What not to say in an interview
By Larry Keller

If you're a smart job candidate, you've thought about the points you want to make to sell yourself in an interview. Maybe you've even practiced your spiel. That's good, but know too that career experts caution that saying too much in an interview can hurt your prospects.

You already know to avoid mentioning the office-supplies pilfering complaint filed against you in your last job -- and that reprimand for arriving late on 18 days in one month. But here are some less obvious things you should avoid saying at a job interview.

• Don't address your interviewer by his or her first name, unless and until it's clearly established that the session is on a first-name basis. Here, the rule is to let the interviewer speak first. If you're immediately called by your first name -- and particularly if the handshake comes with, "Hi, I'm Alice" -- then you know that first names are the order of the day. If you don't get such signals (yes, even in this Age of IT and pierced noses), stick to the more formal last-name approach.
  
  
• Don't use the wrong name. First or last.
  
  
• Don't say anything that conveys you're desperate for the job. Even if you are.

"You want to appear there are other opportunities on your horizon," writes Robin Ryan in "60 Seconds & You're Hired!" (Penguin USA, updated version released in January). "You may have to act; maybe you are desperate. But if you convey that desperation to the employer in the interview, it can hurt your chances of getting hired."

• Don't bash your former boss or company. You'll be perceived as a malcontent and the person interviewing you will wonder if you'll rip your next employer too.
  
  
• Don't ask, "What do you do here?" Research the company, the department and when possible, the interviewer, suggest Ron and Caryl Krannich, whose books include "Dynamite Salary Negotiations" (Impact Publications, fourth edition released in September).
  
  
• Don't brag. Yes, you need to sell yourself by recounting your achievements, but do so by demonstrating the results of what you did.

"Bragging often comes from weak candidates thinking they can snow the interviewer," Ryan writes. "Results, specifics and examples with substance are what will really influence an employer."

• Don't be a windbag. If you ramble too long in your responses, your interviewer's mind may start to wander. Stay on point. Ryan recommends keeping responses to 60 seconds or less.
  
  
• If the interviewer asks if you have any questions, don't respond, "No." You'll give the impression you aren't very curious or interested much in the company.