Interviewing is a stressful thing, you only have that one meeting, that one call, that one time slot to make a first impression. You are not alone if you have ever left an interview thinking you could have answered a question better. It’s a competitive market out there, what do you say? What do you ask? How do you make yourself stand out among the sea of other candidates? How do you avoid those typical mistakes that drive your resume to the bottom of the pile?
You can never anticipate all the questions an Interviewer will ask or what the other candidates may say in their interviews, but you can avoid some of the most common mistakes people make in interviews that will not make that first impression you are aiming for.
- Bad Mouthing your Former Employer. Everyone has worked for someone they didn’t like. But bad mouthing a former employer to someone you just met says a lot about you and it’s not good. Will you bad mouth their company? Take the high road and leave that at your last job.
- Leaving your Cell Phone on. Come on people! This is just common sense, but you would be surprised at how many people forget to turn off their phones when walking into an interview. How do you feel when you are talking to someone or in a meeting, or any other professional setting and someone’s phone keeps ringing? It’s very annoying and unprofessional.
- Showing up Unprepared. This can incorporate a lot of things, but in this instance I am talking about not knowing the company you are interviewing with. Take some time and research the company, know what they are known for, history, strengths and weaknesses. You don’t need to know everything, but you need to demonstrate the fact that you took the time to learn about them and their organization.
- Failure to Ask Questions. Don’t you hate it when you are talking to someone and you feel like they aren’t listening or engaging? Employers do too. You don’t want it to seem like an interrogation, where they are the only one asking questions. I recently had a candidate interview for a very high level role. He interviewed with several department heads but never asked the key question they were all hoping he would, What are the Challenges in this Role and What needs to Happen to improve Things? This was a replacement situation so there obviously were issues, yet the candidate never probed to determine what they were. He didn’t get the offer. Asking questions will demonstrate that you came prepared and are truly interested.
- Poor Listening Skills. Listening isn’t easy, it requires focus. Instead of forming your responses in your head while the Interviewer is talking, or trying to anticipate what the next question will be, pay close attention to what the interviewer is saying. If you don’t, you might miss a cue or vital information.
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