3 Things You Must NOT Mention in the Interview

3 Things You Must NOT Mention in the Interview This article is  sponsored  by  Nate Sterling.   Have you ever left the interview room with that upbeat feeling of euphoria, the one where you think,  Wow, I think I just might have the job, I nailed all the questions about the work activities? But then  you wait for a month, then two, and sadly, never get a call back? Answering questions about the on-the-  job activities arent the only ingredient to securing that plum position with the plush new office. It takes  a lot more and besides the things you do say, there are some things you must never mention. Apart from your knowledge of the job, there are several things you need to avoid saying to ensure your  prospective employer sees you as a valuable asset to the organization. Even though there are many  more on the list, here are a few of the most common ones Ive noted while conducting interviews or  recapping an interview from clients. Whatever you say, never mention these verbal blunders: I really hate my job: Trust me, saying I really hated my last job might sound stupid and incredible now, but youll be  surprised what people will say when under pressure and in the heat of an intense job interview session. The individual who said this was actually referring to a question where she was asked about why she  wanted to leave her previous career at a Nursing home, after bagging a degree in IT and applying at a  leading IT firm. Granted it was a different career path entirely, and she did hate the job just as much as she stated, but  the statement simply planted a seed of doubt in the mind of the interviewer. One of the sacred rules of  any interview is to ALWAYS be positive. People are naturally drawn to positive mindsets. Even if you  were a leading candidate based on your knowledge of the job, that attitude simply repels employers. It  would be better in her case to say I loved working with my patients at the hospital but I simply felt it  was time for a change in my career. I dont know: You never thought it would come, did you? The day youd be forced to say I dont know. You were  probably a straight A student in class, have had years of valuable work experience, and you know  everything about your career. But, as much as we hate to think so, the time does come when we have to  concede our helplessness at the mercy of a question we have no idea how to answer. Sometimes, we  might even know the answer to the question but conveniently experience a temporary brain fart at the  worst possible time. Well, the first option for most people when we dont have the answer to a question would simply be to  say I dont know, but that statement doesnt exactly speak well of your problem solving skills. You can  make the best of this situation in an interview scenario by following these guidelines: Stay calm and resist the urge to fall apart into an emotional spiral; it wont help the current  situation, besides there are probably loads of other questions to redeem yourself. Keep up a confident posture even if youre unable to come up with a satisfactory answer to the  question. Confidence, even in the face of defeat, is a quality that every employer admires.  Remember the same question that gave you fits will probably prove difficult to other candidates  as well. Stall for more time to come up with a satisfactory answer if possible. You can repeat the  question to the interviewer and ask for a clarification. You might not need the clarification, but  the brief pause just buys you a few extra seconds to put things together up there. If all attempts to come up with an answer during the interview fail, dont worry, all is not lost. You still have the opportunity of finding an answer and including it in the text of your follow-up  thank you note after the interview. I have a vacation scheduled for that week: Yes, we all love our vacations but if youre really looking for a new job, then you shouldnt be scheduling  any interviews around the time of your vacation in the first place. A lady got a great offer from a prime employer after doing excellently well in both the phone and in-person interviews. It was a new role and step up in her career path; she was really excited to get the  opportunity, apart from the improved benefits to which she was entitled. But, to sour things, she was  required to start the same week that she had scheduled a vacation. She had a tough decision to make between shelving her vacation, or telling her new bosses about the  situation and pushing for a postponement of her resumption. She opted to request for a postponement  of her resumption by two weeks. The company decided they needed someone urgently and  unfortunately for my client, decided the problems they needed solved couldnt wait for the vacation to  be over. The verbal employment offer was withdrawn and the board went with a candidate who had  come a close second place in the selection process. Bad for my client, but a fantastic twist of luck for the guy who finally got the job. Lesson of the day:  Never make any requests for time off until youre actually an employee of the company, especially if its  an offer youre unwilling to snub. Author:  Nate Sterling has at different times worked with international organizations such as IBM, Price Water House Coopers and USAID over a 25 year span. He is the author of Job Interview Blueprint.