CSS Forums - What to say & what not to say in an interview

ob interviews are short, crisp, and very important parts of your career.
A good interview can make your career and a bad interview can either offer you progress at best and seriously hamper your progress at worst.

Therefore, it is very important to be completely ready, and know what to say when you attend an interview.
In addition, whatever the post may be, or whatever the job position may be, you should clearly know what not to say in an interview
[SIZE="5"][FONT="Comic Sans MS"][COLOR="Black"]What to Say in a Job Interview[/COLOR][/FONT][/SIZE]
[SIZE="3"][FONT="Comic Sans MS"][COLOR="Black"]
1. The art of listening[/COLOR][/FONT][/SIZE]
One of the first skills of a conversation, let alone an interview, is the art of listening. There is a major difference between hearing and listening. We hear music, an action in which we may miss some lyrics or some part of the music, but we hear what is important to us and what we should pay attention to. During an interview, one should remind oneself to hear, understand and keep in mind what the interviewer is saying.
[SIZE="3"][FONT="Comic Sans MS"][COLOR="Black"]
2. When to speak[/COLOR][/FONT][/SIZE]
Also, during an interview, one should keep in mind when to speak and when not to. People who speak when not required stand a high risk of being branded a talkative person, or a person who does not think properly before he or she speaks out. Therefore, take the time to keep silent and listen to what the interviewers have to say. This is doubly important when you are facing more than one interviewer.
[SIZE="3"][FONT="Comic Sans MS"][COLOR="Black"]
3. The information you provide[/COLOR][/FONT][/SIZE]
During an interview, how much information you give out is as important as how much information you retain. Also, try to remain as calm and confident as possible. Make sure that you do not fidget while answering any of the questions. Fidgeting will only make the interviewer think that you are bluffing the interview. Concentration and focus are quite important in a job interview.
[SIZE="3"][FONT="Comic Sans MS"][COLOR="Black"]
4. Provide Facts[/COLOR][/FONT][/SIZE]
Make sure that you have a short fact to share about whatever you tell the interviewer. This will only add to your resume later. However, the fact should not be too long and boring. Remember, the interview is of a very short time span. Give such facts only if the interviewer asks you about it.
[FONT="Comic Sans MS"][SIZE="3"][COLOR="Black"]
5. Relevancy[/COLOR][/SIZE][/FONT]
Additionally, make sure that your job interview focuses on relevancy. You should share any information relevant to your career, or the job profile in general, or even relevant to the interview. If the job requires certain abilities that you possess, make sure that your interview concentrates on those.
[SIZE="3"][FONT="Comic Sans MS"][COLOR="Black"]
6. A team player[/COLOR][/FONT][/SIZE]
Make sure that you give the interviewers an idea that you are a team player. Being a team player means a lot in today’s corporate world. Also, once you have proven that you are a team player, you should try to put across the idea that you like to interact with your team members as well as other individuals on a general basis.
[SIZE="3"][FONT="Comic Sans MS"][COLOR="Black"]
7. Motivation[/COLOR][/FONT][/SIZE]
Another important aspect to put across is that you like to know more about the companies that you work for, so that you better understand the workings of the company and hence contribute to the values of the company.

[SIZE="3"][FONT="Comic Sans MS"][COLOR="Black"]8. Future plans[/COLOR][/FONT][/SIZE]
Also, make sure that you tell them about any concrete ambition that you have.
[SIZE="3"][FONT="Comic Sans MS"][COLOR="Black"]
9. Honest answers[/COLOR][/FONT][/SIZE]
Lastly, remember that an interview is just the beginning of the job and hiring process. There are several steps along the way where anything that you say will be checked and cross checked. Therefore make sure that you are completely honest about your answers.
[SIZE="5"][FONT="Comic Sans MS"][COLOR="Black"]What NOT to Say in a Job Interview[/COLOR][/FONT][/SIZE]

Here are some of the ‘don’t’s about appearing for an interview:

[SIZE="3"][FONT="Comic Sans MS"][COLOR="Black"]1. Private information[/COLOR][/FONT][/SIZE]
One of the biggest mistakes that people commit in an interview is giving out private information when it is not needed, or even when it is simply not asked.
[SIZE="3"][FONT="Comic Sans MS"][COLOR="Black"]
2. Your weaknesses[/COLOR][/FONT][/SIZE]
Do not confess to any weaknesses that may put you in a bad light. If it were so bad, the interviewer would have already noticed it and not called you for an interview.
[SIZE="3"][COLOR="Black"][FONT="Comic Sans MS"]
3. Past problems[/FONT][/COLOR][/SIZE]
Another major problem is created when people speak about the problems that they encountered while they were in their previous jobs. Also, do not try to tell them about any personal likes or dislikes that you may have. Make sure that you do not talk to them about your past disappointments, or anything negative that you have to tell about your previous organization you worked with.
[COLOR="Black"][SIZE="3"][FONT="Comic Sans MS"]
4. The salary[/FONT][/SIZE][/COLOR]
Never discuss the salary unless and until you are asked about it. Salary negotiations are always carried out after receiving a job offer.
Therefore, saying the wrong things during the interview might cost you the job, while saying the right things might get you the job.