Here at Babel Profiles we interview hundreds of job seekers every week. As professional recruiters, we’ve been through interviews of all sorts, the good ones and the bad. While most of our candidates have clearly practised their job interview skills and feel comfortable talking about themselves, many still struggle with their nerves. Don’t get us wrong – we get that you might feel a bit nervous, but there’s no reason to be scared stiff!
Recruiters are humans too, and most of them aren’t trying to trick you or make you fail miserably. The hiring team is just as eager to find great talent, as you are to land that dream job. So don’t fret, we also want you to do well in your interview!
Here are the most common misconceptions regarding recruiters.
1. Recruiters are trying to trick you / get you to say something stupid.
Many candidates feel overwhelmed and reserved when recruiters ask them surprising questions. Some even believe that job interviews are some kind of elaborate psychological tests that are designed to make you fail miserably and to say something stupid. This isn’t true. The only thing recruiters want is to get to know the real you!
2. Recruiters want you to be superhuman.
How many times have you felt the urge to lie when asked about your weaknesses in a job interview? I’m betting several times! No one wants to give a bad impression when applying for a job. However, lying and making up ‘positive’ weaknesses like ‘I’m such a perfectionist’ or ‘I suffer from workaholism’ doesn’t really get you very far. Recruiters can smell those lies from miles away! Nobody expects the candidates to be superhuman and without flaws. A good guideline is just to be yourself!
3. Recruiters will discard if you don’t perform flawlessly in an interview.
Many people believe that you have to absolutely nail an interview to get a job. This might be true in some circumstances, but most of the time you are allowed to make small ‘mistakes’ without fatal consequences. Taking your time to think about a coherent answer is nothing to be worried about, for example. Some candidates also worry about their answers not being good enough. There’s a misconception that each interview question has some kind of perfect textbook answer. However, your reaction and the way you are handling the situation is often more important than your actual answer!
