Interview Myths

Over our lifetimes most of us have heard a lot about the job search in general and the job interview in particular. Some of the advice is useful. However, much of it is now outdated and some may never have been productive for the job seeker. For example, many questions that might commonly have been asked in a job interview 25 years ago may be considered illegal, discriminatory, or inappropriate today. Limiting one's search to the reactive mode of responding to help wanted ads and sitting back hoping to be called for an interview was never a good job search strategy!

Let's look at several commonly held job interview myths and realities to get a better understanding of what works best. We will look in greater depth at the realities in later chapters.

MYTH #1:  
Every interview in my job search will be a job interview.
REALITY:
Some of the most fruitful interviews you can engage in are referral interviews. These are interviews which you set up and conduct to gain information, advice, referrals and to be favorably remembered. Referral interviews often lead to job interviews and provide invaluable information for your later job interviews—including the process of negotiating your salary.

MYTH #2:  
My resume will get me the job. If I write an excellent resume, I don't have to worry about anything else.