Top 3 Ways Millennials Blow It During Job Interviews

When I was in college, we had mock interviews. The instructor provided the format and some starter questions such as, “Tell me about yourself.” “Why do you want to work here?” And the dreaded, “What’s your greatest weakness?” The answer to which should of course be a strength spun to sound like a weakness.

That was years ago. I’m now a consultant to hiring managers across multiple industries. Based on the interview phone calls I sit in on with younger millennials, not much has changed. Most graduates are unprepared to interview for the positions they’re after. The answers millennials have, for the old school questions I listed above, don’t impact a company’s bottom line. What these candidates need most are answers that show transferrable skills and how they will respond to high stress situations on a team. Below are the top 3 things I’ve seen and heard unprepared candidates do to guarantee a failed interview.

Flipping the interview

Rambling to kill time is a tried-and-true technique used by people who don't want the interviewer to spend too much time asking them questions they are uncomfortable answering. A candidate flips the interview to build rapport with the interviewer. They believe if they can dazzle the interviewer with their commanding presence while preventing the hiring manager from focusing on their skill set, it's a win.

However, it's not 1995. Jobs in our economy are heavily data driven. Your interviewer is going to have a prescribed list of questions to ask. This helps the leadership team compare you and your answers to other candidates competing for the position. They are going to notice when you start talking about your dog for 25 minutes or jabbering about the minutiae of your old job.

Two things happen when a candidate flips an interview. The interviewer becomes aware of the time that they are losing and tries to redirect to their list of questions. Then they become annoyed with the candidate. When a meeting is scheduled to last an hour and a candidate forces it to go over by 45 minutes, that is all a hiring manger will remember. A job offer will not be forthcoming.

No anecdotes of related experience

Traditional interview questions typically ask a candidate about their feelings or objective questions based on the skills required to perform the job, such as: Do you know how to do…? Are you familiar with this process or policy? Have you used this tool or software before? Why do you want to work here? These are the types of questions millennials are taught to expect from job placement counselors at school.

However, in 2022 it is very common for interview questions to begin with, the phrase “Tell me about a time you...” These are called behavioral questions. Their purpose is to force an applicant to give answers that are purely based on their experience. These answers are desirable because they identify transferrable skills and demonstrate how candidates will respond to a similar situation in the future.

“The most accurate predictor of future performance is past performance in similar situations,” according to Katherine Hansen, instructor at Albright College Experiential Learning and Development Center. “Behavioral interviewing, in fact, is said to be 55 percent predictive of future on-the-job behavior, while traditional interviewing is only 10 percent predictive.”

It is no wonder more hiring managers are relying on behavioral interview questions in industries from tech to hospitality. Being unprepared to answer these questions means dropping to the bottom of the candidate pool.

Demonstrating a status quo mentality

So, you made it to the interview. You didn't talk all over the hiring manager’s time and you are prepared to answer the behavioral interview questions. You're in the clear, right? Wrong. A candidate who passes through the 1st and 2nd gauntlets is often undermined by their own answers in the third.

The hiring manager is asking about your past experience because ultimately they want to know what you contributed. Was it quantitative? Was it qualitative? How did you impact the organization or the team that you were a part of? Did you change things for the better, or did you just skate by like a “C” student hiding out in the back of the classroom?

I have heard hiring managers ask questions such as, “How did you identify the problem?After you identified the problem, how did you overcome it?” And I have very often heard candidates give the following lackluster answers, “I don’t know, I just kind of noticed.” “I couldn't fix it.” “We did more training.” Or even better “I told the supervisor.”

Your answer should show the steps you took and data you used to make an improvement. Prove you took ownership of the situation, made efforts based on data, and went above and beyond. You’ll look like an impactful leader with a growth mindset. This is what employers are looking for whether you’re applying to be a barista or manage a multinational corporation.

An answer that shows you basically just left things the way they were is a bad answer. Would you bet your business on a new hire, who was always winging it or saying, it wasn't my job to fix it?

Know better? Do better.

How can you deal with these grievous gaps in your experience you ask? In your current job, volunteer role, or class team, bring more to the table. Try resolving a conflict that you previously shied away from. Tackle that broken process that everybody hates. Take ownership in your projects, invest in and encourage your colleagues to gain buy-in. Make measurable impacts because that’s the kind of thing employers want to see. Writing team player on your resume means nothing. You have to show you actually have experience supporting a team.

What’s that you say? The interview is tomorrow, and you don’t have time to go back and make an impact on the job? No problem, book an interview prep call with me. I’ll review your experience with you, ask you the kinds of questions serious hiring managers are asking right now, and help you avoid some major pitfalls with your answers.

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Krystena Lee is a freelance writer and employment consultant. She specializes in giving clarity of voice to the thoughts of her tongue-tied clients. For resumés, cover letters, bios and all things SEO & copy writing you can put her skills to work for you at www.KrystenaLee.com/booking.