If you're nervous, don't accept a cup of coffee if offered. You're jittery already.

12) When they ask you to name your weaknesses, don't say "Kryptonite."

Would 'losing a little internal pressure' (so to speak) make the list?
Not that I've personally done that.

Most of these are common sense.

As someone who's interviewed several dozen professional job applicants over the years, items 2 & 5 from their list are the most resonant for me.

2. Bad-mouthing your previous job, manager, or company.
5. Answering a question before you understand it.

To their list, I would add:

+ Lying.
+ Asking too many personal questions.
+ Defensive or passive-aggressive behavior.
+ Pretending to know more than you do (goes with #5).

Bring your own bottle of water. It can give meaning to those awkward moments when you don't know what to say by simply taking a breath and sipping on your water. This has helped me in the past get through panel job interviews. Those really are hard because you have to connect to 3 or more people all at once. It's hard to give each person the amount of time needed to make a good impression.

@bilge: @doctor_cos: It probably would, unless you're interviewing for Parker & Stone or Judd Apatow's production companies...

You should always try to be early if you can, but it's especially true if you're interviewing on a Friday or late in the afternoon.

It's likely that some of the interview panel you'll be encountering are just normal workers that want to go home, so if you're late, that'll make them late too. Believe me, if I was on such a panel and you did that, you'd be at a disadvantage already.

@yagisencho:

Passive aggressive? What do you mean by that?

@yagisencho: Agreed about number 5 but it could also be worded "Don't answer a specific question with a general claim".

I have interviewed a dozen or so people and I always do the behavioral interview part, almost all my questions start with "Can you tell me about a time when...", I usually pass on the people who only give me general answers or who use the situation as more of a hypothetical instead of a situation they have actually encountered and had to respond to.

I always give them a few moments to think about their answers, that is what I'm looking for anyways.

Another thing would be to not answer their questions. I was asked in a behavioral interview "What state would you choose to become an independent country and why?" I answered without much hesitation and didn't think more of it. Afterwords, the interviewer told me that many college students would say "I don't know" and would not try to answer, even though there is no "real" answer.

Stay positive throughout the interview, especially during your "black marks", ie, Firings/Terminations, etc. Interviewers will try to pull negativity out of you, but keeping positive even during those negative questions will help immensely. For instance, if you got fired for a job because of a bad boss, phrase your response similar to, "I was terminated because of a disagreement between my boss and I, though the actual termination came as a shock (It did to me, anyways); I really enjoyed my job and associated duties, and continued to perform above company standards. Even my immediate boss was surprised at my termination by the District Manager, but I don't hold any sort of grudge or negativity against the company itself."

Don't lie, either. If you hated the job and the termination was really a blessing, try to keep it brief and as positive as possible. "The company and I parted ways on mutually agreeable terms on short notice" is a wonderful way of covering up "I was fired because my boss and I fought consistently and I hated my job."

@WalrusTaco: And when asked about little known facts about yourself don't say "There is a bounty on my head."

True story - buddy of mine was interviewing for a job. The interview was being conducted by a VP and his executive assistant.

The VP wasn't being difficult, but the assistant was, to the point that the guy had decided he didn't want the job.

When she asked the inevitable question about his 5-year plan, he was tired and cranky and shot back to her - "hey, I saw your MBA on the wall. What part of being an executive assistant was part of YOUR 5-year plan."

Then he thanked the VP, got up, and walked out. A friend inside the company told him he ended up coming in second when the candidates were ranked at the end of the process.

Don't know your stuff and argue with the interviewer. I've been doing phone screens and people may say they have a bazillion years of experience but they cannot answer simple questions. I'm a software developer currently writing Java code, and the first question is "if you have a final List that's already instantiated, can you still add items to it?" A lot of people will say "no because it's declared 'final'". One person argued with me and promptly hung up after he wrote some sample code and realized he was wrong, but not before calling me an asshole.

Another one would be the recruiter pestering the interviewer. One guy I screened failed miserably yet the recruiter emailed me another three times asking how he could have possibly failed, giving me BrainBench scores and all sorts of other craziness. At first I was open to re-interviewing him, but by the third email I was very put off by the recruiter. My manager finally let me tell the recruiter that I'd interview the candidate again but should he fail a second time we would no longer accept any candidates from that recruiter.

