Tag: interview mistakes | Jeff Altman, The Big Game Hunter

Stupid Interview Mistakes: TMI & Seeming Angry | NoBSJobSearchAdvice.com

March 13, 2019April 15, 2019 by Jeff

Watch on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=APNVkr43lNI

Listen to the full episode here
http://www.blogtalkradio.com/thebiggamehunter/2019/03/13/stupid-interview-mistakes-tmi-seeming-angry

EP 1402 I talk about two complementary poisons that cost people jobs–sharing too much information and appearing angry.

Summary

I continuing my series on stupid interview mistakes. I wasn't quite sure how to accurately express this in the title so just decide to throw both of them in together. This is the mistake of TMI (too much information), and appearing angry. To me, they go hand-in-hand with one another.

Maybe you are fired or laid off from a job. Maybe you work at a place where you are, the outsider, and everyone else keeps you on the outside looking in... Maybe you don't get along with your boss or whatever the reason is. You are in a situation where you feel angry and frustrated and start going off answering questions with way too much detail to them that no one really cares about and just gives people the idea that, "Hey. This guy is weird. I'm not sure I really want them around."

The result winds up being you talk yourself out of jobs, which often happens with veteran individuals where their anger and frustration with being laid off is so poisonous to their landing the next situation. It's like you go out an interview and it is too soon after the layoff is taken place and you wear your heart on your sleeves. Or you got into an argument with your boss and act, "I'm mad! Let me tell you what this person did to me and I'm right and they are wrong!" Who wants to hear it???

You have to put aside any anger or heartbreak that you have about losing a job or being in a situation that isn't working for you. You have to bring the story down to the facts and talk about them in a way that is very casual and doesn't reveal quite as much is this extreme vulnerability does.

Remember, the next firm here is that kind of stuff and wonders who the loose cannon is, and frankly, since you're sounding like it, the likelihood is they are going to decide it is you because they don't have any countervailing evidence to offset it.

So just hold back. You are just going to hurt yourself and damage your prospects with the firm.

ABOUT JEFF ALTMAN, THE BIG GAME HUNTER

Jeff Altman, The Big Game Hunter is a career and leadership coach who worked as a recruiter for more than 40 years. He is the host of “No BS Job Search Advice Radio,” the #1 podcast in iTunes for job search with more than 1400 episodes and his newest show, “No BS Coaching Advice.” He is a member of The Forbes Coaches Council. “No BS JobSearch Advice Radio” was recently named a Top 10 podcast for job search. JobSearchTV.com was also recently named a Top 10 YouTube channel for job search.

Are you interested in 1:1 coaching, interview coaching, advice about networking more effectively, how to negotiate your offer or leadership coaching? Schedule a free Discovery call.

If you have questions for me, call me through the Magnifi app for iOS (video) or PrestoExperts.com (phone)

JobSearchCoachingHQ.com offers great advice for job hunters—videos, my books and guides to job hunting, podcasts, articles, PLUS a community for you to ask questions of PLUS the ability to ask me questions where I function as your ally with no conflict of interest answering your questions.

Connect with me on LinkedIn. Like me on Facebook.

Join and attend my classes on Skillshare. Become a premium member and get 2 months free.

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You can order a copy of “Diagnosing Your Job Search Problems” for Kindle on Amazon and receive free Kindle versions of “No BS Resume Advice” and “Interview Preparation.” If you are starting your search, order, “Get Ready for the Job Jungle.”

Don’t forget to give the show 5 stars and a good review in iTunes

If you want to know how to win more interviews, order “Winning Interviews.” You’ll learn how to win phone interviews, in-person interviews, the best question to ask on any interview and more.

Would you like to talk through a salary negotiation or potential negotiation you’re involved with? Order and schedule time with me.

Do you have questions or would like advice about networking or any aspect of your search. Order and schedule time with me.

Would you like me to critique your resume. Order a critique from me

Jeff’s Kindle book, “You Can Fix Stupid: No BS Hiring Advice,” is available on Amazon.

