Read all you want to 'job interview mistakes'. Search online, Buy books on the topic. Talk to professionals who do the recruiting. You will eventually turn up with this common list of the most awful job interview mistakes to avoid.
Part 1: Giving awful first Impressions
- Being late
This is where everything has perhaps started to slide downhill. Most often they will say to themselves, 'This person can't even make the time for this job interview, how can we expect this person to be punctual at his work?' And you didn't even call them up, giving a genuine reason for being late? Double strike.
- Being too sloppy
We are not talking about cheap taste in clothes. Those things are circumstantial. At least you are clean and well groomed. We are talking about being too informal and casual about the whole thing. You have to show you are excited to to bne there. You look interested and you maintain eye contact with the interviewer while answering questions. You notice the body language of the interviewer and adjusting your responses accordingly. If you are not doing all these things, you are being sloppy.
- Being totally unprepared for the interview
So you came for the interview without finding more about the company, the job and the industry, without a resume, or some means to take notes or write something, you were not particularly smart that day, were you?
Even if you had researched about job and the company, but you forgot to ask any question about these things? They want you to show some interest in their company, boss.
Part 2: Coming off as dubious about work experience and previous employers during the job interview
- Complaining about previous employers.
This is a big no-no. They will be understanding when you explain how one boss (without naming the person) was difficult to work with, but straightaway badmouthing an employer, without solid explanations, is unwise.
- Giving the same reason (or no reason at all) for leaving all the jobs in the past.
They will think you are covering up something, or deduce you from your common reply that you are probably an unreliable candidate.
They will accept when you decline to talk much one case, maybe you don't want to name a person or something at a previos job, that is okay. It becomes a problem if this becomes a pattern.
Some good reasons for leaving a job position: career growth, changes at the company, accepting a “better job elsewhere, etc.
- Not being able to give a reference from a boss from a job less than 5 years old.
This is a huge confidence-busting mistake.
- Not talking about mistakes you made in other relevant jobs and things you learned from them.
Not accepting your mistakes and/or showing unwillingness to learn from them tells the employer you are not careful and attentive enough at your work. They like candidates to explain 'lessons learned' from their mistakes, if there were any noteworthy mistakes in their career.
Part 3: Bad behavior during the Interview
- Being more interested in the money than the job itself.
If you keep asking about the pay and the benefits ('when is the performance review done?', 'How much average raise is given here?' etc) more than about the job itself and what value you plan to bring, you are telling employers openly where your priorities are.
- Being rude and/or dishonest.
Cutting off other people while they are speaking, shouting over other people,, or lying about skills and/or work experience...these are some of the things that puts off people more often than others.
- Having a bad attitude.
Complaining about previews people and other people, avoiding giving direct or clear answers, giving canned answers straight from the template ('I am a people person'), blaming others for failures and not taking responsibility, being overly opinionated about people and getting aggressive during the questions...all these example of bad attitude during interviews. It shows you will have a difficult time (or no chance at all) fitting into the company or the team's work culture.
- Confusing loudness with enthusiasm.
Employers want confident, positive-spirit, passionate people, but being overly loud, gratingly enthusiasm is noticed quickly. Just be pleasant and show you enthusiasm through examples from your experience and plans for the company.
These are only the top mistakes, assuming you can answer all the skill and work experience-related questions.
Thank you for reading.
This guide is from The Success Manual, which contains 200+ guides to succeeding in business, career and personal life. Get the pdf ebook for $12 only.