The Top 3 Worst Mistakes You Can Make in an Interview (With Me)

In the last 2 years, we have had a lot of growth at Toast (we're hiring...reach out!). Therefore, we have had to do a lot of interviews.

When I was first asked to join our interview panel about 1.5 years ago, I had honestly only really been on the interviewee side rather than the interviewer side, but I was excited for the challenge. Since then, I have conducted hundreds of interviews, talked to all types of people, and been a part of hiring about 30 of them. I have learned a lot so far (and still learn every day), so I wanted to share what I assumed most people already knew. Many do. A lot do not.

The interview process

Our interviews normally go something like this:

Step 1: Recruiter reaches out stating they liked what they saw on your resume and wants to set up a call to see if you should be moved forward in the process.

Step 2: You have your phone screen with the recruiter to make sure you are a good culture fit and meet the basic criteria of the role.

Step 3: You meet with a panel of team members and managers who are all looking for something different.

Step 4: You may meet with someone in your area (for a remote role) or have a take home case study.

Step 5: You pop the champagne because you just got your dream job offer at one of the fastest growing tech companies...at least I did.

Overall this is pretty standard, but it can take several weeks, and the panel can last several hours. I was even asked back for a second round of interviews to make sure I was passionate about the role. This was actually a positive for me because it showed me how much emphasis Toast put on hiring the right people. We still take this quite seriously and make sure you are the right person for the job each and every time.

Here are some surefire ways to show that you are not the right person for your dream job.

1. You don't prepare

"What do you do here?"

This seems pretty obvious, but it has really been eye-opening to see how many people have showed up to our meetings unprepared. Not being prepared comes in many different forms, but the most glaring is the question "What do you do here?". Asking this question shows you did little-to-no research, and you do not care enough about the short time we do have to ask about more important topics to your potential employment. You have a finite amount of time with someone who works at the company you are trying to work for, and in some instances, your future manager. The least you can do is some research.

"But Matt, your Linkedin profile says you are a 'Regional Manager - Restaurant Success, East Team'. I don't know what that means. How else can I ask what you do?"

I am glad you asked! The better version of that question to show you did your research is "I saw on your Linkedin that you are the Regional Manager - Restaurant Success, East Team. What does a Regional Manager do at Toast?".

It is important to do your research to make the most of the short time we have together. If your question could have been answered by a quick Google search, then it is not a great question for the interview.

2. You have no questions for me

"Everyone else has answered all of my questions!"

Interviews are not just a time for the company to get to know you, but for you to get to know the company. This is a place that you could be spending the majority of your time at each and every day. It is extremely important that the company thinks you are a fit, but that you think the company is a fit.

I try to leave at least 10 minutes at the end of interviews for people to ask me questions. Too many times to count, when I am the third or fourth person someone talks to, they claim everyone else answered all of their questions.

My problem with this is that we are all different people. We all have different opinions and different perspectives to offer. In every interview I have ever had, I always ask everyone the same question, which is "What keeps you up at night?". I believe that getting everyone's perspective helps me build a more whole picture of the organization I may be about to join, and will help me inform my decision of if it is actually a good fit for me or not. It is never a bad idea to repeat questions. In fact, I actually highly recommend it.

3. You don't follow instructions

"Well, my career first started back when..."

The first question I ask every interviewee is to tell me about themselves, and specifically what I would not learn from their resume. I mention that I have it in front of me already so I really want to learn more about the person behind the resume rather than the job experience they have.

I ask this because I am genuinely interested to learn more about you as a person. What do you do outside of work? What are your passions? What are your hobbies? What kind of music to do you listen to? Are you also passionate for travel? (everyone is according to this question).

9 out of 10 times, I get the correct response to the question. "I just got married this past summer". "I am a mother of 3 and pretty much am all about my family outside of work". "I am a gym rat and go to Crossfit 3 times a week". "I love going to concerts and actually play the guitar". These are great answers.

Then, 1 out of 10 times I get the dreaded "Well at my last job I..." and I know the interview is not going to go well. The interviewee tends to just go over their resume, which I specifically asked them not to.

The reason I really dislike this answer is because it shows you do not know how to follow instruction. At Toast, we push people to think differently, but such a big part of this job is active listening that is important to be able to listen to what someone says and be able to interpret it correctly to help them achieve their goals and be aligned with their vision.