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The 10 Most Critical Mistakes to Avoid in Your Initial Job Interview
Introduction
When you sit down to interview with a prospective employer that you are
sincerely interested in working for, there are probably more than a hundred
different things running through your mind at one time, which can make you
anxious and cause you to walk into the interview unprepared.
However, if you can focus yourself on the most important facets of the employment interview, then you will be able to relax better and to be more in control of the message that you are sending to the prospective employer.
Many people find it helpful to know exactly what they should not do in the
interview, as this helps people develop a good idea of what they should do in the interview.
Job interview mistakes can easily be avoided, and many of the same
mistakes cause a large number of the job force to fail in their job interviews on a consistent basis. By avoiding this truly lethal job interview mistakes, you will
be able to show prospective employers that you are the right candidate for the job that you are applying for.
There are ten critical mistakes that people make during their job interviews. By
avoiding these ten critical mistakes, you can launch yourself forward, proving
that you are the right candidate for the job rather than making a fatal mistake
that will cost you the job of your dreams.
The ten most critical mistakes to avoid
in your initial job interview are as follows
# Critical Mistake 01 - Inadequate Preparation for the Interview
# Critical Mistake 02 - Arriving Too Early or Too Late
# Critical Mistake 03 - Having the Wrong Attitude
# Critical Mistake 04 - Being Unprepared for Interview Questions
# Critical Mistake 05 - Not Asking the Right Questions
# Critical Mistake 06 - Dressing Inappropriately
# Critical Mistake 07 - Asking about Salary or Benefits
# Critical Mistake 08 - Not Arriving with the Right Documents
# Critical Mistake 09 - Being Dishonest or Impolite
# Critical Mistake 10 - Marketing Yourself Incorrectly
# Critical Job Interview Mistake 01
Inadequate Preparation for the
One of the most critical mistakes that you can make in a job interview is to
arrive unprepared for the interview. There are too many jobs seekers out there
who do not do any research into the company that they are interviewing for.
How can you prove that you are the right candidate for a job or a specific
position if you do not know anything about the job for which you are applying?
Benjamin Franklin is known for a famous quote, "By failing to prepare you are
preparing to fail.", and this quote is never more applicable than when it comes to preparing for a job interview. It is imperative that you do all of the necessary
homework long beforehand. If you come off as an enthusiastic and committed
candidate for the job, you will have a much better chance of impressing whoever
As soon as you find out that you will be interviewing for a company, research
them and the position that you will be interviewing for. This way, you can
demonstrate that you are absolutely the right candidate for the job by answering the questions that your interviewer poses effectively and intelligently. You will also, be able to prepare the most appropriate questions to ask of your interviewer as well.
The most obvious way to prepare yourself for a job interview is to visit the
website for the company that you are interviewing with. You will find a lot of
useful information on most company websites. Another website resources that are worth exploring include websites relating to the industry, websites offering
business information, and websites belonging to competing companies. You may also, want to visit your local library to find out about relevant periodicals and directories.
Another useful idea is to visit the company beforehand, picking up any relevant
information and brochures that are available there. You may also feel inclined to
observe for a little while. The better prepared that you care for your interview
ahead of time, the greater your chances will be for success.
You will find that many of the principals in this report tie in together. For
example, preparing yourself for your job interview will have a great impact on
avoiding a number of the critical mistakes that follow after this one. For
example, by researching the employer and company beforehand, you can better
prepare yourself both to answer questions posed by the interviewer, and to ask
the right questions when prompted. Preparing yourself with the right information about the company beforehand can have a significant impact on how comfortable and prepared you to come across to the employer. This is one of the most ideal ways to prove that you are the right candidate for the job.
# Critical Job Interview Mistake 02
Arriving Too Early or Too Late
One of the most common mistakes that job seekers make going into an
interview, one that can easily compromise an entire interview is arriving at the wrong time.
It is difficult to overcome this initial bad impression created either
by arriving too late for the appointment, or by arriving far too early and forcing
the interviewer to change their schedule in order to accommodate you.
Luckily, there are a couple of different techniques that you can employ in order to avoid making this seriously costly mistake.
It is imperative that you arrive on time for your job interview appointment. You
do not necessarily have to arrive at the appointment time on the dot, but a few
minutes early is actually preferable.
Make sure that you have working directions, which may mean driving them to test the travel time before the actual day of the interview.
You may want to make a complete practice run to make sure that you
Make sure that your dry run is completed at the same time as your interview, so you can gauge the traffic at that the time during the day.
Make sure that you have all of the information that you need long beforehand so
that you are not scrambling at the last minute in preparation.
For example, you should write down the name 0f the person that you are supposed to ask for, so that you can go directly to the right place once you arrive.
You should also make sure to bring all of the necessary documentation, which we will touch on later on in this report - But the important consideration to make is that you should gather all of your necessary documentation long beforehand so that you are not scrambling at the last minute to print out resumes, or to gather references and work samples to bring with you.
Arriving in a flustered rush is not a good way to show up to your interview.
