Interview Mistakes and How to Recover

There are big interviewing mistakes and there are little mistakes that you can make as a candidate during the interview. Some are universal. However, some mistakes that would be a big deal at one firm might be considered a little mistake at another. Nevertheless, be mindful of not making the most common of mistakes we see a lot of interviewees make. If you find yourself making one of these following mistakes here is what I recommend for damage control.

I must interject that, of course, the best advice is to not make these mistakes. But, from time-to-time mistakes happen. Many people get nervous during an interview and make mistakes they otherwise never would. So with the spirit of knowing that mistakes happen, let's deal with the most common ones one at a time.

1. Forgetting the name of your interviewer There are several levels of mistakes for this one. Before the interview and during the interview of course, and then there are those panel interviews where forgetting names can really fluster you.

Before the interview Check your notes, did you write it down anywhere? If you have a recruiter simply call and ask. If not check the online directory/contact us page. If not there call the company/receptionist/secretary and ask. You can simply tell them that you have an interview and misplaced your note with the name of the person you are interviewing with.

During the interview This is also going to be easy because you are going to use this tip when you go into your interview. Write the name of the person and title on a note card. Keep it in your inside jacket pocket or purse. Read it before you go in for the interview (many times pending your memory). Make sure that you say their name out loud when you meet them to help sear it into your skull. If you forget their name during the interview simply pull out the card and write a pretend note (as you see the name). If the interview format allows for note taking then simply have their name and title on the note page for easy reference.

Panel interviews A good technique is to be prepared to start taking notes immediately when the interview starts. When you meet everyone write their first name down in the position they are in the room to you onto the paper while their names are fresh in your mind. If you did not get all their names write a line or circle in the position where the interviewer is that you have forgotten their name. Pay attention to see if one of the other interviewers use their name and if so simply write it on the line or within the circle. You can easily glance at this "chart" without anyone noticing and with confidence use each interviewer's name as you address their questions. If you have one that you just can't get their name overcompensate a little (not a lot) with focused eye contact with that individual.

2. Mispronouncing an important word If you find yourself starting to say a word and it occurs to you that you have drawn a blank on the correct pronunciation of the word and you know you're about to butcher it then stop. Don't say the rest of the word. Act like that wasn't actually the word you wanted to use by pausing and then using a different word that conveys as close to the meaning of the word you blanked on as you can quickly draw upon. This is much better than totally mispronouncing the word. If you were unable to stop yourself or did not realize you butchered it until after it left your mouth then simply say something along the lines of, "That did not come out right did it? What I meant to say is..." Don't dwell on it. Don't bring the interviewers focus anymore to it.

3. Your stain is singing I love the commercial with Tide-to-Go of the person in the interview that has a stain on his shirt and it is so loud that it is all the interviewer can hear. I think it's pretty funny because it is so true.

You spilled something on yourself and have a nice stain to show for it or ripped your panty hose or any other clothing disaster then try to hide it. If you can't hide it then don't try to hide it. What I mean by that is if the stain is obvious then make sure you acknowledge it! Don't just act like it's not there. Point it out by saying something like, "It figures I would spill something on myself the day of an interview". Or, use humor and say something like, "I realize in hindsight that the food fight I started at lunch probably wasn't the best idea." It is better to acknowledge the spot than to pretend like it's not there and let the interviewer think that you don't know you have a giant coffee stain on your shirt. Smile, acknowledge and move on.

4. Using verbal crutches It's natural when a person gets nervous or excited to more heavily rely on verbal crutches than they normally would in just about any other conversation they have. Using words like "um" and "like" and "uh" every other word or at the beginning or end of every sentence is a mistake you need to be cognitive of because it is much more noticeable than you think. The people overly using these crutches typically don't realize it. So pay attention. If you notice yourself making this mistake then simply slow down, regain your verbal composure and try to focus a bit more on tightening up your sentences.

5. Stepping over your words It is easy to get tongue tied sometimes. When this happens just pause for one second, take the next sentence you want to say and articulate it and then take it sentence from sentence from there until you are back in your groove.

6. You're late One of the biggies. If you are going to be more than 10 minutes late call your interviewer and let them know when you are going to arrive and apologize. If you are going to be more than 10 minutes late ask if they would still like to interview you or if you should still come in or reschedule. Convey that you know their time is valuable (even though they are not going to perceive this by your actions) and give the important reason why you are late. Once you arrive apologize for being late and then let the issue subside, don't dwell on it.