Finally, if you're going to say you have 20 years of experience in something (in this case, the Java language), at least verify beforehand that it has been around for 20 years.

hmm no one said turn off your cellphone, which yea I got a call during an interview and the guy didnt look happy. I didnt get the job.

One of my last inteviews was completely killed by 2. I was so frustrated with my mgr I couldn't help the verbal diahrrea about him. I left feeling like id blown it, but I suppose it was a free therapy session and I found a good job elsewhere.

A long time ago, I rode the bus to an interview on a very hot day - unfamiliar business park neighborhood, got totally lost. The interviewer actually came and picked me up. Getting back out of her air-conditioned car, I fainted (obviously a poor breakfast). Did not get the job.

@bilge:
Plus, it'll give you bad breath. Not recommended.

(I've had interviewers drink coffee while interviewing me...ugh.)

@Gokuhouse: Or bring your own soft pretzel with nacho dipping sauce.

A good job interview goes both ways. You also need to determine if this is really a place you'd want to work. Check out, "The Ten Worst Job Interview Questions Ever" for some more tips.

[www.businesspundit.com]

Keep your feelings about how the interview is going close to the vest. One young woman I was interviewing broke into tears during a technical evaluation over the phone. She was probably doing better than she thought: no one expected her to know all the answers for an entry-level position, but her feeling that she had already failed and her obvious despair made it impossible to continue the interview. It's been about 8 years since then and the memory still tugs at my heart.

This video just became surprisingly relevant:

[loadingreadyrun.com]

never ever answer the "what's your greatest weakness?" question with "I push myself too hard/I'm too perfect" or a variant thereof. My old boss would always complain about how people all seemed to answer this question the same way.

Obviously brutal honesty is not advisable in this situation, but the best approach is to pick something that is slightly out of scope of your potential job (if you are applying for a desk job where you'll be using basic MS Office only, you can use web coding and design, for example) and say "I don't have as much experience with that as I'd like to...". But make sure not to end on that note so your interviewer takes away "applicant not familiar with HTML,"; rather, make sure that you mention tangible things you are doing to improve that skill-"...however, I have enrolled in a class on web design so hopefully in the future I can also contribute my skills in that area as well".

I wrote the above pretty quickly so it may sound a bit cheesy, but if you answer that question in a way that makes you sound like you fix holes in your knowledge rather than let them fester, you'll come across a lot better in the interview.

@Ragman: so, which state did you pick?

I'm guilty of #5-6 One of the first jobs I interviewed for right out of college in 2007 was for a tax accounting position at a large construction & engineering firm.

The first guy I interviewed with asked me why I wanted to go into tax vs. auditing. Having no prior expereince I first answered by saying "I'm not going to lie to you" (strike 1), then gave some terrible answer (strike 2).

The second guy was pretty easy going but he kept drowning on about Canada, international tax, even to the point where he was showing me orgaizational charts. I glazed over (strike 3).

Needless to say several months later I got a letter saying another candidate was chosen for the position.

@WalrusTaco: I would probably give the person the job if they said that, that would crack me up.

I always seem to have a knack for interviewing. Even when I don't get the job, they usually tell my headhunter they were impressed.

My toughest interview was done the Friday before Halloween and I was interviewed by Tweety bird, a sheep, a cowboy and a vampire. The company sponsored a holiday party for a local magnet school and these were some of the participants. I think I got that job based only on holding it together for the entire interview.

@Yoko Broke Up The Beatles: Ive been through a lot of interviews and have never been so close that i could smell their breath...

Aside from what the article and commentariat has said (which is mostly spot-on), there's one very important one:

Try. Especially in interviews where actual problems are asked of you. If you're thrown into a situation or question in which you haven't got the slightest idea of what you're supposed to do, don't panic or clam up.

You should honestly assess your ability ("I'm not experienced in that particular problem type", "I haven't come up with a situation like that", etc), think hard then use common sense in how you'd solve the problem ("it seems to me this would be a good way of going about it", "I'd have to research x and y before I have a good answer", "I think this could be a possible solution").

In my case, we are a company that has a rather specific engineering niche, and part of our interview for engineers is giving them a quick problem that they likely won't know how to solve, and ask a certain amount of different solutions. We're most interested in checking that their answers:
a) Make sense.
b) Are different enough from one another.
c) Are ingenious and not very complex.
d) Take into account viability (they don't need to be perfectly viable, just that they don't assume repulsor beams will be available).

