Attending interviews is an important step toward getting your dream job, and making interview mistakes may ruin your chances. The structure of an interview is like a conversation between you and the interviewer or recruiter.
During interviews, interviewers study you, your conversation skills, your ability to answer questions logically, how quick you are at coming up with reasonable answers to questions that they ask, and so on.
Even though the conversation between you and the interviewers could be semi-formal, the conversation is still an assessment that influences whether you will get the job or not. So, here are 7 interview mistakes to avoid, so as to get that job.
Bragging
One of the interview mistakes that many people make without realising it is bragging. In a bid to sound and look confident, some people go from expressing their self-confidence and competence to boasting about how superb they are.
Bragging turns people off, and your interviewers are no exception.
Boasting about your skills, Ivy League education and other achievements are unlikely to put you in the good books of your prospective employers. Instead, it is an interview mistakes that can make things go downhill almost immediately.
Talk about your skills and competency without sounding condescending. Also, don’t make the conversation about how great you are at doing something that others cannot do or how that means that you deserve to be paid higher.
While you should put yourself in a great light and make your interviewers know that you are a good fit for the role and that they would be lucky to have you, be subtle and unobnoxious about it. Do this, and you would avoid the interview mistakes of getting a bad reputation and still not getting the job.
Badmouthing Former Employers
It does not pay to badmouth your former employers. There is a saying that history is a reflection of the future.
Badmouthing your former bosses at an interview would only tell your prospective bosses that you are untrustworthy and would not be a good ambassador of their company if things ever go awry.
Generally, speaking badly about others shows that you are indiscreet, disloyal, and therefore, not to be trusted. No matter what the situation is, if you have nothing good to say about someone or an organization, say nothing.
If your interviewers broach the topic, find a way to talk about your time in a former place of work as positively and unjudgementally as possible.
In addition, don’t spend too much time on that topic, or you might end up making the interview mistakes of badmouthing a former employer.
Being Unkempt
Looking unkempt is chief among the interview mistakes that everyone notices, as soon as you walk in. Dress the way you want to be addressed, especially at a job interview. Being dirty or untidy presents you in a poor light.
Looking unkempt at a job interview shows the interviewers that you are not prepared or you do not take getting the job seriously.
Some interviewers use a score sheet when assessing job applicants.
There are several points on such sheets, such as whether you maintain eye contact, the firmness of your handshake, how fluently you speak, how well you maintain your composure, and whether you are appropriately dressed for the occasion.
There are scores attached to each of these criteria, and your total score could help the recruiters decide whether to hire you or not. Dressing shabbily for the interview is going to make you lose some much-needed points
Lack of Preparation
Lack of preparation is another interview mistake that you should avoid. You might be surprised to find out that this is the most common of the interview mistakes that people make.
Read up about the company you are applying to. Study its values, mission and vision, year of incorporation, products and services, where its offices are located and the name of its current CEO.
It will not help your job hunting if you go into an interview uninformed about what makes your prospective employers stand out or the values that they hold dear.
No two companies are the same, so don’t assume that you can go in unprepared because you have been applying to similar companies in the same industry. Study each company.
The best place to start would be the company’s website. If the company is renowned or successful, you could also find news articles written about the company.
All of these will help you avoid the interview mistake of going in for an interview without preparing.
Inability to Keep up a Conversation
As mentioned earlier, interviews are conducted in conversation style. This, therefore, implies that you have to up your oral communication skills, if you want to have a successful job interview.
The tempo or flow of an interview conversation is particularly important for jobs that require a lot of talking and interpersonal communication. Such jobs include sales and marketing jobs, customer service personnel jobs, broadcasting jobs and teaching jobs.
When you are being interviewed, avoid yes/no answers, as these have a way of making the conversation come to a halt and become boring.
Even though you should not become unnecessarily loquacious, do your best to ensure that you provide necessary details when answering questions.
For instance, if an interviewer asks if you are astute, instead of saying yes, you could talk about how you had to quickly improvise when a situation did not go as planned, and how that ended up producing a good result.
Utilize such opportunities to briefly discuss how efficient you are and how you have demonstrated that in the past. Avoid the interview mistake of seeming like you cannot hold or sustain a conversation.
Giving Too Many Details
There is a thin line between giving details and giving too much information. Inasmuch as you should not give flat yes/no answers, you should also not give away details that neither contribute to the story you are telling nor put you in a good light.
If you keep going on and on, you are likely to say something you might regret or you would end up making the interview mistake of bragging or badmouthing former employers and ex-colleagues. Giving away too much information could also lead to other interview mistakes that might cost you the job.
Looking Bored
Television presenters, show hosts and vloggers understand that one way to keep your audience interested in your presentation is to appear enthusiastic about what you are discussing.
Looking bored during an interview is an interview mistake that could impede your getting the job.
Having boredom clearly written across your face simply tells the other discussants that you do not want to be there with them at that time. It shows disinterest.
Having, or at least appearing to have, no interest in an interview translates to having no real interest in getting the job.
An interviewer is likely to come to the conclusion that you are whiling away time with the interview, and that you have somewhere else you would rather be.
Every recruiter looks out for passion and enthusiasm. Nobody wants to hire someone who has no interest in the job or goes about it with a lukewarm attitude.
Companies require people who put in the energy, time, dedication and effort into their jobs.
All these factors and more contribute to making a company number one in its field. Passion and commitment also lead to a company’s primary goal; which is profit.
The easiest way for an interviewer to estimate how much energy and passion you would bring to the company is to see how prepared you are for the interview and how much enthusiasm you have and sustain throughout the interview process.
Looking like the interviewer is boring you is, therefore, a huge interview mistake that could cost you the job.
Interviews can make you antsy, but you don’t have to be. Knowing what interview mistakes to avoid can help you score higher on the score sheet and bag that job.
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