How to avoid them
The same mistakes crop up time and time again at interview. Too many jobseekers miss out on their dream job because of a small number of easily avoided blunders.
Some of the mistakes people make at interview are very obvious and others are more subtle. The CV Centre® has conducted a comprehensive survey to derive a ‘Top 15’ and, in this chapter, I will list these 15 interview mistakes and refer you back to previous chapters, where necessary, to explain both why they are a mistake and how to avoid them.
1 Not knowing enough about the job you’re applying for
The key to preventing pre-interview jitters is to prepare thoroughly. We fear what we don’t know and what we can’t control, yet there is so much you can do to plan and prepare for your interview, and the first item on your list should be to thoroughly research the job in question.
Not knowing the ins and outs of a job is among the worst blunders you can make in an interview as is failing to demonstrate to the interviewer how you meet the requirements for the job.
If you are to be able to convince a recruiter that you are right for the role then you obviously need to first get it clear in your own mind why you are right for the role and you can’t do this unless you have properly researched and understood what it will involve.
For further guidance on researching for your job, please refer back to Chapter 2: Researching the job.
2 Not knowing enough about the organisation you’re applying to
A number of popular interview questions are designed to probe and assess your knowledge of the organisation to which you are applying. An interviewer will expect you to have done your homework. If you’re unprepared and unable to answer these questions adequately then it’s going to be a big black mark on your application.
Just as a lack of knowledge of the job in question will count against you, a lack of knowledge of the organisation will betray a lack of effort on your part. How can they be sure you really want this job and that you’re really the right candidate for the job if you know so little about their organisation?
BLOOPER!
One candidate, famously, upon being asked what they could bring to the company, responded with ‘What is it that you do again?’
For further details on what to read up on before your interview, please refer back to Chapter 3: Researching the organisation.
3 Arriving late
The importance of making appropriate travel arrangements to get to your interview may seem obvious. However, this is frequently a problem for candidates. Being late for an interview – even by only a few minutes – is a very common mistake but it will immediately count against you.
STATISTIC
Nearly half of recruiters won’t give a candidate a job if they are more than ten minutes late for interview – regardless of how well they perform.
It’s important to arrive early to allow yourself time to relax and compose yourself.
4 Lacking enthusiasm
Whilst there’s obviously a fine balance here, enthusiasm in an interview is essential – just don’t overdo it! Recruiters often find that the person they are interviewing lacks enthusiasm and this will naturally count against you. Sometimes it might just be due to nerves and shyness but don’t let this happen to you. Be enthusiastic and show it.
Confident people inspire confidence in others. If you appear confident that you are able to do the job, the employer is likely to be more inclined to believe that you can, showing a lack of enthusiasm is generally fatal to your chances of success.
I talk about this subject in greater detail back in Chapter 5: Mental preparation.
5 Arrogance
Whilst confidence is critical to a successful interview, it is important not to go to the other extreme and appear overconfident or arrogant, which is a surprisingly common mistake. You simply need to appreciate what your strengths are and value yourself accordingly.
Issues such as nerves and confidence are covered in detail in Chapter 4: Mental preparation.
6 Dressing inappropriately
Presentation, presentation, presentation
The way you present yourself physically will make an impression on an interviewer before you even have a chance to open your mouth.
Present yourself professionally and the interviewer will see you as a professional, but the opposite also applies. Never forget that you are marketing yourself, and the way you present yourself can have an impact on the interviewer, almost as powerful as what you actually have to say.
Presentation can make all the difference between success and failure. Image is everything!
STATISTIC
Research has shown that your interviewer could well have made up their mind about you within just 30 seconds of having met you. Use this to your advantage.
I’m not saying you’re the sort of person who would wear white socks with their suit, but if you’re looking for advice on what to wear to your interview then take a look at Chapter 5: Presentation.
7 Poor body language
Recruiters are trained to make informed assessments of candidates, based on how they communicate verbally and physically.
Even if your interviewer has received no formal training, they are going to be sensitive to certain nuances of body language just like the rest of us. It’s instinctive.
The importance of body language as a factor in the decision-making process should not be underestimated. Recruiters regularly complain about candidates’ poor body language, limp handshake, lack of eye contact, slouching and failing to smile.
