7 Ways to Sabotage Your Interview Without Even Realizing It

Getting to the interview stage is exciting – and can also be a fraught experience. It’s not a skill that many of us often do, and it takes practice to hit the sweet spot of portraying yourself as experienced, confident, and someone the team can imagine spending 40 hours a week with. 

From the mock interviews I do with clients, here are the most common pitfalls that trip people up:

Mistake #1: Being Too Literal with “Tell Me About Yourself” or “Walk Me Through Your Resume”

When your interviewer asks this, they aren’t looking for an explanation for every job you’ve ever held, nor are they interested in your hobbies. What they’re really asking is for you to tell them why you’re the perfect candidate.

This is your chance to connect the dots for them. You don’t need to detail every job you’ve ever had—group them into themes that show how they’ve built on one another, giving you the skills and expertise that make you a strong candidate for this role.

You also want to highlight key accomplishments and differentiators. Most importantly, explain why you’re excited about the role and why it’s a natural next step in your career journey. 

Remember, this is an open-ended opportunity for you to sell yourself. Before the interview, think through the key points you want to hit. How will you showcase that you’re the best person for the job?

Mistake #2: Reading or Memorizing Your Answers

If you’re reading your notes in a remote interview, you’re likely not making eye contact and your interviewer can tell when your eyes are scrolling across the screen. That doesn’t signal confidence, and it’s harder for you to build rapport with your interviewer. 

Same with memorizing your answers – you’ll likely be more focused on your script than on connecting with the other person, which is the opposite of what you should be doing. It’s hard not to sound stiff and rehearsed, and if you forget a line, it might throw you off entirely. 

Instead, prepare by developing an inventory of career stories. Think of the key areas you’re likely to be asked about: leadership, conflict resolution, problem solving, teamwork, decision making, and so on. For each category, identify a few examples. 

Then, use a framework to structure your responses. Whether you use STAR (Situation, Task, Action, Result), CAR (Context, Action, Result), or SOAR (Situation, Obstacles, Action, Result), or something else, they all give you a way to organize your thoughts in a logical storytelling sequence.

Focus on remembering your stories and practicing your talking points instead of reading or memorizing. You’ll come across as authentic and relatable, making it easier to connect with your interviewer.

Mistake #3: Getting Lost in the Weeds

It’s common for people to go into so much detail in their answer that the interviewer gets lost, and misses the bigger message. If you provide too much context and details in your story, your interviewer will likely tune out and be unclear on how that example translates to their needs.

Tell your story at the right altitude level: not so detailed that it’s too granular but specific enough to showcase what you did in a compelling way. You also want to make sure your story translates and the interviewer can see how your approach would be applicable in their context.

Test your story out on a friend. Were they able to easily follow along and pull out the key takeaways about the value you brought to the table?

Mistake #4: Staying Too Theoretical

On the flip side, another mistake is speaking too generally without offering concrete examples. It’s tempting to describe what you would do in a situation, but if you don’t show that you’ve done something similar in the past, it can come across as if you’re inexperienced. 

To avoid this, make sure you’re showing, not just telling. Give specific examples from your past that demonstrate the skills or experience you’re claiming to have. For example, saying, “I have a lot of experience influencing stakeholders” is okay, but it’s more powerful to share a story of how you got your reluctant boss on board with your idea. 

Even if you don’t have direct experience with the exact situation they’re asking about, think of something similar that shows you’re capable. 

Mistake #5: Using “We” Too Much

We’ve all been conditioned not to take too much credit for team efforts. But when it comes to interviewing, I’ve seen people swing too far in the other direction. 

If your answers are filled with “we,” the interviewer can’t easily determine your role in the project or situation. You need to strike the right balance between “I” and “we” in order to highlight your specific contributions. 

How did you approach the situation? What actions did you take? Your interviewer wants to understand what you did and how you impacted the outcome.

Of course, you don’t want to go too far and make everything about you. That can give the impression that you don’t know how to work in a team or share credit. 

One tip to get this balance right: record yourself practicing your responses. Play it back and listen for the balance between “I” and “we.” 

Mistake #6: Rambling

When your answers are too long, it gives the impression that you’re unprepared or unsure of what point you’re trying to make. Worse, it can cause your interviewer to lose focus—and once they’ve zoned out, it’s hard to reel them back in.

A good rule of thumb is to aim for answers that last about 3-5 minutes, depending on the question. This shows you’re focused, organized, and capable of getting to the point. 

Practice is key. You can’t just think through your answers—you need to say them out loud. Time yourself, and make sure you’re hitting the major points without going off on tangents. 

Mistake #7: Not being thoughtful about your questions

Your questions can say a lot about you – so be thoughtful about what you ask, when, and how you frame your question.

Sometimes, people want to ask very self-serving questions way too early in the process. During the early stages of the interview process, the balance of power is more toward the employer. As you move through the process, you have more leverage and it becomes more appropriate to ask questions to determine ideal fit. 

Also, think about how to stand out. Asking “What’s the company culture like?” will make you sound like 99% of other candidates. There’s nothing wrong with that, but it’s not doing anything to set you apart. 

Instead, think of more strategic, thoughtful ways to get the same information. For example, you might ask, “In your recent employee survey, what were things that employees noted as strengths about your organization, and what are the top reasons people leave?” 

Not only are you learning about the culture, this type of question also gives you even more information, like if they survey employees, and track employee sentiment. 

Your questions can also highlight your experience and perspective. For example, let’s say you’ve had a bad experience where your boss didn’t advocate for your team. 

You could say “I’ve realized that this function’s success depends on how other groups across the company buy into the team’s value. So I’m curious, how has the team advocated for their priorities?” With this question, you’ve just shown you have relevant experience and know how to overcome common pitfalls. 

If you want to take your interview prep to the next level, I recommend the book “I Hate Job Interviews.” Don’t we all? But if you avoid these mistakes and focus on preparing, you’ll have to do far fewer of them.