When you’re interviewing for a job, the last thing you want to do is inadvertently say something that makes your interviewer cringe — and yet some of the most common lines used in interviews do exactly that. Here are five things you might be tempted to say that will make your interviewer internally roll her eyes. (So avoid the temptation!)
[See: 25 Best Business Jobs for 2017.]
1. “I’m the perfect candidate for this job.” Maybe someone somewhere once said this and was correct, but most candidates who say this aren’t. Strong candidates tend to know that they can’t possibly tell from the outside if they’re “perfect” for the job or not because what makes someone a good fit is nearly always more nuanced than what can be captured in a job description. Plus, as a candidate, you don’t know what strengths the other candidates for the job might bring. So this kind of statement marks you as naïve at best, and can feel pretty awkward for an interviewer who knows that you’re not quite as well-matched as you just announced you are.
2. “How do I get your job?” Candidates who ask this generally think they’re showing initiative and ambition, but it comes across as off-key. Interviewers want you to be enthusiastic about the job they’re interviewing you for, not one several steps up. It can also make interviewers feel really awkward if the answer to the question is “Wait for me to leave or retire.”
[See: 8 Important Questions to Ask Your Job Interviewer — And Yourself.]
3. “I’m a perfectionist.” If you read any advice on interviewing, you’ve probably read that you should claim that your biggest weakness is that you’re a perfectionist or you work too hard or have trouble leaving your work at the office at night. In other words, the advice goes, offer up something that the interviewer will think is a good thing and not much of a weakness at all. But this strategy has become so cliché that most interviewers recognize it easily and roll their eyes at it, and you’ll look disingenuous or lacking in self-awareness. What’s more, most of these answers don’t actually reflect well on you anyway. For example, if say you’re a perfectionist, you may be conveying that you spend energy on the wrong things, miss deadlines and struggle with productivity.
4. “I don’t really have any questions.” You should have questions! Asking questions is how you determine if this job, this manager and this employer are right for you, and good interviewers want to see that you’re thinking critically about those things. Hearing a candidate say that she doesn’t have any questions about the job she’s contemplating spending more than 40 hours a week at for the next several years is alarming for a hiring manager. It says that the candidate either isn’t very interested in the job or isn’t thinking deeply enough about it.
I sometimes hear candidates say that all the questions they had were already answered during the earlier part of the interview. While that may be true of all of your prepared questions, now that you’ve learned more you probably have different, more nuanced questions. Build on the conversation you’ve already had, and ask new questions. Don’t squander the opportunity to better inform yourself about a job that you’re seriously considering accepting. (Of course, if you’ve decided during the interview that the job isn’t right for you, it’s fine not to ask additional questions. In that case, it makes sense to just let things wrap up.)
[Read: The 10 Most Common Interview Questions.]
5. “So how did I do?” Other versions of this question include “Is there any reason you don’t think I’m a great fit for the job?” and even “Did I get the job?” These types of questions put your interviewer on the spot in an uncomfortable way. If the answer is “You did great,” she may have no problem sharing that — but often the answer is something more like “Eh, you did OK but not great,” or even “Not so good.” And sometimes your interviewer may just want some time to process her thoughts or get input from others before reaching any conclusions. This kind of question comes across like you’re trying to pin the interviewer down before she’s ready to share her assessment. And making your interviewer feel awkward isn’t the final impression you want to leave her with.
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5 Interview Lines That Make Job Interviewers Cringe originally appeared on usnews.com
