No. 1 piece of job interview advice from a former CEO: Stop 'trying to win the interview'

There are several things former CEO and serial entrepreneur David Royce doesn't like to see in job interviews.

One is job hopping, which makes him wonder how long a candidate would last at his own company. Another is being overly negative about a previous employer, which makes him wonder how that person would behave internally if they were hired.

What he would recommend jobseekers work on is being authentic and honest during their interviews. "Don't say anything that's fake," he says. He's not referring to lying about your skills, though, don't do that either. What Royce means is to not stretch what you're willing to do within the parameters of the job.

Here's how that could play out and why it's in your best interest.

Say, 'staying till 8 or 9 o'clock at night is just not really my thing'

At the job interview, you want to make a good impression. That's a given. But you don't want to oversell what you'd be able to do down the line.

Say an employer says it's typical to work until 8 or 9 p.m. in the role. It's easy to want to be amenable and tell them that's fine. "But if you've got kids or just different values about how much you want to work," he says, be honest that that might be tough for you to do.

Instead of "trying to win the interview," he says, say something like, "I've got kids and staying till 8 or 9 o'clock at night is just not really my thing."

'Was I really honest about who I am'

There are multiple benefits to being honest about what you can give to a job.

First, if you lie and tell them you're open to an arrangement that would be a strain on your day-to-day, it's entirely possible within six months of taking the job, you'll be pretty unhappy, says Royce. You might even replay the interview and ask yourself, "was I really honest about who I am, what I want?" he says.

Plus, your new employer will feel the difficulties you're facing in your output and when you ultimately let them know it's not working.

If, instead, you tell them the truth about what you can take on during the interview, it's possible they'll thank you for your time and say that's a priority for them. But it's also possible, if they want you on the team, they'll be willing to negotiate. They might also let you know about another job in the company or keep you in mind for future roles.

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