After coaching hundreds of professionals over the years it has been enlightening to see and understand the various reasons people don’t get hired.

Here are a few mistakes you can easily avoid with a little practice:

Mistake #1: Too Arrogant
There is a fine line between the confidence you absolutely need to have and being overly confident in a job interview. If you catch yourself saying any of the following statements you might be you might be skating that line:

• I am in no rush
• I need XXX of money
• I am being interviewed by ___ other companies

State your achievements but stay grounded, respectful and diplomatic to ensure the best outcome. Definitely make certain your potential employer knows you are enthusiastic about the position!

Mistake #2: Too Laid Back
I am a big believer that things end where they begin and most employers would agree that first impressions are paramount. Failing to promptly return calls and send thank you notes are easy errors to make that have disastrous implications.

Mistake #3: Still Grieving
A tumultuous split, being fired or laid off are all difficult situations that usually take a grieving process to get over. Denying yourself the time it takes to heal and move on can result in you being “less than your best” in your interviews. Sometimes you might not even notice it … but unfortunately your interviewers will. Take a little time, have some kind of “moving on” ceremony (this helps tremendously) so when it comes time to talk about your past employment you can do so without raising any red flags.

Mistake #4: Too Money Driven
When you put the focus on the salary you will command too early in the interview, or before you are asked about money, then you are asking for money, not value to be the deciding factor in hiring you. Keep the focus on the value you bring to your potential employer and the money almost always takes care of itself.

Mistake #5: Too Vague
The best way for you to pique the interest of potential employers from the start is to take a strong sales/consultants role. Meaning specifically, you must continue to peel back the onion of their needs…and then speak to those needs. Those needs are their key reasons for wanting to hire you, so show them you understand what their challenges are and demonstrate you have the solutions. Failing to zero in on your potential employers needs can defiantly cost you the job.

By understanding how we are perceived in interview situations it’s much easier to circumvent potential roadblocks to your career success and job of your dreams.

This is one of those “trick” interview questions that answered wrong, could tank your candidacy rankings.

A general rule of thumb when interviewing is that you always want to answer trick questions with short answers. The reason is twofold. First, you don’t want to risk opening up a can of worms, rambling, getting nervous or defensive etc. And second, you want to minimize the time you spend answering “trick” interview questions so that you can spend the majority of your time answering questions that speak to your strengths and aptitudes as they match what your interviewer is looking for!

So memorizing short answers to the top three or four trick questions is a very wise move. I consider this question to be one of those top three or four trick questions.

It used to be that the seemingly correct answer to this question was:

I want to have your job!

Or:

I want to sit where you are sitting!

However now that answer is seen as too coarse and not politically correct.

Another pitfall to watch out for with this question is you probably will not know if your potential employer is interviewing you for a position that is prime for promotional opportunities, or if they want someone solid in the role for many years.

Rather than guess what they are thinking, here is a completely safe (even bombproof!) answer you can give:

Well, I would expect to be advancing based on my job performance and taking on additional responsibilities.

You can even add:

And I would anticipate being appropriately compensated for it.

Finally you can say:

Since we are on the subject can you tell me where you see the growth of this company/position in the next several years?

Not only is this a great answer but you can follow it up with a great question! You will look engaged, enthusiastic and interested in the company and the position…a triple threat!

Categorize this question under “trick questions” because it is meant to tempt you to vent. Double the temptation if your last job was less then wonderful.

Often my new clients share with me that if they are asked this question during an interview, they will openly describe both the good and bad elements of their last company,“in the name of honesty” .

That’s a slippery slope. Let me share with you why.

You may be the most ethical, wonderful and pleasant professional ever, but unless you are personal friends with the interviewer, he or she has no way of knowing if your comments are  “fair and balanced” or if you are a malcontent.

Why risk the potentially negative exposure?

The general rule is to never say anything negative about your last job to your prospective employer. Certainly there is a time and a place for such discussions, but it’s generally not during a job interview.

Your job interview is your precious window of time that you won through your commitment to your job search goals. Use this time to focus on your future. A positive attitude and positive comments are so important in a job interview. I cannot stress this enough.

So what do you say when your interviewer asks you to answer the question “what didn’t you like about your last job?” Here are several options:

Have you ever had to fire anyone? This is the best answer you could give. No one likes it (at least the majority of people don’t) and it’s a good benign answer. It’s also short and doesn’t open a can of worms. Also, it would be difficult to over talk this answer and open up a can of worms in the process.

You could say:

Letting people go. Sometimes it was necessary but I dislike doing it.

Never fired anyone? You could say:

Reprimanding team members. Sometimes its necessary but I will never learn to like it.

Another example would be:

Actually my last job was a really positive experience. The only thing I didn’t like was the commute.

These answers are intended to help you breeze past this trick question so you can invest your window of time on building the value of who you could be to your potential employer.

This is the one question that seems to strike fear in the heart of every job seeker. Not only does it put you, the candidate in an uncomfortable position but the tone of the question itself is deliberately provocative.

However, this is one of the easiest questions to answer if you know the right formula!

First, a little preparation.

You want to take whatever job description you have of the position with you into the interview. If you do not have a job description that is OK.  At the beginning of the interview, you want to ask the interviewer to describe the qualities and skills that the company is looking for in a top candidate. Discretely jot down the highlights of whatever they tell you.  By the way, these are your talking points for the rest of the interview.

When the dreaded question arises…why should I hire you, you simply look down at your notes and state back to your interviewer your understanding of the key qualifications. So you would say something like this:

Well as I understand it you are looking for someone who can….

As they nod their head in agreement you add:

Not only do have have many/all of those skills and qualifications, I hope it’s not too forward to share with you that I am really excited about this position!

Alternative positive statements include:

…I really see myself working here.

…I really want this job!

Though this is a simple technique, be sure not to discount the powerful effect it has. You will have to try it out to see its full effect and I promise you it will be a very positive one.

Usually the intent of the interviewer in asking provocative interview questions is to see how you will respond. Will you stammer? Get defensive? Go on and on? So, a smooth, confident and positive answer wins every time!

Use this simple yet powerful technique to help ace your interviews!