There is a reason why human resources personnel are stereotypically unpopular with employees and applicants alike. Apart from their daily demands and corporate “policing” which can sometimes become excessive, nothing compares to the first interaction you get with them during the pre-hiring interviews. Ask every single person you know, only a handful (if any) will tell you that they like interviews or even don’t mind them.
For the majority, interviews are one of the most stressful inevitable situations that you will have to go through in your career life. The idea of having someone sit there and basically “judge” you and your accomplishments is unsettling, to say the least.
In fact, underperforming in an interview is ten times more likely to cost you the job than not having the right qualifications. Although a controversial measure, however, in the business world, it is all about how you present and carry yourself because it is easier to teach someone a new technical skill than requiring them to change a personality trait.
Regardless of the professional level, fresh graduates and experienced executives alike fall into some common interview mistakes when applying for new jobs. If you are currently searching for a new opportunity, then as part of your preparation for your future interviews, you need to learn more about these common mistakes so that you can avoid them and finally get the job of your dreams. So, let’s shed some light on these mistakes.
1. Lack of Preparation
Some applicants take the “be yourself” advice too far that they think all they have to do is show up to the interview and answer some questions. Unless you are indifferent about the job you are interviewing for, this approach is wrong. You have to actively prepare for your interview, collect information about the company, and research ways to make a good first impression.
A piece of great advice mentioned in the Job Interview Questions platform is to prepare stories and experiences from each previous job beforehand. Interviewers appreciate applicants who seem to have put in the effort as they reflect the seriousness and interest in the position and the company as a whole. Preparation will also give you the chance to set yourself apart from other candidates when you impress the interviewer by incorporating company-specific data in your answers. The more you invest time and effort preparing for a job interview, the better are your chances of passing it.
2. Tardiness
Your punctuality is the very first criterion that interviewers assess before you even get to speak. If you fail to show up on time when you still do not have the job and are supposed to be putting your best foot forward, it raises a flag with the interviewers and makes them question your sense of responsibility. Showing up late to an interview will get you off to a bad start as you will be flustered, and your nerves will affect your performance. One of the best tips to avoid this mistake is to try taking the commute a day or two before your actual interview day so you know exactly the time you need to account for.
3. Underselling Their Skills
While there is a sense of nobility in being humble and downplaying your achievements, this is not what interviewers want to see. There is no such thing as the best manager or the most talented marketer, however, there is no shame in taking pride in your accomplishments when you rightly deserve it.
The interview is an opportunity to showcase your unique capabilities and talents, so you have to make the best use of this limited time to show your interviewer why she/he needs to select you over any other candidate. It is no surprise that the best interviewers are those who have a special knack for sales because they know how to make the interviewer interested in the product, they are trying to sell them which is their skill set and capabilities.
4. Overconfidence
Confidence is a desirable quality that interviewers prefer to see in all applicants, however, overconfidence is a whole different story. An overconfident person is usually associated with arrogance which makes interviewers believe that they will give their managers a hard time. Also, their know-it-all attitude can create a lot of tension with other team members. Even if you theoretically have the right qualifications for the job, your overconfidence will probably discourage interviewers from progressing your application further.
5. Giving False Information
This is by far one of the worst mistakes that you can make in an interview. Lying about your certifications or previous positions to improve your chances can easily backfire and have long-lasting effects on your career. No matter how much you want a job, nothing is worse than presenting false information and purging yourself. Even if you believe that you can get away with it during the interview, getting caught after you are hired can subject you to serious legal questioning.
6. Being Overly Nervous
Experienced interviewers understand that there is always an element of nervousness that affects the applicants’ behaviors during interviews. However, being overly nervous that you break into a sweat and your voice starts shaking will make the interviewer question your ability to handle stressful situations while on the job and working under pressure.
If you suffer from severe anxiety and find it challenging to keep your nerves in-check during interviews, you have to practice being out of your comfort zone until you become neutral about them. Just remind yourself that it is only a job application and there is no reason for you to panic or stress about it. And always try to remain eye contact so the interviewer does not feel like you are not paying attention or worse yet, uninterested altogether.
7. Ignoring the Importance of Presentability
This mistake is especially common with more technical applicants who rely on their scientific knowledge and technical abilities to take them through interviews. While it is true that the main purpose of interviews is to evaluate your qualifications for the job at hand, minding your presentability will make you an even more preferable candidate.
