The Top 3 Job Interview Traps You MUST Avoid (These will kill your chances quick)

By Mike Simpson - Job Interview Expert & Coach

 

Did you know that the job interview room is riddled with “traps”?

Did you know that 79% of people that fail to get a job offer from their job interview did so because they didn’t avoid a trap that was set by the Hiring Manager!?

Hiring Managers need to find the best candidate, and they do this by getting rid of the poor candidates one at a time.

How do they do this? By setting traps to trip you up and take you out of the running.waiting-room

Some of the traps will jump out at you right away, and should be a peace of cake for you to spot.  However, other traps are not as obvious, and are so sneakily set that you don’t even notice they’re there until it’s too late.

But don't worry in this article we're going to show you how to sidestep the top 3 trickiest job interview traps you'll ever face.

Why should you read this article?

Well, my partner Jeff Gillis and I have met with thousands of Hiring Managers from around the world, from small businesses and “Mom & Pop Shops” to massive multinational corporations and Fortune 500 companies and through these meetings we have identified almost every trap employed in the interview arena.

We have used this insider info in our private coaching sessions to teach our students how to recognize these traps and avoid them (and how to even turn those traps to their advantage).

Of course, not everyone has the luxury of taking private coaching sessions with us, so we thought we would share the top 3 trickiest traps that are most commonly employed...

These are 3 of the most common and toughest traps that Hiring Managers set that you need to be able to recognize and avoid:

Trap #1 – The “Waiting Room” Trap

If you’ve ever had a job interview, you know that every potential candidate is subjected to the waiting room, the often-small area where you sit and wait to be called for your turn in the actual interview room.

But what you probably don’t know is that many modern companies are actually using these waiting rooms to their advantage in the interview process . What may seem like a tranquil, relaxing environment is actually set up as a potential trap that can derail your job interview before you even set foot in the actual interview room!

How does the company accomplish this?

Their main (sneaky) technique is through preplanned, fabricated interactions with the receptionist.

On the most basic level, they will encourage the receptionist to “chat you up” and get a general feel for your personality. But did you know that some companies will even give them a list of prearranged questions to ask and instruct the receptionist to write down your responses?

But that’s not all. More than ever, companies are also using other employees from the company in a similar way.

For example, you may be sitting in the waiting room and someone (often an employee of the department you are interviewing for) just happens to pass by and may ask you a few seemingly innocuous questions or engage in you some idle banter...

Don't assume this is by accident!

After the interview, the Hiring Manager will sit down with this person and dissect your personality. By using this tactic, the Hiring Manager is able to get an opinion of how well you will fit in with the direct team you will be working with.

What does all of this mean? Well, from the second you walk through the door of the building, you should expect to be tested. So smile and be friendly to everyone. Be polite. Answer questions thoughtfully and intelligently. Project yourself as someone who is likeable and easy to work with, but more importantly, someone who takes his/her work seriously and is there to get the job done.

TIP: A good way to turn this trap to your advantage is to do some research into the company's "culture" beforehand to find out exactly what type of workers they like to hire. Are employees more casual? More professional? Whatever you discover make sure you project that with your interactions with the receptionist and any employees you run into...

Go to the NEXT PAGE to see the #2 job interview trap you MUST avoid. (Click the button below)