{"id":3195,"date":"2020-11-26T14:15:39","date_gmt":"2020-11-26T04:15:39","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/eisabainyo.net\/weblog\/?p=3195"},"modified":"2022-12-24T14:17:43","modified_gmt":"2022-12-24T04:17:43","slug":"10-unacceptable-responses-that-you-should-not-give-at-a-job-interview","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/eisabainyo.net\/weblog\/2020\/11\/26\/10-unacceptable-responses-that-you-should-not-give-at-a-job-interview\/","title":{"rendered":"10 Unacceptable Responses That You Should Not Give at a Job Interview"},"content":{"rendered":"

What you should avoid saying in order to increase your chances of progressing to the next round<\/h4>\n

We\u2019ve all heard of the old cliche that interviewers usually say, \u201cThere is no right or wrong answer. We just want to get to know you better.\u201d Let me tell you this: Don\u2019t take this advice too literally. In other words, don\u2019t fall for it. There are indeed things that you should never say at job interviews if you want to increase your chances of getting through to the next round.<\/p>\n

I have interviewed more than 100 candidates in the past year alone, and I have seen my fair share of bad interviews. Bad interviews are the ones where the candidate knows immediately that they didn\u2019t do well and the interviewer also knows it. In fact, there\u2019s nothing special about it. What\u2019s interesting is when the interview itself wasn\u2019t too bad, but the interviewer was reluctant to put the candidate forward due to one or two things that the interviewee said. Interviewers usually refer to them as yellow or red flags. When a candidate had such flags, even if they passed other questions with flying colours, interviewers had reservations about putting the interviewees forward and hiring them.<\/p>\n

In this article, I\u2019m going to share with you ten things that you should never say at job interviews and why you shouldn\u2019t say them.<\/p>\n

Team-Related Interview Questions<\/h3>\n

On helping a low performer on the team<\/h4>\n

\u201cSome people are just incompetent and they cannot be helped.\u201d<\/p>\n

The reality of working on a team is that you are working with those who are better than you and those who are not as good as you. What the interviewer would like to understand here is how you tried to help a low performer on your team. It\u2019s not the time to make an ignorant comment. The statement makes it seem like you\u2019ve just dismissed somebody without giving them a second chance.<\/p>\n

On helping team members<\/h4>\n

\u201cAs an individual contributor, it\u2019s not my responsibility to help others.\u201d<\/p>\n

The purpose of this question is similar to that of the previous question: The interviewer wants to understand how you work as a member of a team. Individual contributors are also part of a team. In fact, there is nothing \u201cindividual\u201d about the term \u201cindividual contributor\u201d and I actually find this term misleading. As an interviewee, giving an answer that implies you think you can be successful as a lone wolf isn\u2019t wise.<\/p>\n

On providing constructive feedback to peers<\/h4>\n

\u201cI only ever give positive feedback. I don\u2019t like to make people feel uncomfortable. I\u2019m a good team player.\u201d<\/p>\n

Constructive feedback does not just mean negative feedback. The University of Tasmania has a very good definition of what constructive feedback is:<\/p>\n

\u201cConstructive feedback is providing useful comments and suggestions that contribute to a positive outcome, a better process or improved behaviours. It provides encouragement, support, corrective measures and direction to the person receiving it. Knowing how to give constructive feedback is a valuable skill.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Constructive feedback can be positive (letting someone know they\u2019re doing well), negative (letting people know about ways in which things could be improved), or neutral (just an objective observation).\u201d<\/p>\n

Constructive feedback is a gift because it\u2019s given with the intent to direct you towards a positive outcome. Those who provide constructive feedback are those who are real team players because they have the best interest of others in mind and the willingness to elevate others for success \u2014 even if the process of giving such feedback can be uncomfortable.<\/p>\n

Skill-Related Interview Questions<\/h3>\n

On learning something new on the job<\/h4>\n

\u201cI don\u2019t really have time to learn new things. It\u2019d be good if you could just migrate to tool X that I am already familiar with.\u201d<\/p>\n

Learning new skills is a part of the job in today\u2019s business environment. Gone are the days when you didn\u2019t need to learn new skills because you had been working in the industry and performing a similar job for a few years. Instead, as an interviewee, you could provide a more thoughtful answer on your learning style:
\nHow you\u2019ve previously learned a new skill.<\/p>\n