Interview Mistakes to Avoid

Are you securing interviews but having a hard time landing the job? If so, you might be guilty of committing a few common interview mistakes.

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To make sure you don’t let a slip-up ruin your chance of securing the position, we’ll walk you through the 10 most common interview mistakes that you should avoid.

1. Arriving late

Arriving late to an interview can have disastrous consequences on your chances of securing the job.

You’ll leave a bad taste in the employer’s mouth before they’ve even met you in person.

So, make sure you don’t set yourself up for failure by arriving at your interview location around 10 minutes earlier than your scheduled time.

2. Not being prepared

Preparation is key in any work scenario, but it’s even more important when it comes to your job interview.

With information readily available at your fingertips, there’s no excuse for not understanding who the company is or what they do.

3. Dressing inappropriately

Dressing for interview success is essential – with hiring managers making their decision in the first five minutes of meeting you, you need to ensure that even your outfit suggests you’re the best candidate.

A professional and well-thought-out outfit will show that you have great attention to detail and you are organised – just make sure that it ties in with the company dress code and culture.

4. Failing to make eye contact

Making eye contact builds trust and helps form a connection with the person that you’re talking to.

Therefore, if you fail to maintain eye contact, you could be suggesting that you have something to hide.

That said, there’s no need to hold an uncomfortable gaze, either – the best cue is to follow your interviewers lead when it comes to the right level of eye contact.

5. Poor communication

Whether you’re excited to showcase your skills and experience or you simply want to come across as confident, you must ensure that you have good communication skills.

Interrupting your interviewer or rambling on without actually understanding what the question was to begin with will quickly ensure that you’re part of the ‘no’ pile.

6. Bad-mouthing previous employers

Regardless of whether you have a bad boss or not, you should refrain from badmouthing your former employer.

It will show that you lack professionalism and you are untrustworthy, and it will instantly harm your prospects of landing a new role.

7. Being overconfident

Confidence is a winning ingredient of a successful interview; however, being overconfident can come across as arrogance – and nobody wants to hire a know-it-all.

So, be honest during your interview and don’t be afraid to show that you’re not perfect and that you’re willing to learn and grow within the new role.

8. Sounding rehearsed

Doing hours of prep work is great, but just make sure that it doesn’t translate to rehearsed and stiff answers.

You want your conversation to flow naturally throughout your interview, and replying with structured answers can prevent that from happening.

9. Forgetting names

If you’ve got a number of interviews lined up, it’s easy to confuse or forget a name, but there’s nothing worse than calling your interviewer ‘John’ when his name is actually ‘James’.

So, to ensure you’ve got all the information that you need, create some cue cards with all the important company details and check them before you enter the building.

10. Failing to ask any questions

You’ve come to the end of the interview, and the hiring manager asks if you have any questions, but you responded with: ‘No, I think you’ve covered everything!’.

With this short answer, you’ve just ruined your chance of getting the job.

To show that you’re interested in the role, ask questions that relate to progression or company culture.

Without realising it, the small things can have a significant impact on the hiring manager – especially when they are caught between two equally good candidates.

So, to improve your chances of bagging the position, avoid making any of these interview mistakes.

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