Stupid Interview Mistakes: TMI & Seeming Angry | NoBSJobSearchAdvice.com

March 13, 2019March 13, 2019 by Jeff

Listen to this episode of No BS Job Search Advice Radio

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Watch on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=APNVkr43lNI

Listen to the full episode here
http://www.blogtalkradio.com/thebiggamehunter/2019/03/13/stupid-interview-mistakes-tmi-seeming-angry

EP 1402 I talk about two complementary poisons that cost people jobs–sharing too much information and appearing angry.

Summary

So just hold back. You are just going to hurt yourself and damage your prospects with the firm.

ABOUT JEFF ALTMAN, THE BIG GAME HUNTER

Are you interested in 1:1 coaching, interview coaching, advice about networking more effectively, how to negotiate your offer or leadership coaching? Schedule a free Discovery call.

If you have questions for me, call me through the Magnifi app for iOS (video) or PrestoExperts.com (phone)

Connect with me on LinkedIn. Like me on Facebook.

Join and attend my classes on Skillshare. Become a premium member and get 2 months free.

Join Career Angles on Facebook and receive support, ideas and advice in your current career and job.

Don’t forget to give the show 5 stars and a good review in iTunes

If you want to know how to win more interviews, order “Winning Interviews.” You’ll learn how to win phone interviews, in-person interviews, the best question to ask on any interview and more.

Would you like to talk through a salary negotiation or potential negotiation you’re involved with? Order and schedule time with me.

Do you have questions or would like advice about networking or any aspect of your search. Order and schedule time with me.

Would you like me to critique your resume. Order a critique from me

Jeff’s Kindle book, “You Can Fix Stupid: No BS Hiring Advice,” is available on Amazon.

Stupid Interviewing Mistakes: Seeming Desperate! | JobSearchRadio.com

February 25, 2019February 25, 2019 by Jeff

Watch on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LZ3GLShQ14s

Listen to the full episode here:
http://webtalkradio.net/internet-talk-radio/2016/09/16/job-search-radio-stupid-interviewing-mistakes-seeming-desperate/

Being desperate is a turnoff in dating AND it’s a turnoff in job hunting.

On this show, I discuss “the stupid interviewing mistake” of seeming desperate and explain how to correct it.

Summary

I'm back with another piece of advice designed to help you find work more quickly. This is about 1 of those stupid interview mistakes the job hunters make all the time. That is, appearing desperate.

Have you ever been on a date with someone who seemed desperate? Women, come on! You can't tell me you haven't been on a date with someone who seemed desperate! They are just too… Fill in the blank. Too much. I want to presume to know how you feel when this happens. I just simply say that in situations where I've been out with desperate women, it is not been a pleasant experience.

Women who appear desperate come across, in the male vernacular, as stalkers. I suspect the same is true on the women's side..… And worse. Such behavior in dating doesn't work and it certainly doesn't work in job search.

When you go on the interview and you seem too eager, (I act the part in the audio to demonstrate how obnoxious it seems), The hiring manager eventually asked themselves, "What's with this person?" You can't appear too eager; it's okay to be accommodating. Your role is to relax and to deal with your potential future boss as a peer so that they understand, and you understand what you are capable of doing for them so that they can evaluate and assess you and see how you fit into their needs.

Acting like the obedient schoolchild, sitting in your chair, leaning forward (I haven't done that when you were a kid), just doesn't work. It doesn't make you more attractive than other people to your future boss. If anything, it makes you less appealing! That's because you seem like you are desperate. No one really likes desperate.

Relax. Follow my advice about the single best question you should ask on any interview. Talk with them as an equal,, and explain how your background, that which they are looking for. Do it with confidence and self assurance because part of your job on interview is to put their mind that these and demonstrate that you are the solution to a problem that they have. They need someone to do such and such. You want to talk about how you did for someone else before..

In joining them, you don't want to do this for the next 30 or 40 years of your life. You want to understand the upside for you. If the role, do you want to do the same thing for the next 3 or 40 years? Of course not!

You always want to make sure you ask questions about your potential future with the organization. If you don't like the answer, don't be a schmuck can take the job And then blame them for what's happening to you. It's your fault, then.

