Playing tennis

Photo: Jade Copple

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Forget the One Thing (Outside of the Job) You Love Most

What you think you're doing: Coming across as 100 percent professional.

Why it doesn't work: The all-business approach doesn't give someone who might be spending a lot of time with you in the near future a chance to form an interpersonal impression of you.

What to do instead: The interview primarily evaluates how good you are at the job, but don't be afraid to use the post-interview chitchat to brag about your hidden talent (you can whip up biscuits blindfolded) or passion project (you've been practicing Mandarin because you really want to visit Beijing). Ages-old research shows that we recall things (and people) that stand out more easily than we recall typical things, so give the hiring manager a unique way of remembering you.