Worried about making a mistake during your interview. Unfortunately, making a mistake during an interview is incredibly easy, and most don’t realize it until it’s over. To help you better prepare for your interview and avoid messing up, below are a few common mistakes that you should avoid.
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1. Dressing Poorly
When you’re being interviewed for a job, it’s important to look your best aka professional attire. However, what you’re wearing should depend on the job or position you are being interviewed for. For example, if you’re interviewing for an office job, you should wear business casual.
2. Not Being Punctual
Especially if you have a number of interviews lined up, it’s important to always be punctual. The later you arrive for your interview, the less likely you are to get the job and more likely you’ll annoy your interviewers.
3. Not Knowing the Company
One of the easiest questions that can kill your application is, “Tell me about what you know about our company.” Whether you pursue a career at Kmart or a small startup, you will need to know the answer to this question. Even though it’s one of the easiest questions to answer, most candidates fail to do any research about the company they’re applying for beforehand.
You should know about basic background history about the company, including the company’s history, mission statement, CEO, and more. However, you can usually read about this information on the “About Us” page on the company’s site. You should also review the company’s Twitter, Facebook, and LinkedIn page.
4. False or Forgotten Resume Experiences
Even though you might have been allowed to upload a resume or LinkedIn URL to your hiring manager, you may still have to fill out a job application. This sort of essential information includes prior employment positions, higher education, and previous employer information.
However, since it’s easy for your older history to be forgotten, make sure that you don’t put anything down that you can’t remember. An employer can easily pull up that information and quiz you on it. If you forget or have a hard time remembering the details of the job, it could cost you the interview.
It’s also worth noting that you shouldn’t put anything false on your resume either. The more truthful you are, the easier it will be to pass the interview.
5. Answering Texts or Calls During Your Interview
Before your interview starts, you should turn off your phone. Not only is texting or answering a call in the middle of your interview rude, but it shows to your employer that you don’t care about the job at hand.
You can easily resist any temptation to even look at your phone by simply turning it off and keeping it in your pocket.
6. Showing Poor Energy
Even if an interview may be boring, you can’t display that emotion physically. This means drooping shoulders, no eye contact, no enthusiasm for the job, and slowness to respond to your employer. If you really want the job, the easiest way to get it is to show positive energy and willingness to answer any questions your employer may have.
7. Excessive Rambling
Believe it or not, your interviewer doesn’t want to hear your life story. You shouldn’t talk too much during your interview on things that don’t matter. This being said, it’s also important that you don’t ramble and stay focused on the point you’re trying to make.
This is also why it’s important that you don’t get too sidetracked and drag in your personal life while talking to your employer unless they ask. However, always remember that even if your interviewer is looking for a casual conversation, you still have to keep it professional.
8. Not Asking any Questions
Many interviewers leave a 10-minute block at the end of the interview to answer any questions you may have. Even if you have no questions, this can usually be a test that reveals whether or not you care enough about the job you’re applying for.
You should have a few questions prepared beforehand, either to break the ice of show your interviewer that you are plenty interested in the position you were being interviewed for.
9. Not Following up With Your Interviewer
A lot of people forget that you should follow up after an interview. This means emailing your interviewer 24 hours after your interview. This shows that you are interested in the position, forgetting or deciding not to do it may make your interview think that you lack the interest for the role they’re offering.
Make sure you keep these common mistakes in mind the next time you go in for an interview. Avoiding these errors can make all the difference between landing the job and having to continue on your search. Be prepared and sooner rather than later, your job search will be over.
