There is a huge amount of advice on job interviews available on the internet and most of them say pretty much the same thing. A very good example is Kiplinger’s article, What Not to Say at a Job Interview – all good, sound advice.

But what I’d like to add is that you can do everything right and still not get the job. So much depends on the character and personal preferences of those interviewing you – and that can come down to as silly a thing as someone not liking the fact that you wear brown shoes (don’t laugh – I had an area manager once who detested them!).

Just as an instance, I once gave the job to an interviewee who gave exactly the wrong answer to the the question, “Why do you want this job?” His answer was so clearly honest and without the usual carefully pre-constructed explanations that I just had to give it to him. He answered, “Because I need the money.”

Many interviewers would have turned him down immediately; honesty is less important to some people than others, I guess. But I see it as one of the most telling factors in any interview; if someone is not prepared to give you a straight and simple answer, the thought must occur that he is hiding something. Incidentally, that guy turned out to be one of the best employees we’d ever taken on.

So I’m saying that you cannot ever be certain that your interview technique will necessarily hand you the job. Be prepared for disappointments and decide that you will push on to the next interview regardless. That is what wins in the end: determination and persistence.