I have participated in hundreds of interviews, both as a candidate and a recruiter.  I have spoken with college students and senior vice presidents.  And what I realized is that no matter how much experience you have, most candidates make three critical mistakes during an interview.  The good news is this completely within your control and you can make the necessary adjustments now.

1.    Preparation
Your time is valuable, right?  So is the time that a recruiter or hiring manager  has carved out to meet with you.  If you haven't gone to Wikipedia, Google News, Google Blog Search, search.twitter.com and the company Web site to find out everything you can about a company, you're really just wasting everyone's time (including yours).  And just because you're a Senior Vice President, or referred by someone with a big title,  it doesn't mean you're off the hook.

2.    You or me?
When you go on a first date do you just talk, talk, talk?  How many second dates do you get?  Probably zero.  It's the same with interviews.  This isn't about you.  It's about the company.  Be prepared and ask a lot of good questions.  Ask good follow-up questions.  Be present.  Take good notes.  The best way to sell yourself is to not sell yourself.

3.    Listen
A good salesman will ask a potential customer what he or she would like to buy before he tries to sell.  In an ideal world, what's your perfect widget?  What will you be using this widget for?  What have you liked about other widgets?  What frustrations have you had with other widgets?  If you ask a company "who" or "what" they're seeking to hire, they'll tell you.  And you can tailor your value proposition to meet their needs.

Courtesy AMC.com

Like many of you, I am anxiously waiting Season 4 of MAD MEN.  I just found out that they have a fun "online interview" to promote the new season.  I was offered an Account Manager role, how about you?

http://www.amctv.com/originals/madmen/job-interview/

Job Seekers, don't suffer from "One-itis."  One-itis is when you are conducting a job search and fall in love with one company and close off all of your other options.  This is a bad strategy in dating, and even worse in the job search.  It's an emotional response, not a rational one.

Why is this bad?  Because you stop driving the job search process, coupled with a lot of factors out of your control: timing, budget and fit to name a few.

It is a great feeling when you leave an interview and you totally connect with the people you met with and you feel you are "destined" to work there.  All in all, that's a very good thing and that company should be at the top of your list.  But the winds can change quickly, so you need to ensure that you keep your options open until you have a written offer letter from that company.

I know it's hard, but you need to treat that one special company like everyone else and go on a lot of dates... with other companies.   If it's really meant to be, you'll get the offer.  And if it isn't, you'll have a back-up plan already in place.