Again, don't beg. Don't appear desperate.All

ABOUT JEFF ALTMAN, THE BIG GAME HUNTER

Jeff Altman, The Big Game Hunter is a career and leadership coach who worked as a recruiter for more than 40 years. He is the host of “No BS Job Search Advice Radio,” the #1 podcast in iTunes for job search with more than 1300 episodes and his newest show, “No BS Coaching Advice.” He is a member of The Forbes Coaches Council. “No BS JobSearch Advice Radio” was recently named a Top 10 podcast for job search. JobSearchTV.com was also recently named a Top 10 YouTube channel for job search.

Are you interested in 1:1 coaching, interview coaching, advice about networking more effectively, how to negotiate your offer or leadership coaching? Connect with me on LinkedIn. Then message me to schedule an initial complimentary session.

If you have questions for me, call me through the Magnifi app for iOS (video) or PrestoExperts.com (phone)

Connect with me on LinkedIn. Like me on Facebook.

Join and attend my classes on Skillshare. Become a premium member and get 2 months free.

Join Career Angles on Facebook and receive support, ideas and advice in your current career and job.

If you want to know how to win more interviews, order “Winning Interviews.” You’ll learn how to win phone interviews, in-person interviews, the best question to ask on any interview and more.

Would you like to talk through a salary negotiation or potential negotiation you’re involved with? Order and schedule time with me.

Do you have questions or would like advice about networking or any aspect of your search. Order and schedule time with me.

Would you like me to critique your resume. Order a critique from me

Jeff’s Kindle book, “You Can Fix Stupid: No BS Hiring Advice,” is available on Amazon.

Stupid Interview Mistakes Being Somewhere Else | JobSearchRadio.com

November 27, 2018November 27, 2018 by Jeff

Watch on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r3G_QZjklLQ

Listen to the full episode here:
http://webtalkradio.net/internet-talk-radio/2018/04/26/stupid-interview-mistakes-being-somewhere-else-jobsearchradio-com/

Here’s another one of those stupid interview mistakes people make, particularly executives – – – being somewhere else.

Summary

I want to talk with you today, I'm not concerned with your senior professional (though I see more with seniors with staff level people)... As an executive, you go to interviews and you've got a very full plate. You are handling a lot of things, you are walking out on situations that will require your attention. You are distracted. That's probably the best way to put. You are distracted. You arrive at an interview where people carve that significant portions of the day and you're not prepared to focus right away on delivering your message, let alone even remember your message. You're still back in your office you're still back at home , because the distraction could also come from your home. As a result, you don't deliver at the meetings.

Terrible mistake to make! It's 1 of the dumbest things you can imagine.

Your spending time to talk with people about the role. He clearly interests you, about an opportunity that appeals to sufficiently that you're carving out time in your day to talk to people about it, and you're not prepared because you still back at your office or your back still in an argument with your wife/husband/partner or the kids if absent you... Whatever it is, you are off somewhere else. Dumb thing to do.

I just want to encourage you that if you feel like you would be distracted, take a few minutes before hand, I out in your car, get some coffee, spend some time by yourself and focus. Meditate and beat you at your best.

After all, when you are evaluating and assessing people and you get the sense that someone is not on the game, what is your 1st reaction? Rejection, of course. It will be the same for you, too.

Put aside the members from now. Put aside the distractions. Be focused on being the best you, you can be.

ABOUT JEFF ALTMAN, THE BIG GAME HUNTER

Jeff Altman, The Big Game Hunter is a career and leadership coach who worked as a recruiter for more than 40 years.

He is the host of “No BS Job Search Advice Radio,” the #1 podcast in iTunes for job search with more than 1200 episodes and his newest show, “No BS Coaching Advice” and is a member of The Forbes Coaches Council.

If you have questions for me, call me through the Magnifi app for iOS (video) or PrestoExperts.com (phone)

Connect with me on LinkedIn. Like me on Facebook.

Join and attend my classes on Skillshare. Become a premium member and get 2 months free.

Join Career Angles on Facebook and receive support, ideas and advice in your current career and job.

