I’ve been Business Insider’s managing editor for almost four years now. Since we’re a fast-growing company, we’re constantly looking for new talent, from interns to site leads.
Between career fairs, coffees, and in-office interviews, I’ve interviewed hundreds of people.
Most candidates come prepared — but many don’t.
Each one of these warnings comes from real life experiences I’ve had while conducting interviews at Business Insider.
- Don’t come a half an hour early. It makes the interviewer feel pressure to finish what they’re doing. Five minutes early is more than enough.
- However, that doesn’t mean you should be late, either. Sending an email 30 minutes after a scheduled interview to say that you haven’t even left Long Island yet is not the best idea. If you are running a few minutes late, apologize when you arrive.
- Don’t bring your own cup of coffee or smoothie to the interview. It’s not professional, and it might make the interviewer jealous they don’t have one.
- Don’t touch your face or twirl your hair, mustache, or beard during the interview. It’s disgusting and distracting.
- Don’t wait more than 24 hours after the interview to write a thank-you email. Be short and sweet, but specific.
- Skip the “thank-you note in the snail mail” thing. It’s 2014.
- If the interviewer asks you to take a 10-minute writing test after your chat (or any exercise), don’t decline. No matter what you have going on after, it’s a red flag if you say you don’t have time.
- Don’t talk about how successful your father is. It will make the interviewer think your father is responsible for getting you all your past jobs and internships.
- Don’t arrive with wet hair. Better to be five minutes late with dry hair.
- Don’t have disgusting breath. If you’re sitting across a conference room table from your interviewer and they can smell it, that’s a bad sign.
- Don’t say: “I still haven’t figured out what I want to do yet.” It makes you seem lost. You have figured out what you want to do, and it’s exactly what this job is.
- Don’t ever say: “I really want a job.” You want THIS job.
- If you’re meeting for coffee, don’t jump in and order food. Take cues from your interviewer; let them order first.
- Don’t mess up the most basic facts. For example, don’t tell me that Business Insider is a great “magazine.”
- Don’t ask: “What are the hours?” It makes it sound like you’ll be clocking in and out. There’s a better way of putting that: “What’s a typical day like?”
- If you’re interviewing for an editorial job, don’t tell the interviewer your lifelong goal is to be a fashion designer or a golf announcer. Same goes for any job in any field.
- Don’t come in without spending a considerable amount of time researching the company. A smart interviewer will test your company knowledge.
- Don’t say: “I don’t have any questions” at the end of the interview. You have to at least ask ONE question, and it should be more creative than, “What’s the culture like?”
- A question to avoid: “Do people in the office party together outside of work?”
- And your questions shouldn’t have absolutely NOTHING to do with the job, like, “What’s your favorite movie?”
- Don’t ask if moving within the company is easy. That makes the interviewer think you’re trying to get your foot in the door for another position.
- Don’t ask: “How soon will I be eligible for a promotion?” There’s a better way of putting that: “What’s the career trajectory for someone in this position?”
- Don’t speak poorly about a past employer or say something like, “Ugh, my old boss was the worst.” That’s an immediate red flag.
