Five biggest interview blunders

It's still a great job market ever, but techies continue tripping over themselves on interviews, according to Laura Roden, CFO and vice president of finance and administration at Power TV, a Cupertino, Calif., company that develops operating systems and applications for interactive TV.

Having interviewed dozens of techies for both technical and managerial slots, Roden says most candidates make the following interviewing faux pas:

1. Excessive talking combined with arrogance. Many applicants go out of their way to prove how smart they are by talking too much and hardly give the interviewer a chance to ask questions. "Most interviewers understand technology and know what they are looking for," says Roden. "Interviewees are wasting time trying to demonstrate their competence. Their résumé proves they are technically competent. The next critical step for applicants is stepping back, finding out what the job is about and what problems have to be solved."

2. Failing to communicate. The flip side of the above scenario is when the candidate withdraws into a shell and lets the interviewer carry the show entirely. Roden likens getting information from a silent interviewee to pulling teeth without anesthesia. "Unwittingly, silent candidates also come off as arrogant, when in fact they're usually shy and timid," she says. "Unfortunately interviewers don't see the shyness. Instead, they interpret the behavior as that of smug and overly confident candidates who don't feel they need to sell themselves." A failure to communicate creates an unbridgeable gap between candidate and interviewer.

3. Undervaluing your worth. With salaries for most technical jobs at an all-time high, it's hard to believe candidates would price themselves too cheaply. Yet, Roden says they do it all the time. The root of the problem is poor salary negotiation skills. In the course of an interview, companies routinely ask, "What kind of money are you looking for?" The correct approach is begging out of the answer because it's the wrong time to discuss salary. "You're being set up to put a number on your services when a job offer hasn't even been made," says Roden. "If you price yourself too low, the company will get you too cheaply. If you come in too high, you risk making yourself look silly." Correct strategy: Don't mention money. Roden advises, "Let the company make an offer first." Until an offer is made, speak in generalities and ask questions such as "What is the budget (or salary range) for this position?" Ideally, money shouldn't be discussed until both applicant and company know something about each other. The applicant has to know about the job, its importance and how the company values the position. Once the company makes an offer, then it's appropriate to ask for 10-20 percent above that figure, depending upon what you earned on your last job.

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