Don’t forget to give the show 5 stars and a good review in iTunes

If you want to know how to win more interviews, order “Winning Interviews.” You’ll learn how to win phone interviews, in-person interviews, the best question to ask on any interview and more.

Would you like to talk through a salary negotiation or potential negotiation you’re involved with? Order and schedule time with me.

Do you have questions or would like advice about networking or any aspect of your search. Order and schedule time with me.

Would you like me to critique your resume. Order a critique from me

Jeff’s Kindle book, “You Can Fix Stupid: No BS Hiring Advice,” is available on Amazon.

Maybe It Isn’t The Job Market | JobSearchTV.com

September 22, 2018October 23, 2018 by Jeff

Watch on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e0cugn0iIq0

Struggling to get results? Maybe it isn’t the job market?

Jeff Altman, The Big Game Hunter has been a coach and recruiter for what seems like one hundred years.

Summary

I was talking to someone yesterday, doing a little bit of research for project I am working on. He is someone who has been with this current firm for about 10 years. Good background. Resin through the ranks. All that happy kind of stuff you want to see in an employee. He has decided to move elsewhere. He says he’s stuck. That's okay. I understand that. That happens. But he's running into a roadblock. The roadblock is he knows exactly how it's done at his current firm but he has not been exposed to other organizations. He has started to blame the job market. It’s not the job market. It’s the choice he made.

If you're someone who is in a situation where you're not getting the interview results that you want, have you practiced interviewing? I don’t mean just simply flippantly practicing the answers but doing mock interviews with someone who is able to critique you. Who can talk with you about your experience.

You know, if you're in a technology field of some sort – – engineering, IT , whatever – – are you someone who has practiced answers to predictable questions with a friend of yours who can really grill you hard to see how you respond to a grilling? Do you answer the basic questions well? Do you know how to answer behavioral questions well? I bring this up because, most the time, the answer is no. I know that because when I do it, I sit and listen to the results that I get from people.

It's not the job market. It's you. You not working at finding a job.

So, I’ll just simply if you want to keep getting these results and eventually stumble into something by accident, keep doing what you are doing. It's okay. You’ll go through a lot of trial and error. You will go through the heartache. You’ll have to listen to a lot of your friends go, “So, how’s the job search going?” And not being able to report any sort of results.

You have to change it up. You got to do things differently and you’ve got to get some help. Most of you don’t even know how badly you interview. You don’t even know what you're doing wrong. I was looking at someone’s resume yesterday-- spelling error in it. He didn’t see it. It happens . . . And repetitive words and the marketing lingo in a technology resume. . . It’s ridiculous.

You know it's so stale and in some offensive these days that someone talks about an old language like it’s out of the 50s. It’s ridiculous!

So, get some help, dammit. Work with someone who understands what you do and who can guide you through your resume, critique it for you and turn things around. Otherwise, you are going to interview for jobs that you really desperately want and you are going to fail. You will have to tell your friends how you failed, look at your wife or husband or partner and tell them how you failed.

It’s awful. Just get some help, okay?

ABOUT JEFF ALTMAN, THE BIG GAME HUNTER

Jeff Altman, The Big Game Hunter is a career and leadership coach who worked as a recruiter for more than 40 years. He is the host of “No BS Job Search Advice Radio,” the #1 podcast in iTunes for job search with more than 1200 episodes, “Job Search Radio,” “and his newest show, “No BS Coaching Advice” and is a member of The Forbes Coaches Council.

If you have questions for me, call me through the Magnifi app for iOS (video) or PrestoExperts.com (phone)

Connect with me on LinkedIn. Like me on Facebook.

Join and attend my classes on Skillshare. Become a premium member and get 2 months free.

Don’t forget to give the show 5 stars and a good review in iTunes

If you want to know how to win more interviews, order “Winning Interviews.” You’ll learn how to win phone interviews, in-person interviews, the best question to ask on any interview and more.

Would you like to talk through a salary negotiation or potential negotiation you’re involved with? Order and schedule time with me.

Do you have questions or would like advice about networking or any aspect of your search. Order and schedule time with me.