"Being right" is almost only used as a break when we're between several applicants with equal marks. Especially when it comes to specialized positions, it's hard for a company to find someone who's an absolute perfect fit in terms of skills and knowledge. So a willingess to try, to explore viable solutions, and ingenuity are very important - after all, specific knowledge can be taught.

And, in the case that the interviewer is actually looking for someone with the specific skillset, then you're hosed anyway.

@Ragman:
It's gotta be California.

I've interviewed many, many candidates for a non-profit phone bank. I think my most horrifically memorable were:

1. Brought a friend without confirming first, mentioned her friend was a drug addict so would definitely have to stick around "for a few paychecks".
2. Interviewee told me he'd worked at a gym. I asked him why he left. He said he had a problem cleaning up the blood and semen in the saunas. He then giggled nervously and went into far too much detail before I could think of how to stop him. Points for honesty, extreme loss of points for lack of tact.
3. Prospect reeked of alcohol.
4. Prospect wore shorts and sandals. And a baseball cap.
5. Interviewee mentioned she had worked at a mall kiosk selling "Rosetta Stone" products. I joked that I thought there was just one. She had no idea what the Rosetta Stone artifact was.

@Grive: Good advice.

I'm a sysadmin, and in job interviews when I've been asked specific technical questions I don't know the answer to, I've found it's pretty effective to say, "I don't know, but here's where I'd look up the answer."

"Where do you see yourself if five years?"

"I'll have "VP" in my buzzard-laden title. I will have a corner off with it's own washroom, a secretary, company jet privileges, company camel, and a company jet FOR the camel. I will get paid outrageous sums of money for schmoozing clients and oppressing the proletariat. My parachute will be platinum! Bitches! PLAT-IH-NUMM!!!"

Somehow I still managed to get that job. Then the company folded on itself weeks later before I could start stealing entire supply cabinents.

I think the best way to interview someone is to take them out of the office setting, like to coffee or a lunch interview. Seeing how the candidate interacts with other people in those settings can really tell you a lot about that persons' values. It also gives you a ton of potential ice breakers so the interview isn't so rote.

@seattleperson: I think of that question as a way to explain an obvious weakness in the resume. As a college student entering the job market, I've usually said my lack professional experience and then explained how I have overcome that in previous positions, or something along those lines.

@downwithmonstercable:

That's what I thought. I was wrong.

When asked if you would like a glass of water, do not respond,"No thanks, my mouth is full of spit."

@octopede:

I had an allergy attack at an interview once. I didn't get the job either. Looking back, I'm kind of glad.

@viewsource: Texas seems equally likely.

@xtc46: Some people are more sensitive to smells than others. I can often smell coffee breath from 4-5 feet away, which is farther than you'd be standing if you were shaking hands with someone.

@Roy Hobbs: You (or your buddy, as he re-told it to you) make it sound like he came in second, despite his outburst.

I think he was probably acing the interview, and then was dropped to second, after he decided to be a smart ass. (Most executives generally frown upon being insulted by prospective employees.)

No one should ever need directions. If you can't find a place on Google Maps - you don't deserve to be employed...

@Vicky: If your going to go into it with the attitude that you failed before you even started, or if you are able to convince yourself midway through the interview that you failed before you are even done, why even bother? No one wants an employee with an I already failed attitude.

@Ragman: I applied for a job at Clorox once and ended the interview early when they went into the "behavioral" part of the interview. It was the weirdest, most intrusive thing I ever sat through. It also felt like the people interviewing me had no idea what they were doing.
Of course I wasn't desperate for work at the time, but I think even if I was desperate, I'd still walk. It made me think a lot about what kind of place it would be to work.

@jamesdenver: I once had google maps send me to the wrong town. The map showed the right location, but the written directions sent me to a street with the same name in a different town.

So would it be acceptable to answer one of those problemsolving questions of the type: "You have two cows in a room with no windows or doors, one of them farts, the other one's not happy. How do you get a third cow in the room to make all of them happy" kind with a:

"You've gotta be f***ing kidding me!"

@concordia: Also, though, don't show up 20 minutes early. You're going to annoy the receptionist, and that could easily make it back to the interviewers.

@Gokuhouse: +1

I always bring one or two half-liter bottles of water to interviews. Mostly because I get all kinds of thirsty when I'm talking a lot.

@mmcnary: The hardest part I would have in an interview like that is, when a tough question is asked, not starting my answer with "Aww, thufferin' thuckatash..."