The whole intention of a job interview is to prove that you are the right candidate for a job, and if you prove your unreliability the first day that you meet the interviewer, you will have difficulty proving otherwise.
Being too early for your initial job interview can be just as critical a mistake as
If you arrive an hour early or more, you may be forcing the
interviewer to change their schedule in order to accommodate you and that is
not a good way to get the interview started.
If you want to impress the interviewer by being prompt, aim for 10 to 15 minutes early rather than a whole hour or more.
By arriving fifteen minutes early, you have ample time to let the interviewer be notified of your arrival without forcing them to accommodate you long before the interview is set to begin.
When it comes to arriving at your job interview, the best thing that you can do is arrive either right on time, or with ten or fifteen minutes to spare. Arriving late is essentially asking to be dismissed. People who have turned up late for job interviews have literally been turned away because employers are not looking for people who cannot prove their own selves to be dependable and trustworthy from day one.
Your interview is your first impression on your prospective employer, and your
the main intention should be to impress future employers in as many ways as you can.
# Critical Job Interview Mistake 03
Having the Wrong Attitude There are a number of different behaviors during an interview that can cause you to come across as a negative person, or simply a person who does not have the right positive attitude for the job in question?
Coming across as a negative person can be the result of a wide variety of different behaviors that occur during the interviewing process. For example, if
you should happen to make a complaint regarding previous jobs, positions,
bosses, co-workers, colleagues or companies can send a rather negative
message to your prospective employer, and should be avoided at all costs.
Something else that can create a negative impression is inappropriate body
language. The following body language actions can all offer a negative message
to the person who is interviewing you
- Avoiding eye contact with the interviewer
- Looking down constantly
- Folding your arms over your chest
- Fiddling with your hair
- Fiddling with items on the desk
There are also a number of verbal and non-verbal signals that give off a negative attitude to the person who is interviewing you, including but not limited to
− the use of words like 'like' or 'um' repeatedly
It is important that you practice your answers to test interview questions, and
your questions about the company in front of a mirror in order to improve the tone of your voice and your positive body language.
By practicing beforehand, you can eliminate flaws in your interview demeanor which can give you a better chance of being successful in your interview.
# Critical Job Interview Mistake 04
Being Unprepared for Interview
Questions There are two important elements to a job interview - The first is the questions that the interviewer asks of you, and the second is the questions that you ask of the interviewer in return. If you are unable to properly articulate the right answers to the interview questions that are asked of you, you will most certainly have difficulty conveying the fact that you are the ideal candidate for the position to the person who is interviewing you.
The best way for you to avoid this practice is to think about your answers and to
There are many resources for common job interview questions, and most employers within different industries ask the same questions or at least similar sets of relevant questions which means that you can be prepared to a certain degree no matter what job you are applying for.
Prepare your answers to the most common job interview questions within your
industry long before your interview.
What questions are most likely going to be asked during the interview? What is normally required of a successful candidate for the position that you are applying for?
There are a number of basic or general questions that tend to crop up in almost all job interviews, including but not limited to the following questions
- What are your strengths, or what is your greatest strength?
- What are your weaknesses, or what is your greatest weakness?
− Why do you want this job position?
- What are some of your achievements to date?
What has been your greatest achievement in your working history?
- Why are you the ideal candidate for this position?
Why should we employ you rather than another candidate?
- If we were to call up your former employer or employers, what would they say
Prepare and practice the answers to questions like these, and you will be able to
avoid this critical initial job interview mistake.
You do not want to suddenly go blank during the interview process, and this can easily be avoided simply by preparing beforehand and figuring out the most effective answers in order to
appear both confidants and poised to the employer who is interviewing you.
# Critical Job Interview Mistake 05
Not Asking the Right Questions There are two important elements to a job interview
The first is the questions that the interviewer asks of you, and the second is the questions that you ask of the interviewer in return.
At some point during the job interview, the person interviewing you is going to ask "Do you have any questions for me?"
And this is a question that makes a lot of people tremble. Failing to ask the right, most appropriate questions simply shows a lack of interest and forethought.
As a result, this is one of the most critical mistakes that a job interview candidate can make.
Use the company research that you conducted earlier based on Critical Job
Interview Mistake number 01, and prepare questions about the company that
is insightful as the best and most efficient way to impress the interviewer you
This will also help you gain the information that you need in order to make the most well-informed job decision possible.
During your job interview, you should not sit like a bump on a log.
Instead, you should make a real effort to show interest in the company, which can easily be done by asking the employer excellent interview questions in return.
This shows the interviewer that you are interested in the company and that you have done your research and arrived prepared. Here are some of the questions that you may want to ask your interviewer.
Keep in mind that when asked, "Do you have any questions for me?"
"Hmm, nope" is NOT a good answer.
- What are your biggest challenges?
- What is the average day like for this particular position?
- What specific tasks will be expected of me in this position?
- What is the next step following the interview?
- Is this a newly created job position or am I replacing another employee?
- How will my job performance be measured?
