10 Common Interview Mistakes That Can Ruin Your Career

If you are able to make it to interview stage of a job application process, the potential of landing a new job is very much possible. However, it is possible that you may go to an interview and despite being highly qualified and motivated you are unable to get the job offer because you may have made these interview mistakes mentioned below. Our research also illustrates that there are ten main reasons why people are unable to make a good impression in their job interview. To avoid the ten common mistakes during your job interview, let’s consider them one by one so that you can avoid them in future.

Common Interview Mistakes:

 

• Dressing inappropriately.Your appearance during an interview comprises of not just what you wear but how you are able to groom yourself. A potential employer would not be impressed with a sloppy appearance. It is essential that you appear and are able to dress the part of what could be expected of the position.

 

• Being unprepared.It is essential that you conduct a comprehensive research of the company that you are being interviewed for. This will allow you to have a sense of the type of industry the organization operates in and what the position you are applying for is about. This will allow you to effectively communicate during discussion and questions with the employer.

 

• Jumping into the discussion of pay and benefits.You can certainly discuss about pay and benefits later in your interview. However, it should not be in the first interview, unless it is approached by the employer. You should not portray yourself as the one that only cares about monetary benefits. Moreover, approaching the topic of salary at the initial stage of an interview could be very risky. You could end up putting yourself in a position where you have been asked to present your desired salary and fall under what the company had anticipated.

 

• Arriving late.Time is a precious commodity. As a result, you should not waste other people’s time.  If you are making use of public transport, it is safe to give yourself at least an hour head start, to account for traffic jams or potential delays. It is also essential to make sure that you know the exact location of the company. If there has been an unexpected delay, the least you can do is give a call to apologize and inform your contact of your expected arrival time.

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• Not asking questions.Irrespective of how comprehensive the interview discussion is, when asked, “Do you have any questions?” always ask a question. If you don’t have any question, it may come across as that you are not interested in grabbing the opportunity.

 

• Providing false information.You should abstain from lying or providing false information on your resume. This could lead to an immediate disqualification and could also exemplify your weakness.

 

• Being inattentive. You should carefully listen to what your interviewer is saying and show that you are attentive. You should not appear to be disinterested and come off as being inattentive. This is certainly not a desirable trait for any position.

 

• Backbiting about your previous or current employer. Irrespective of the reality of the situation, you should never backbite about your current or previous employer. It could question your loyalty to your potential employer in the near future.

 

• Losing your confidence.Just as you want to learn about your employer, the employer also wants to learn about you. During the interview, it is important that you remain confident all the times. The interviewer may say something to unsettle or confuse you. However, you should remain calm and composed throughout the meeting. You are welcome to ask the interviewer to repeat the question. Also, remember to always be aware of your facial expressions and body language, as those could be clear indicators of whether or not you feel confident.

 

• Answering your cell phone.You should respect your potential employer by being attentive throughout the interview and turning of all the distractions. As a result, you should also turn off your cell phone. However, if you forget and the phone rings, you should apologize and turn your cell phone off.

Conclusion

When you have been invited to an interview, your potential employer knows that you are indeed qualified. However, they also want to have a better sense of who you are. Within this context, the significance of preparation and having a positive attitude could not be stressed enough. If you have a positive attitude and are well prepared, you will be highly confident and you will commit fewer mistakes. As a result, you should avoid making the mistakes mentioned above and you should be honest to yourself.