My Worst Job Interview Mistake (and How You Can Avoid It)

My Worst Job Interview Mistake (and How You Can Avoid It) My Worst Job Interview Mistake (and How You Can Avoid It) I sat across a conference room table from the owner of the marketing agency where I was interviewing. I was fresh out of college and eager to land any sort of role that made use of my communication and journalism degree- which meant I needed to ace this interview for an entry-level position. “So, what exactly is inbound marketing to you?” he asked, while I made a mental note to stop fidgeting with the hem of my shirt, “How would you define it?” Immediately, I froze. I sat there slack-jawed and embarrassed. All I knew about inbound marketing was that it was what this particular agency specialized in. Other than that, I was pretty much stumped- to me, it was nothing but another buzzword I heard thrown around frequently. “Uhh…” I responded, “Well…” After that, I’m sure you can imagine how I talked my way around the question that I had zero idea how to answer. Needless to say, I didn’t get that job. And, while I’ll be the first to admit that I wallowed in my own-self pity for days following that humbling interview, the experience did illustrate one important job search lesson that I will absolutely never forget: you should always, always, always research the company before your interview. It’s cliché advice that likely makes you roll your eyes at this point. What exactly does that even mean? Here are four things you should absolutely research before you ever sit down for that job interview to avoid making the same job interview mistake that I did: 1. The Basics You know that you need to do your research. But, that in and of itself is pretty broad advice. What do you need to know? Is there going to be a pop quiz where you need to recite the company’s entire mission statement in Portuguese? Probably not (at least, I certainly hope not). When you’re job searching, no right-minded employer is going to expect that you’ve dug through the archives and committed every useless factoid to memory. However, you do need to know enough to show that you’re highly interested in that company and engaged in the hiring process. Here are the nuts-and-bolts things you should ensure you have down pat: What the company does: What products do they create? What services do they offer? What problem do they solve? This is where I epically flopped in my own job interview. Major announcements that have recently occurred: Were they recently acquired? Did they just receive a new round of funding? Did they just open up a new office location? What major company happenings should you be aware of? How this role fits within the company: Obviously, you’re interviewing for a specific job. While you won’t have all of the insider insight quite yet, you should have a solid grasp on how this role and its related department fits into the big picture and helps the company achieve its overarching goals. If you can have at least those three things well-researched and in your back pocket, you’re sure to make a positive impression. 2. Your Interviewer While you need to have an understanding of the company and the job in general, it also doesn’t hurt to do a little bit of digging on the people who will be conducting your interview. Whether it’s someone from HR or the department leader you would potentially be working under, do some clever searching to see what you can find out about those points of contact. Granted, you won’t be expected to know any of these things. But, if you can find a shared point of interest- maybe you’re both alumni of the same college or you’re both training for your first marathon, for example- that never hurts to establish some rapport and leave a memorable mark. 3. A Fact Relevant to the Position Now that you have some basic knowledge of the entire company and your specific interviewer, it’s time to dive more into the actual position that you’re applying for. Do your best to arm yourself with two or three research-backed and position-relevant facts that you can weave into your answers. To stick with our marketing example, when asked about what interests you about that particular role, you could tie in a company fact to your answer like this: “I’ve seen the high-quality work you complete at this agency, such as that entire social campaign you did for the local food shelter. I’m eager to bring my own creativity to your team and to continue launching amazing projects like that one.” This answer is impressive, because it touches on your passion for the work along with showcasing your existing knowledge of the company. 4. A Random Tidbit Finally, it never hurts to just have one random fact about the company stashed and ready to go. It might go totally unused. However, if you find a natural way to work it in, it’s a surefire way to make yourself that much more memorable. Whether they just raised a certain sum of money for a local charity or you’re confident that you’d dominate their company-wide chili cook-off, going beyond the website to get some lesser-known facts demonstrates that you’re highly interested in the company and the opportunity. I still blush at the memory of flubbing one of my first job interviews by not adequately researching the company. Fortunately, you don’t need to make the same mistake. Make sure that you know these four things mentioned above before your next job interview, and you’re sure to have your bases covered. Have an interview coming up and want to avoid making a big job interview mistake? Check out these additional job interviewing tips.