- What are the immediate goals of the department that I will be working in?
- What is the biggest challenge that the company is currently facing?
- What competitive advantages does the company have over other similar
- What does the interviewer like best about the company?
- What could I do within this role that would make your job (The employer's job)
- Is there anything else that I can further clarify for you?
- How do I compare with other candidates that have already been interviewed?
# Critical Job Interview Mistake 06
Dressing Inappropriately Another critical mistake that many people make when it comes to initial job interviews should not come as a surprise: Dressing inappropriately.
While most people seeking jobs know that dressing appropriately is a big part of arriving prepared for a job interview, most people do not actually have a good
understanding of what "dressing appropriately" actually means.
As a result, many people arrive at their interview dressed inappropriately, either in general or based on the dress code in question.
As it was mentioned before, it is important to research the company that you are interviewing with beforehand. This comes in handy for a number of different reasons, one of which is so that you can dress according to the dress code that the rest of the employees are abiding by. By visiting the company beforehand and doing a little bit of observing, you can figure out what style of dress would be ideal.
Get to know the culture of the company. If the company's employees are all
wearing conservative clothing, then business casual is not going to cut it when
you arrive at your interview.
If you want to look like you already belong with the company, which should be your aim, to begin with, then it is important that you dress not only to impress but also to fit in at the same time.
You also need to avoid appearances that are excessive, extreme, bright or loud.
Resist the temptation to wear colors that are bright, perfumes or body mists that are strong in smell, loud nail polish, or extravagant jewelry.
If you have tattoos, cover them up.
If you have piercings that are inappropriate, such as earrings for men, or anything other than earrings for women, take the jewelry out or cover the piercings with a band-aid.
It is important that your interviewer focuses on your skills, your accomplishments and the real reasons for why you are the best candidate for the job, rather than your appearance.
If your appearance fits in with the dress and appearance of the other employees in the company, your interviewer will be able to focus on your strengths rather than your loud appearance or the fact that your dress does not fit in with the company.
# Critical Job Interview Mistake 07
Asking about Salary or Benefits While we have already touched on asking the right questions, we did not really focus on refraining from asking the WRONG ones. One of the biggest initial job interview mistakes that you can make is to ask about salary or benefits during your interview.
The appropriate time for you to discuss compensation and benefits information is once a real, firm offer has been placed on the table.
You should refrain from bringing this topic up prematurely.
Take the time to learn more about the company and the position that the company is looking to fill.
In the end, money is not everything, and is definitely not what you should be obsessing about before you have even fully proven yourself to the company that you are interviewing with. Career satisfaction comes in a variety of different forms, so focus on joining a collaborative team environment with plenty of opportunity for growth rather than worrying about the benefits package.
During the interview process, you should focus and concentrate on the things that really matter - Not compensation.
There are a number of other questions that should be avoided during the initial
job interviewing process.
The following is a list of questions in addition to "What is my salary?" that you should avoid at all costs when interviewing with a potential employer.
− How long does it take to be promoted? - While it may be fruitful to ask about
advancement within the company, it is more important that you focus on the job that you are actually interviewing for.
- When will I be able to take a vacation? - If you are already asking this question at the interview, then you are already thinking about taking time off, and this does not look good to the employer.
- Will I be required to work overtime? - Asking about the hours that you will
work says that you are the type of person who likes to watch the clock, and this
is not something that a hiring manager is going to want to look for.
- What kinds of employee activities are held? - This question can be a real
It tells the interviewer that you are more interested in the company activities than in working hard and moving up within the company.
Wait until you are hired before you begin to ask questions like this.
- What can I use my company computer? Even though many employees use
their computers for purposes other than for company work, you should never
bring this up during an interview.
This shows both a lack of maturity and a lack of business sense as well.
− Will I be able to work from home? - While this may appear to be a good question, new employees need to come to understand the dynamics and the politics of the office before they should even begin to think about working at
New employees cannot learn anything about the tempo, the faces, the
politics and the dynamics of the company if they are working at home.
The hiring manager is going to be looking for someone who will be right there all
the time, both working and soaking up the dynamics of the office in order to
become more successful and to make the company more successful as well.
− While many of these questions may seem naïve, and when you see them in print you may wonder why anyone would ever think to ask them, all of these
questions have been asked through numerous job interviews in the past.
So there are people out there who are naïve enough to ask these questions in
And many of them do not understand why they did not land
Not only is it important to know what questions not to ask, but it is also important to have a small list of questions that you SHOULD ask so that you can be prepared when the person interviewing you asks "Is there anything that you want to ask me?" The only thing worse than asking an interview killer of a question is simply saying "No".
# Critical Job Interview Mistake 08
Not Arriving with the Right Documents
Just because you were called in for an interview, it simply does not mean that
your prospective employer has a copy of your resume or curriculum vitae on
hand. Many employers conduct group interviews, so they may not necessarily be
prepared to work with you by keeping your documents handy.
It would be a large and critical mistake for you to arrive at your job interview without the documents that you need.
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