What are the most common mistakes you see candidates make during an interview for a revenue operations position?
An interview is your chance at presenting as both highly effective (having the right skills and behaviours), and balanced (big picture vs. technical depth). To me, the key pitfalls to avoid are:
Failing to show organizational navigation skills. When discussing past experience, always articulate: (1) Where was the ship sailing? - how did your work fit into the company’s broader strategy? (2) What was your role on the command deck? - what were you, specifically, responsible or accountable for? Be ready to articulate both dimensions for to any past work discussion.
Being too literal — missing the “question behind the question”. Interviewers rarely care about your ability to navigate your current/past employer's tech stack blind spots or cross-functional complexities; they’re looking for success predictors such as curiosity, structured thinking, resilience, and stakeholder management. Read between the lines and solve for the real question.
Not tying experience to success in the new role. Don’t wait until the last 2 minutes to make your case. Identify beforehand the 2-3 key aspects that make you the best fit for the position, and deftly smuggle them into your answers throughout the conversation.
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Also, don't forget the small stuff that makes a big difference:
Time management: Have a 15-second, 2-minute, and 5-minute version of every key story. Layer your comms and gauge demand for longer versions as you go.
Jargon overload: Unless it’s universal (ROI, ARR, CAC, LTV), explain it quickly or ditch it entirely.
The mistakes that I notice are:
Not providing real world examples to support responses to situational questions.
Bad-mouthing former employers. Not every employer-employee relationship is a fit, and it's OK to say that. But, as a candidate, your answers need to express what you're looking to move toward, not what you're eager to move away from (and will spend a 30 minute interview kvetching about).
Being late without making an effort to communicate that to the interviewer and/or ghosting the interview, especially when you've requested special scheduling arrangements.
As a bonus, the things interviewees may get nervous about, but I don't see as mistakes:
Asking to have a question rephrased.
Taking a minute or two to compose your answer.
Saying, "I haven't had experience with that." Not every candidate has experience with everything on the job description. It's not a problem to admit it, or to continue your response with "But I believe I've had a similar experience in [broader topic]" followed by an example of what you have done. (A personal example: Early in my career, my response to "What's the biggest team that you've managed?" was "I haven't had a role with direct reports. However, in my current role, I'm responsible for executing large-scale projects and managing teams of up to 10 people.")