7. Can't pronounce your interviewer's name Call before your interview and ask the receptionist or call the company directory to check and see if the names are verbally listed. If you are working with a recruiter, have them tell you or find out for you. A good trick is to call the person after business hours and listen to see if their name is on their voice mail. If all else fails be the first to introduce your name when you stick out your hand to shake theirs they will naturally respond with telling you their name and therefore how to pronounce it. If that doesn't work simply ask, "Am I pronouncing your name correctly?"

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GE Buys 25,000 Electric Cars To Kick-Start Market !!!

Author: bbc.co.uk

Lowongan Kerja - It hopes that its purchase of 25,000 electric vehicles will drive the development of a network of charging stations, and other related products, which it produces.

Its first order is for 12,000 Chevrolet Volts, which will start to roll off GM's production lines this month.

GE will use them as company cars and lease them to corporate customers.

It intends to buy the 25,000 cars by 2015. It will use some of them in its own fleet.
The rest will go into its Capital Fleet Services business, which leases cars to corporate customers.

GM said it wanted to "lead wide-scale electric adoption and generate growth for its businesses".

GE's Jeff Immelt said he hope the purchase would "move electric vehicles from anticipation to action".

It predicts that the nascent electric vehicle market could be worth $500m (£310m; 366m euros) in revenue to GM over the next three years.

General Motors Getting Ready For Profitable Future

Author: bbc.co.uk

Job Indonesia - A year-and-a-half after the US automotive giant General Motors (GM) filled for bankruptcy protection, the Cadillac factory in Lansing, Michigan, is still churning out cars. - Job Vacancy

The Grand River Assembly, which lies about 90 miles west of Detroit, is gearing up production, hiring hundreds of new workers and getting ready to start producing a Cadillac that will be both smaller and much less thirsty than those it used to make.

Lowongan Kerja - The model is a powerful symbol of a new beginning for the bruised carmaker after last year's $50bn - £31bn at current exchange rates - bail-out by the US taxpayer.

But symbolism will not do for GM's new chief executive Dan Akerson, a former telecoms executive and naval officer known for his keen, at times even combative, focus on figures.

They are beginning to look impressive. GM made $2bn net profits during the July to September quarter, a dramatic turnaround from a near-$1bn loss during the same period a year earlier.

"The results of the third quarter clearly point to the amount of progress that GM has made," says Mr Akerson, who also has a background in private equity investment.

With sales remaining strong during the last three months of the year, GM expects to make a profit for the year as a whole.

"Although we're a different company, it's worth noting that last time GM reported a profitable year was 1994," Mr Akerson says.

Making better cars

Mr Akerson is known as a combative executive who focuses closely on financial figures

With Mr Akerson at the helm, GM is getting ready for the second leg of a long and painful journey.

The first, which was run by his predecessors Fritz Henderson and Ed Whitacre, was all about pushing through a harsh restructuring, all under the watchful eye of a board of directors representing the US government's 61% stake in the group.
The second phase of GM's revival is about to start as the government and its co-owners - the Canadian government and the union - get ready to pass majority control of the company back to private investors.

And it is clear that this phase will have to be product-led.

In recent years, the quality of many of the models made by GM has fallen short of the quality products delivered by many of its rivals, and so the company reputation has suffered a great deal.

Mr Akerson is eager to fix that.

He knows well that building quality cars can be costly, so this year GM has spent close to $5bn on capital expenditure.

Next year, and in the years ahead, Mr Akerson is expected to spend even more - and he is eager to pass on the message.

"We've just started doing a better job in marketing our brands to consumers," he says.

International challenge
But making better cars will not be enough without further changes to GM's corporate culture, as well as a bolstering of morale in a company that has seen tens of thousands of jobs go in a matter of months.
Improved financial risk management is also vital, according to Mr Akerson, who has been pushing for closer monitoring of what profit margins different units within the firm deliver, as well as for a more deliberate approach to currency risk.
And of course, Mr Akerson says, "we continue to be vigilant in reducing cost".
But the biggest challenge will be to rebuild relations with both customers and government officials, workers and dealers, across the pond.
This is particularly important in Germany, the largest car market in Europe, where deep wounds were inflicted last year during lengthy talks with both the unions and the government.
Mr Akerson is fully aware of what needs to be done. "We know we have much work to do. We still have to fix Europe," he says.
Private investors, preparing to buy GM shares, will hope he also knows how to do it.