Ex-Google recruiter: You’re answering ‘Tell me about yourself?’ all wrong, and other job interview mistakes—do this instead

Farah Sharghi, a former recruiter for Google and other major employers, says job seekers can miss useful opportunities by asking broad, generic questions in interviews and networking conversations. She recommends tailoring questions to the discussion so people can give more specific, actionable answers.

For a coffee chat, Sharghi advises against asking what advice someone would give to a person starting out, as it may prompt a vague reply such as “work hard” or “be curious”. Instead, she suggests asking whether, based on the conversation, they can recommend anyone else to speak with. Sharghi says this can lead to further introductions, referrals and interviews.