Would you like me to critique your resume. Order a critique from me

For more about LinkedIn, order “Stacked: Double Your Job Interviews, Leverage Recruiters and Unlock LinkedIn.”

Jeff’s Kindle book, “You Can Fix Stupid: No BS Hiring Advice,” is available on Amazon.

It’s Hard to Avoid This Interview Mistake| JobSearchRadio.com

September 20, 2018October 21, 2018 by Jeff

Watch on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MWRzvOFM5v4

Listen to the full episode here::
http://webtalkradio.net/internet-talk-radio/2018/09/20/its-hard-to-avoid-this-interview-mistake-jobsearchradio-com/

I point to one of the mistakes job hunters make when interviewing in person or doing a video interview.

Summary

I see a lot of mistakes that people make and this 1 is geared toward job hunters. It can occur in an in person interview and they can occur in a video interview. What you're doing when you make this mistake is tipping offices of nerves that you have that you want to disguise for better.

What I'm doing as I record this is sitting in a swivel chair and rocking from side to side. I'm actually feeling calm this morning, so this is quite a bit of an act for many people I talk with by Skype, some version of video interviewing whether it's FaceTime or some other way our talk to a person, I see them rocking in the chair a little bit. You not disguising you nerves. It's really that simple.

If you are doing a video interview, you want to have a basic chair. No swivel to it. If the role, if you are nervous. I don't want to be revealed this way. I would rather have you use you nerves with your hands so that you use your hands to emphasize things as you speak.

If you are sitting with me, my hands to be about waist high as I'm talking. But when were talking now, when speaking with your hands you want to use them to illustrate going point by point by point. You can illustrate that with your hands and I am flicking them as I would an interview.

You never want to cross your hands across her face. You may want to frame your face at times, or frame your body at times with your hands. Never EVER block your face because there was a signal and that about hiding... At least that the signal the people are trained to believe that the behavior indicate (I think it's a case of nervous energy, but this is again how people are trained).

At the end of the day, you always ALWAYS want to demonstrate being firm, certain, confident and rocking chair turns you back in the being a little boy your little girl back in public school sitting at a desk, maybe being brought up in front of the teacher... All that sort of nonsense. You don't need that.

ABOUT JEFF ALTMAN, THE BIG GAME HUNTER

Jeff Altman, The Big Game Hunter is a career and leadership coach who worked as a recruiter for more than 40 years. He is the host of “No BS Job Search Advice Radio,” the #1 podcast in iTunes for job search with more than 1200 episodes, “Job Search Radio,” “and his newest show, “No BS Coaching Advice” and is a member of The Forbes Coaches Council.

If you have questions for me, call me through the Magnifi app for iOS (video) or PrestoExperts.com (phone)

Connect with me on LinkedIn. Like me on Facebook.

Join and attend my classes on Skillshare. Become a premium member and get 2 months free.

Don’t forget to give the show 5 stars and a good review in iTunes

If you want to know how to win more interviews, order “Winning Interviews.” You’ll learn how to win phone interviews, in-person interviews, the best question to ask on any interview and more.

Would you like to talk through a salary negotiation or potential negotiation you’re involved with? Order and schedule time with me.

Do you have questions or would like advice about networking or any aspect of your search. Order and schedule time with me.

Would you like me to critique your resume. Order a critique from me

For more about LinkedIn, order “Stacked: Double Your Job Interviews, Leverage Recruiters and Unlock LinkedIn.”

Jeff’s Kindle book, “You Can Fix Stupid: No BS Hiring Advice,” is available on Amazon.

The Lesson from Trap Games | NoBSJobSearchAdvice.com

August 30, 2018October 3, 2018 by Jeff

Watch on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UZPB1KRDvSM

Listen to the full episode here:
http://www.blogtalkradio.com/thebiggamehunter/2018/08/30/the-lesson-from-trap-games-nobsjobsearchadvicecom

EP 1212 I use a lesson from sports to point to a way to trip yourself up and fall into a trap.

Summary

As a job hunter, (I’m going to use a sports metaphor here from football) there are these things called trap games. What a trap game is a game that when you look at your schedule and you think ahead. You circle that one on your schedule and you go, “I got that one won.”

