When I broke rule #1 of job interviews

Ever misheard the question and answered a different one?

Disaster.

Rule #1. Answer the question. The actual question.

I was at a business conference with over 1,000 attendees listening to some of the bright business minds of today. Lots of wonderful presentations and success stories. Inspiring.

One of the speakers offered to hold a bunch of interviews that day and successful candidates would be mentored by this business guru over the next year. What an opportunity!

I immediately ran over to the signup desk and put my name down. I had one hour to prepare for a potential shot at a massive opportunity.

He even spelt out what he was looking for (akin to a person specification). Who are you, what is your idea, and why he should pick you. Easy. I mean, I’m an interview expert, right?

Wrong. Dead wrong.

His first question was to ask about my background. I immediately went to a pre-prepared speech about how I wanted to be free, happy and some other nonsense I can’t remember (yep, it was that bad). He had to stop me in my tracks.

“So what is your background?”

Rule #1. Answer the question (you doofus).

I was mortified. How could I have been such an idiot?! I somehow regained my composure and proceeded to tell him about my university education and a brief overview of my employment history. You know, telling him about my background!

Sigh.

I won’t be the first or last to make such a rookie mistake. It sounds simple, but in my experience interviewing on both sides, it is most definitely rule #1. Answer the question. The actual question.

Rule #1 is so easy to break. Adrenaline can really affect you. Eagerness to make a good impression. Just pure determination can get the better of you.

Here are some obvious, yet useful tips that can help you avoid making such a fundamental mistake.

• Get a good night’s sleep.

There have been so many times I have had sleepless nights pre-interview day. Direct correlation between sleepless nights and performance. Much like having a sluggish day at work after a bad night’s sleep, do all you can to get rest before the interview. Oh, and control the caffeine intake too. Recruiters don’t want a motor mouth as an employee.

Take a moment to analyse where you are and what is around you. This small step has got me job offers alone. Noticing things around you gives off the air of being focused, driven and having excellent awareness. All skills that employers subtly notice and appreciate. Also, you will be in the right frame of mind for the upcoming questions.

• If not 100% sure you heard the question, just ask for a repeat.

It happens, sometimes you just didn’t hear the question perfectly. You are not sure how to answer the question properly. Just ask the interviewer to repeat it. If you do it once, you show that you actually care to meet the requirements of the interviewer and their question. Making sure is an absolute positive trait to display. Likewise, if you are not sure about the exact premise of the question, ask for clarification. Just don’t do it more than once, that could bring into question your concentration and listening skills.

• Clarify at the end of your question if you have answered the question to a sufficient degree

This requires some confidence and perhaps some rapport building, but clarification much like in the previous point is a useful tool. Just ask something like ‘Have I provided a complete answer’ or ‘would you like me to elaborate?’ depending on what is appropriate. This technique demonstrates you care about the answer you gave and that you are not afraid to further rubber-stamp your credentials with further evidence. Win-win.

• Give yourself a few seconds before responding

I have done this to great effect a few times. Maybe you didn’t quite catch the question but need a moment to think it through. As well prepared as one can be, you will always have a question that surprises you. In such cases, give yourself a few seconds to think before responding. Even break the silence with ‘That’s a good question! Give me a moment to think’. Keep calm and think it through. They’d rather wait a few moments for a great answer.

These tips have helped me greatly. The name of the game is to answer the questions in the best manner possible. Don’t be the one that didn’t answer the question!

Originally published at www.typicalinterview.com.