It’s that time of year again! Soon we will be interviewing students for admission into our program. In this post, I will discuss the most common interview mistakes.
According to a CareerBuilder survey of more than 2400 hiring managers, here are the most common mistakes interviewees make (along with my comments):
- Answering a cellphone or texting during an interview. Although this one hasn’t happened to me yet, sometimes candidates forget to silence their cell phones. The sudden ringing can rattle them (since they are already nervous) and is distracting to us.
- Dressing inappropriately. This one happens a lot. I’ve had candidates show up in jeans and a T-shirt. Whereas this might be fine for class, this is most definitely not OK for an interview. You are supposed to be putting your best foot forward! Is this really it? And, ladies, please leave the short skirts and tight shirts at home. For more, see this post.
- Appearing disinterested. Yes, I’ve seen this one, too. When you are yawning your way through an interview, or looking all around the room distractedly, you do not look interested in becoming one of our students. If you aren’t interested, why should I be?
- Appearing arrogant. You wouldn’t think future counselors have an arrogant bone in their bodies, but sometimes they do. It doesn’t happen too often, but when it does it’s a huge red flag for us. If we think you are arrogant, we are very concerned with how you will interact with a client. An example? I once had a candidate explain sexual addiction to me (I am a sex therapist).
- Speaking negatively about a current or previous employer. This doesn’t happen too often with student applicants, but if it did it would concern me on two levels. One, boundaries- why are you telling me, a stranger, such personal information? And, two, why is it solely the employer’s fault? Are you unwilling to take responsibility for your actions; do you lack insight?
- Chewing gum. Avoid chewing gum during your interview. It is distracting and will make you appear unprofessional.
- Not providing specific answers. This happens a lot. One skill we look for is your ability to listen to the question. When you give an answer that doesn’t address the question we question your listening skills. When you go off on tangents, we question your ability to have focused therapeutic conversations with clients.
- Not asking good questions. Please don’t ask us questions that could have been easily answered by reading our website. Also, if you are interested in licensure you should at least have an idea of what the requirements are. Lastly, if you haven’t asked us one question about our program, we question your interest.
Yours in the Joy of Knowledge,
Dr. Barbara LoFrisco
