Job Interviewees’ Most Common Mistakes

A new survey shows that nearly 40% of senior managers report that job seekers head into interviews with little or no knowledge of the companies where they are hoping to work.

In a survey conducted by an independent research firm, 38% of managers said that interviewees had done hardly any research about the company. The survey was conducted by phone with 1,000 senior managers at companies with 20 or more employees. Here’s what else the managers said, in response to the question, “What do you think is the most common mistake candidates make during job interviews?”

20% – Unprepared to discuss skills and experience
14% – Unprepared to discuss career plans and goals
10% - Lack of eye contact
9% – Late arrival
9% - Limited enthusiasm

When I first started writing about careers, my editor had to excise the phrase, “this may seem obvious, but,” from much of my copy. I’d like to add that phrase here. Before you go to an interview, spend at least 15 minutes on the company’s website. Brandi Britton, a hiring manager at Accountemps, the temporary staffing firm for accounting, finance and bookkeeping that commissioned the survey, says she recently interviewed an applicant who hadn’t even read the online ad. “Some people just send their résumés to any ad that has the word ‘accountant’ in it,” says Britton, who is also a district president at Accountemps parent, Menlo Park, Calif. staffing firm Robert Half International. The applicant didn’t know the required software program and didn’t have the appropriate level of experience. After a few minutes, says Britton, “it was apparent on the applicant’s face that this was not the right job for them.”

Another obvious move: Do a comprehensive Google search, including on Google News, for recent media reports on the company. If you’re applying to a publicly traded firm, a search on Yahoo Finance offers easy-to-use data and recent headlines.

For a slightly more advanced research move, use the “companies” feature on LinkedIn. Go to the home page, and in the middle of the grey bar, click on the “Companies” link. Enter the name of the company where you are interviewing, and you will instantly see which of your connections works at the company, or knows someone who does. Email these contacts and ask if they can spend a few minutes with you on the phone or let you buy them a cup of coffee. You can also click the “follow company” link next to the company name, which will deliver information about new hires, promotions and departures, directly to your LinkedIn home page.

For more information on job interviews, you can read a story about following up, even if you flubbed the interview, here. I also wrote a piece with more general interviewing tips here. A quick look through the archives revealed an Oct. 2010 story I wrote about the results of a survey on executive job seekers’ biggest mistakes, here. When headhunters were asked about senior-level applicants’ most common misstep, 44% of them said the answer was poor preparation, including not doing adequate research on the company.