During interviews, one of the aspects that interviewers always look at is the applicants’ potentiality to fit and grow within the organization. That is why there is a common saying in the corporate world that you shouldn’t dress for the job you have, but for the one you want. So, if you are still a junior analyst, but want to apply for a team leader position, you have to show up for the interview dressing for this bigger role. A clean shave and a well-cut suit can go a long way and give your application more weight.
8. Giving Yes or No Answers
Applicants who give short or yes and no answers give no space for the interviewer to carry on a conversation to remain interested in learning more about what they have to offer. Some applicants think that this way shows efficiency and makes them come across as focused. However, you have to learn how to find a good balance between being excessively redundant with your words and bland abrupt responses.
A good way to avoid this mistake is to do mock conversations with a friend. Let them signal you to stop when they start to lose track of what you are saying or ask you to carry on if you are falling short with your answers. This will help you identify a good average and use it as a reference during your interviews. Of course, this will vary according to the topic you are discussing with the interviewer, but you will have had some practice about how to read the silent cues that they might be giving you.
9. Not Having Enough Knowledge About the Position
Job searching can be a long, tedious process, so many applicants resort to what is known as “mass-applying”. They log into their LinkedIn or Glassdoor accounts and apply for all the jobs under the ‘recommended for you’ section without even pausing to read about the job specifications or requirements. This might be an effective way to maximize the potential number of interviews you get, however, if you do not take the time to learn more about each job you applied for while applying-frenzy, you will be put in an awkward situation during the interview.
Interviewers are supposed to give you more information about the company and the position, however, it is not a good impression to seem like you just came to the interview because you received a call. Some job titles are pretty self-explanatory like accountant or salesperson; however, you cannot afford to miss specific information like “night-shift” accountant or “traveling” salesperson. Same positions, but different requirements that make all the difference in how the interviewer assesses your competence during the interview.
11. Failing to Provide Evidence About Claimed Skills
The skills section in a CV is supposed to be saved only for the skills that the applicant can prove to have, either by mentioning relevant situations or by displaying said skills during the interview. Unfortunately, many applicants use downloadable CV templates without thinking about how much it applies to them. Stating that you are a good team player when you have never had any experience with team sports in college or teamwork in your previous jobs will make you look bad and you will most probably be rejected. Do not just slap big words and attractive qualities on your CV, make sure you can prove whatever you claim to have or be.
12. Not Asking Questions
Many applicants make the mistake of preparing for interviews the same way they would prepare for interrogation. They only focus on the answers they will be giving without giving much thought to the questions that they should ask. It is indeed the interviewer’s job to ask the questions, however, interviews should be more of an easy-flowing two-way conversation. Having smart and well-thought-out questions will show that you are interested in the job and that you care enough that you want to learn more.
Some skilled interviewers intentionally withhold some obvious information that all applicants should want to know to test whether the interviewees will catch on it and ask the questions themselves or not. This could be anything from asking about the benefits package to the next steps in the recruitment process. So, you should pay attention to the information the interviewer is sharing throughout the interview. Even if the interviewer seems to have covered everything you wanted to know about, try to probe further and ask them to tell you more about the criteria by the end of year bonus, for example.
13. Sounding Indifferent About the Company
This a mistake that young or fresh-graduate applicants commonly make. When they are first starting their careers, applicants rarely put much weight on the names of companies they apply to, they just want any job to start paying the rent. While this is a valid way of thinking, you cannot convey this message during the interview.
Employers like to believe that applicants target them specifically because they have something special to offer. Even when this is not completely true, you have to find a unique feature that resonates most with you so that you can properly answer questions like “Why do you want to work for XYZ company?”. Any studied answer will be better than saying that you are only here because you just want a job.
14. Seek Feedback
Applicants sometimes think that asking for feedback from the interviewer is pushy and unprofessional. On the contrary, inquiring about your performance will reflect confidence and your ability to handle criticism, which is something that all employees need while on the job. If you do not get the chance to do it during the interview, you can always send an email to the interviewer a day or two later thanking them and asking for their valuable feedback. Interviewing does not come easy to most people.
However, you have to view each failed interview as a learning experience. Take some time and study the above mistakes, check which ones do you commonly make, and try to find out why. Then look for reliable sources online to figure out how you can avoid them to make sure you ace your next interview. After all, interviewing is a skill that luckily can be developed.