In job hunting, that's the “applying to the ad where you say to yourself, “I this one like a glove,” or the interview that you are told is a “courtesy interview,” so you don't do anything to prepare.

Trap games invariably involve a tougher contest than people expect. Even if you get the offer, often it is for less money than what you expected because you just didn’t prepare and perform like you needed to.

The one thing that athletes discover time and again is that there are no trap games on schedule. There are no situations that they step into that are (I’ll use slang expression) there are no “gimmes.” There are no things that basically you don't have to perform for.

For you, kind of like in your work if you take everything for granted and you don't try to get better, you fall behind in, right? Well, in job hunting, it's the same thing. There our way too many trap games that can become you being trapped. That's what trap games are all about. You are caught in the trap of expectations that this is good be easy when it isn’t.

So, if you're invited back for a formality interview, you are told that the vice president, the C suite executive, the president of a firm, just wants to meet you as a formality, I assure you know may be the toughest interview, you get because, for them, everything matters.

So, they go through things in meticulous detail in order to ensure that when you're hiring someone in the money is coming out of the budget, you’re not a waste.

So, don't fall for the trap. Don’t get yourself caught up in the trap. Instead, prepare like your life depends on it. Prepare like every game counts.

ABOUT JEFF ALTMAN, THE BIG GAME HUNTER

Jeff Altman, The Big Game Hunter is a career and leadership coach who worked as a recruiter for what more than 40 years. He is the host of “No BS Job Search Advice Radio,” the #1 podcast in iTunes for job search with more than 1200 episodes, “Job Search Radio,” “and his newest show, “No BS Coaching Advice” and is a member of The Forbes Coaches Council.

If you have questions for me, call me through the Magnifi app for iOS (video) or PrestoExperts.com (phone)

Connect with me on LinkedIn. Like me on Facebook.

Join and attend my classes on Skillshare. Become a premium member and get 2 months free.

Don’t forget to give the show 5 stars and a good review in iTunes

If you want to know how to win more interviews, order “Winning Interviews.” You’ll learn how to win phone interviews, in-person interviews, the best question to ask on any interview and more.

Would you like to talk through a salary negotiation or potential negotiation you’re involved with? Order and schedule time with me.

Do you have questions or would like advice about networking or any aspect of your search. Order and schedule time with me.

Would you like me to critique your resume. Order a critique from me

For more about LinkedIn, order “Stacked: Double Your Job Interviews, Leverage Recruiters and Unlock LinkedIn.”

Jeff’s Kindle book, “You Can Fix Stupid: No BS Hiring Advice,” is available on Amazon.

Stupid Interview Mistakes: Seeming Desperate | NoBSJobSearchAdvice.com

October 2, 2018October 2, 2018 by Jeff

Watch on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wnkk0k38Mpo

Listen to the full episode here:
http://www.blogtalkradio.com/thebiggamehunter/2017/01/29/stupid-interview-mistakes-seeming-desperate

Ep 639 There’s something about desperation that is a turn off.

Summary

I'm back with another piece of advice designed to help you find work more quickly. This is about 1 of those stupid interview mistakes the job hunters make all the time. That is, appearing desperate.

Again, don't beg. Don't appear desperate.All

ABOUT JEFF ALTMAN, THE BIG GAME HUNTER

show, “No BS Coaching Advice” and is a member of The Forbes Coaches Council.

If you have questions for me, call me through the Magnifi app for iOS (video) or PrestoExperts.com (phone)

Connect with me on LinkedIn. Like me on Facebook.

Join and attend my classes on Skillshare. Become a premium member and get 2 months free.

Don’t forget to give the show 5 stars and a good review in iTunes

If you want to know how to win more interviews, order “Winning Interviews.” You’ll learn how to win phone interviews, in-person interviews, the best question to ask on any interview and more.

Would you like to talk through a salary negotiation or potential negotiation you’re involved with? Order and schedule time with me.

Do you have questions or would like advice about networking or any aspect of your search. Order and schedule time with me.

