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What NOT to say in an interview

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If you have an interview coming up and you want to boost your chances of doing well, here are some things that you should avoid saying.

1)      I want to change jobs because I can’t stand my manager: Even if this is true, you should never ever badmouth your current employer/manager/colleagues in an interview, no matter how right you can be feeling this way. Your prospective employers just don’t want to know about it and are likely to think that it’s you who is the trouble-maker and the problematic employee.

2)      I’m interested in this position because the money is good: Certainly, when deciding to apply for a new role, the money it pays is something you have considered. But this is different to admitting that money is your sole motivation for wanting this job – not the challenge of it, not the career development, not the good prospects, just money. If you say this, your prospective employers will think that you may leave them as soon as a better financial opportunity arises.

3)      I want to relocate to be with my boyfriend/girlfriend: Although I have heard of cases in which the candidate got the job even after such a response, it’s better not to risk giving it. If your assessors are more conservative, they may reject you for an answer like this, as they may think that you’re only interested in the job because it will help you be in the same city as your partner.

4)      I want the job because I like dealing with people: This must be by far the most commonplace answer given in interviews, as well as the most content-insignificant. Working for a University (and for most organisations), you do deal with people on a frequent basis, so that’s taken for granted. Beyond that, your prospective managers will want to hear more about what motivated you to apply, what your career aspirations are and how you see yourself within the role and the organization.

Read more articles about Graduate Market, Higher Education, Interviews, Job Hunting, Non-academics, Recruitment, University Careers

Written by Christina Tsirou

I work for Roehampton University in South West London as the Research and Business Engagement Officer. The Research and Business Development Office, which forms my department, was created recently, and therefore I am the first holder of the above mouthful-of-a-role. This is very exciting, as I get a lot of freedom in forming tasks and developing areas of responsibility for the post. At the same time, it is also very challenging, as how things will be organized and work in practice remains to be seen. Together with the rest of the team, I contribute to various aspects of the so-called “third stream income generation activity” on behalf of the University. Third stream income is a relatively new term, meaning revenue that comes from outside the traditional sources of government funding and tuition fees. Some sources of third stream income can be Knowledge Transfer Partnerships, IP Commercialization, business start-ups and spin-offs, Development and Innovation Grants, executive courses, and partnerships with the private and public sectors. I am also heavily involved in the team’s efforts to encourage entrepreneurial thinking and work across campus by coordinating internal and inter-collegiate events and workshops for both students and academics. Finally, part of my work is devoted to fostering strong links with the local community, mainly through relationship-building events.

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