What’s all this about body language? Take a look at Chapter 6: Body language.
8 Poor first impressions
First impressions are extremely important. Interviewers can reach a decision about a candidate very quickly; make a poor first impression and you might not be able to recover from it. How quickly do you sum up someone you’ve just met? It’s probably less than a couple of minutes.
Remember: you never get a second chance to make a first impression. Too many candidates turn up reeking of cigarette smoke, garlic or worse! How can you make a really strong first impression?
I help you to answer this question in Chapter 7: The big day, and Chapter 8: First impressions count.
9 Answering the wrong question
It’s actually surprisingly easy for your thoughts to stray elsewhere and for you to fail to listen properly to a question. You’re in a stressful situation and you have a lot on your mind; it’s possible to get distracted.
Interviewers often have to deal with candidates going off at a tangent and giving the answer to a totally different question than the one that was asked.
Listen and engage your brain before opening your mouth!
I talk more about the basic principles of handling interview questions in Chapter 18: Basic principles.
10 Failing to sell yourself effectively
Far too many candidates fail to sell themselves effectively at interview giving boring, monosyllabic answers unsupported by any real-life examples.
It’s essential for you to think through and create your own answers to potential questions. Wherever possible, try to integrate real-life examples into your answers rather than just speaking hypothetically. Flagging up specific, relevant examples from your own experience is an ideal way of reinforcing your points in the interviewer’s mind.
More about this in Chapter 18: Basic principles.
11 Being a parrot
Many candidates make the mistake of sounding as if they’re reciting from an old-fashioned 101 Interview Questions book.
Make sure you don’t fall into this trap. This is really important. There are no universally right answers to interview questions just answers that are right for you.
And even if you have prepared and memorised your own answers, you should be careful to make sure that your delivery is natural and doesn’t come across as rehearsed.
This important topic is discussed in greater detail in Chapter 18: Basic principles.
12 Lying
Never lie at interview or say something that you cannot substantiate.
For many candidates their troubles start even before they’ve been invited for the interview. A large percentage of people think it’s permissible to tell a few small porkies when writing their CV. It is a fact that many prospective employers do not check an applicant’s information as thoroughly as they perhaps should.
However, I would always strongly caution anyone against telling anything but the truth on their CV. You can easily become unstuck during an interview as a result.
STATISTIC
Surveys show that approximately 30 per cent of candidates ‘lie’ to one degree or another at interview.
For a longer discussion on this topic please refer back to Chapter 18: Basic principles.
13 Being critical of others
Having problems with the boss is the top reason people give (in surveys) for changing jobs. However, you should never say anything negative about either a current or a previous employer.
Criticising your current employer is considered one of the top mistakes you can make at interview and will most likely cost you the job regardless of whether or not your criticism is justified.
BLOOPER!
Having delivered a particularly devastating critique of their current employer, one candidate was rather shocked to discover that their current employer was in fact the interviewer’s brother-in-law!
Likewise, you should avoid criticising current or former colleagues.
There are a number of different interview questions you need to look out for on this front.
Question 3 in Chapter 19: The ten questions you’re most likely to be asked.
Questions 14, 26 and 27 in Chapter 20: Forty classic questions you must be prepared for.
14 Failing to ask your own questions
Interviews are always a two-way process. Not preparing your own questions for the end of an interview is a common – and significant – interview mistake.
There aren’t many interviews that conclude without the candidate being asked, ‘Do you have any questions for me/us?’ Almost all interviewers will give you a chance to ask questions and you should use this as an opportunity to further demonstrate your interest and enthusiasm. If you don’t then you’ll come across as passive and uninterested.
STATISTIC
A recent survey showed that 29 per cent of recruiters stated that the candidate not asking questions or asking poor questions at the end of the interview was sufficient reason for them to fail.
What should you ask when it’s time for you to ask your own questions?
Please see Chapter 24: Your own questions.
15 Prematurely talking money
It’s best to avoid asking questions about pay and holidays. Such matters can always be covered in later discussions. Bringing them up during your interview can place too much focus on what you are expecting from the employer rather than what you are offering them. This is never a good idea.
Topics to avoid talking about are covered in Chapter 24: Your own questions.