CCD weighs in on common mistakes interviewees make

When College of Arts and Sciences senior Sara Garcia interviewed with a local nonprofit for a research internship last summer, she was surprised, she said, when the interviewer asked her to guess how many books were sold annually on Amazon.com and explain why.

Garcia said while the question almost tripped her up, she recovered.

“At first I didn’t know what to do,” Garcia said. “I paused for a few moments, took a couple breaths and was able to give [the interviewer] a pretty good estimate.”

Students may feel flustered when dealing with unexpected questions during interviews. Center for Career Development officials, however, said students can impress prospective employers if they prepare.

Eleanor Cartelli, associate director of marketing and communications at the CCD, said the biggest mistake students make is forgetting to tell an employer how they can help the company.

“It’s wonderful if you are really excited about an organization and a position,” Cartelli said. “But why should they hire [you] over the 50 other applicants who are also excited?”

One common mistake interviewees make is to talk too much, according to the CCD website. Another is to give abrupt answers.

Cartelli said one of the ways interviewees can keep their nerves in check is to do plenty of research about the organization and the job for which they are applying beforehand.

“We hear from employers that they are less interested in a candidate if he/she does not have a really good understanding of the position,” Cartelli said in an email interview.

While some students may expect to be tested only on technical knowledge during their interview, Cartelli said employers have told her they tend to seek smart individuals with excellent communication and analytical skills.

“They can teach the industry-specific knowledge, but they don’t want to train a new hire on writing a coherent report, getting to work on time or asking good questions,” Cartelli said.

Cartelli said some employers, such as software companies, look for students who possess a particular craft, but still prefer people who show they can exhibit general skills.

“You want to make sure you have lots of examples of how you solved problems, worked on a team [or] tried something that didn’t work the way you thought it would,” she said.

At an interview, a potential employer asked CAS sophomore Marina Hunt about the last song she had listened to. She said she was so surprised that she couldn’t answer at first.

“I had to awkwardly look at my iPod because I forgot the name of the song,” Hunt said.

Hunt said the question was so unexpected that it left her flustered for the rest of the interview.

“The experience was mortifying,” she said.

Cartelli said students can show their interest in a job by asking interviewers questions of their own.

“Write a list of questions in advance so that you don’t forget anything,” she said.

College of Communication freshman Quinn Rodriguez said during an interview a potential employer interrupted the interview to conduct a phone call.

“I had to remind her that I had somewhere else to be after the interview,” Rodriguez said.

The worst thing to do in an interview is to act overly honest, she said.

“Don’t tell them that you can get really distracted,” Rodriguez said, “and like to go on Facebook during work hours.”