5 Mistakes to Avoid In Your Interview

While a great resume will help you secure an interview, it will take strong interviewing skills to clinch the job. Many applicants do everything right from the beginning only to lose out on a great job offer because they made a few mistakes during the interview. The purpose of this article is to point out potentially serious mistakes that can cost you an interview and make you lose a potential job opportunity.

Arriving late to an interview –

this is probably the number one cardinal mistake anyone can make in a job interview. Only an act of God or an accident should make you arrive late to an interview. Prospective employers and recruiters are turned off by tardiness. If you can turn up late for your own interview, what are the chances that you won’t turn up late to work every day? The best way to avoid this is to leave home as early as possible. Allow for extra time in case of traffic problems. You should ideally arrive at least 30 minutes before the interview time so that you can familiarize yourself with the premises and bring your nerves under control.

Dressing inappropriately –

appearance plays a major role in establishing your suitability for the position. Arriving to an interview in the wrong attire, ill fitting clothes or unkempt hair is totally unacceptable. Employees are looking for people who can show their brand in the best light and a wrongly candidate, will never make the cut no matter how qualified. If you have contacts in the company, ask them if what you plan to wear is appropriate for the interview. Plan your dressing at least one day in advance so that you will have enough time to make any needed adjustments.

Insufficient knowledge of the company –

during the interview, you will be asked questions about the company you hope to work with. It is never acceptable not to have sufficient information about your prospective employer. It shows a significant lack of interest in the job role and disregard for the company. You cannot know if you will fit into the corporate culture if you don’t do an in-depth research of the organization. The fewer questions you are able to answer correctly about the company, the less tour chances of getting the job.

Asking irrelevant questions –

at the end of every interview, the interviewer will expect you to ask salient questions about the job role and the company’s expectation. You should have a list of questions prepared for this purpose. Not asking questions or asking irrelevant questions show your unpreparedness for the job. But if you did your research thoroughly, you will have enough relevant questions to ask.

Not showing enough enthusiasm –

you have every right to be nervous during an interview, but make sure your nervousness cannot be mistaken for lack of enthusiasm. It sends the wrong message if you appear cold, unexcited, unfriendly or bored. Try to smile as much as possible and look for ways to let your excitement and enthusiasm for the job show.