt well to the various interview styles during the day. And your candidacy did not impress.
8. You did not take time to relax and take in the surroundings. To look and listen for key signs about the company.
9. You answered your very first question and just kept on talking. You began to meander beyond the scope of the question and lost impact as a result.
10. You did not engage anyone. While you had a few really good stories to tell, you’d never practiced them. Only written them down. And it showed.
Ideally there are no regrets. You do your best during the interview day and learn for next time.
But you will always wish you reacted one way instead of another. It is common to analyze your mistakes. But it would be nice to have made them in a mock interview or in a practice interview first.
Have you scheduled a mock interview? If not, grab a fellow job seeker and get it scheduled. You can help each other avoid the regrets above. And allow you to relax on interview day.
Doesn’t that sound nice?
What about you? What have been your big interview regrets and how have you learned from them?
