Top 9 Mistakes to avoid at Job Interview
As anyone who has been in a job search for a while knows, being invited to a job interview is not something easily achieved. Becoming one of the few “job candidates” rather than being part of the usually gigantic crowd of “job applicants” is a major victory. Unfortunately, too many job candidates blow their interview opportunities, wasting all that time and effort. Don’t be one of those candidates. What you do during a job interview is viewed as a “sample” of your work. Everything you do is being judged because they don’t know you. So don’t make the following mistakes.
1. Appearing uninterested
This drives employers crazy. Most employers have more applicants than they need or want. If you aren’t demonstrably interested in them, they certainly aren’t interested in hiring you.
2. Being unprepared.
Obvious lack of preparation is an opportunity crusher. And, lack of preparation usually becomes obvious quickly.
3. Sharing TMI (too much information)
Sometimes, people have a whole-truth-and-nothing-but-the-truth mindset in a job interview, so they “spill their guts” in answer to every question. Not smart or useful!. I’m not recommending telling any lies, but I am recommending that you avoid boring the interviewer and blowing an opportunity by sharing too much information. If they want more details, they’ll ask.
4. Negative body language
If you never smile, have a limp handshake, and don’t make eye contact with the people you meet at the employer’s location, and especially with the interviewer, you’ll come across as too shy or too strange or simply not interested.
5. Not having good questions or asking the wrong questions at the wrong time
To an employer, no questions = no interest. Number one, above, indicates how deadly that is to your success with the opportunity. As bad as having no questions is asking the wrong questions. During the first interview, asking questions only about raises, promotions, vacation, and benefits are not usually well-received. Those questions apparently indicate that you are just interested in specific personal benefits rather than the job.
6. Being angry
If you were laidoff, fired, or ended your last job unpleasantly, you may feel very angry. Whatever the reason, dump the anger before the interview, at least temporarily.
7. Not collecting contact information or asking the next-steps questions.
Many job seekers leave the interview(s) with no idea of what will happen next in this employer’s hiring process. They also often don’t know who is the best person to contact as well as when and how to contact that person.
8. Failing to follow up.
Often, job seekers leave at the end of the interview(s) with a sigh of relief that the interview is over, and they can get on with their lives. They leave, and wait to receive a job offer.
9. Forgetting the interview is a two-way street.
Don’t go to the interview thinking that you are the only one trying to “make a sale.” You need to ask questions to help you discover if the job, the people you would be working with, and the employer are what you want. You also need to decide if you would be happy working there for at least one year.