Would you like me to critique your resume. Order a critique from me

For more about LinkedIn, order “Stacked: Double Your Job Interviews, Leverage Recruiters and Unlock LinkedIn.”

Jeff’s Kindle book, “You Can Fix Stupid: No BS Hiring Advice,” is available on Amazon.

Stupid Interview Mistakes: Being Unprepared | JobSearchRadio.com

October 1, 2018September 29, 2018 by Jeff

Watch on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UP2wRqWDG18

Listen to the full episode here:
http://webtalkradio.net/internet-talk-radio/2018/08/07/stupid-interview-mistakes-being-unprepared-jobsearchradio-com%c2%ad%c2%ad/

I discuss another cardinal sin of interviewing—unpreparedness

Summary

I want to talk with you about another 1 of those stupid interview that job hunters make way too often. This is the mistake of being unprepared.

If you're aggressively looking for work, you may be sending out your resume to tons of different places. You just don't remember. The phone rings, they start saying, "Hi! My name is so and so. You forwarded your resume," and your 1st response is, "Which position is this?"

Right off the bat you let people know that you are spamming your resume to a bunch of places. I'll be kind. . . You submitted your resume to a lot of different places looking for jobs. The way to handle that situation is to say, "I want to talk with you. I am in with someone right now. Can I call you back at…? (Offer up time)" this way, you can go back to your notes, see which job this was and then be able to speak intelligently about your background and how it fits. Remember, your job is to talk about what you've done that relates to what they are looking for and not just talk about what you've done.

Another boo-boo, and this 1 is even worse. You're an in person interview. They just invited you into talk. You taking no time to research the firm and what it does. A lot of firms like to know you understand some basic information about them so that you can link it to what you've done, not just simply what they're looking for what their business does.

Or, you walk in the door and sit down and basically say, "So, which job is this?" Or words to that effect. There are lots of little ways that it comes across that you are unprepared to talk about their job. You can't do this. What you're basically doing is indicating that you don't care. What does it really take to be prepared? After you submit a resume, you save the original job and into a file refer to it before the interview. It's that simple.

Don't be unprepared. It sends a bad signal to an employer about laziness . You don't want to be doing that. You always want to be in control and demonstrating that you are a professional.

Rather than be unprepared, in the case of a phone call, simply say, "Can I get your name and number and can I give you a call back in about an hour," or "Can I call you back at 2:30?" Whatever the time is. "That doesn't work for me. Can we do it at 4 PM?"

"Sure, we can do that four."

"What's your number?" You get your notes and call back, look at your job description so as you're ready. You will be able to speak intelligently about your background and how it fits their job.

Even knowing what the job description says, remember to ask my Single Best Question You Should Ask On Any Interview before things kick off because things may have changed a little bit since the 1st conversation or since you saw the ad.

ABOUT JEFF ALTMAN, THE BIG GAME HUNTER

Jeff Altman, The Big Game Hunter is a career and leadership coach who worked as a recruiter for what more than 40 years. He is the host of “No BS Job Search Advice Radio,” the #1 podcast in iTunes for job search with more than 1100 episodes, “Job Search Radio,” “and his newest show, “No BS Coaching Advice” and is a member of The Forbes Coaches Council.

If you have questions for me, call me through the Magnifi app for iOS (video) or PrestoExperts.com (phone)

Connect with me on LinkedIn. Like me on Facebook.

Join and attend my classes on Skillshare. Become a premium member and get 2 months free.

Don’t forget to give the show 5 stars and a good review in iTunes

If you want to know how to win more interviews, order “Winning Interviews.” You’ll learn how to win phone interviews, in-person interviews, the best question to ask on any interview and more.

Would you like to talk through a salary negotiation or potential negotiation you’re involved with? Order and schedule time with me.

Do you have questions or would like advice about networking or any aspect of your search. Order and schedule time with me.

Would you like me to critique your resume. Order a critique from me

For more about LinkedIn, order “Stacked: Double Your Job Interviews, Leverage Recruiters and Unlock LinkedIn.”

Jeff’s Kindle book, “You Can Fix Stupid: No BS Hiring Advice,” is available on Amazon.

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