Don’t Make Major Interview Mistakes

Posted December 8, 2016 & filed under Interviewing, Job Search

Interviewing is tough. That’s a fact. While it might seem impossible to ace your interview, depending on your interviewing skills and experience, there are mistakes to avoid in order to keep your interview safe. If you know what not to do, it can be as helpful as knowing what to do. A Forbes article examines the mistakes can harm your interview. There are certain things that you just never want to do on an interview for a job. You must know what to avoid! The article is spot on and we couldn’t agree more with the list of things to avoid doing when you’re interviewing! You can do it! Getting through your interview and making sure you can be in the running for the job can be done if you just avoid making major mistakes. Know what NOT to do in your interview!

Let’s take a look at what the article says you should NEVER do on a job interview…here’s what the don’ts are…

• Don’t be late! – Avoid being late. It is unprofessional and looks bad. It is viewed as being rude.
• Don’t arrive without knowing your facts about who you’re meeting with etc. – You need to know the facts! It will not look good if you don’t know what department your interviewer works in.  Also, you need to know who you are meeting with so that you can make sure there are no mix-ups upon arrival.
• Don’t come unprepared! You will look like a slacker. Who wants to hire a slacker? Nobody does! Be prepared! It shows that you are someone that the team will want to work with and it shows that you are responsible. Bring copies of your resume. Bring a notebook to take notes. Write down questions you want to ask in the interview. Be prepared by bringing your materials with you to the interview.
• Don’t come under-dressed! You will look unprofessional and sloppy if you come to the interview under-dressed. Always dress up! You can’t go wrong with looking nice. Over-dressed is better than under-dressed but try to get a feel for the company culture before you go to the interview and then dress accordingly.
• Don’t show up without questions. If you show up without questions it will make you look like you are not interested.
• Don’t interrupt the interviewer while he or she is talking. Interrupting is just plain rude! Don’t do it! Show respect because people want to have respectful employees.
• Don’t forget the interviewer’s name or the company name when you are talking. This will look sloppy!
• Don’t tell irrelevant stories. You need to be focused. Stay on the right topic. Don’t get distracted. If you must tell stories, make sure the stories are related to the job you are interviewing for or make sure they connect somehow to the job! You need to be professional and make sure you listen to the questions. Be sure to listen carefully so that when you do talk, you will be on point and specific in your discussion.
• Don’t be rushed. It is not a good idea to schedule too tightly. You do not need to be hurrying through your interview. Show interest and make it clear that you want to be there.
• Don’t leave without thanking the interviewer. You need to show appreciation to the interviewer. The interviewers are normally very busy people who take time out of their day to meet with you, so you must thank them for their time.

Info. from Forbes article: http://www.forbes.com/sites/lizryan/2016/03/23/ten-things-never-to-do-on-a-job-interview/#797381241825