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From showing up late to forgetting a copy of your resume, to accidentally calling your potential boss by the wrong name, there are a lot of things that can go wrong in a job interview. While most hiring managers are willing to overlook these and other minor mishaps, there are some things they won’t forgive.

 

 

What you do during a job interview is viewed as a “sample” of your work. Everything you do is being judged because they don’t know you. Do yourself a favor and show them you would be a great hire. Don’t make these mistakes:

 

  • 1) Seeming uninterested.

  • This one drives employers crazy. Most employers have more applicants than they need or want. If you aren’t proving to them that you are interested in them and the job, they certainly aren’t interested in hiring you.

    Demonstrate your interest in the company and the job. Know the job you are interviewing for and why you want the job. Ask intelligent questions that indicate you have done some research.

     

  • 2) Being unprepared.

  • Be prepared! Obvious lack of preparation is an opportunity crusher. And, lack of preparation usually becomes obvious quickly. Preparation will help you demonstrate your interest in them and the job. You will also perform better in the interview when you are prepared. A few examples for being prepared include:
    • Analyze the job description and your match with it
    • Know your answers to the standard job interview questions.
    • Research the employer.

     

  • 3) Giving too much information

  • Sometimes, people “spill their guts” to every question in a job interview. Not smart or useful! Avoid boring the interviewer and blowing an opportunity by sharing too much information. If they want more details, they’ll ask.

     

  • 4) Exuding negative body language.

  • If you never smile, have a limp handshake, and don’t make eye contact with the people you meet at the employer’s location, and especially with the interviewer, you’ll come across as too shy or too strange or simply not interested.

    Show your interest and enthusiasm. Smile, say hello, look them in the eye, and shake hands as though you really are happy to meet that person, and soon you will be.

     

  • 5) Asking wrong questions at the wrong time.

  • To an employer, no questions = no interest. As bad as having no questions is asking the wrong questions. During the first interview, asking questions only about raises, promotions, vacation, and benefits is not usually well-received. Those questions apparently indicate that you are just interested in specific personal benefits rather than the job or what you can offer to the employer.

     

  • 6) Showing anger.

  • Angry people are NOT people employers want to hire. Angry people are not fun to work with nor good contributors to a happy workplace or a prosperous business. Stop — before you enter the employer’s premises — take a few deep breaths, focus on the opportunity that awaits you at this potential employer, put a smile on your face, and do your best to switch gears mentally so that you are not “in a bad place” in your mind during the interview.

     

  • 7) Inappropriate behavior.

  • Unless you are interviewing for a job as a comedian or host/hostess in a social club, don’t try to be entertaining or amusing. And, don’t flirt with anyone, including the receptionist and the security guard.
    Mind your manners, like your mother taught you, and be polite to EVERYONE you meet there. The interview is an “audition” for the job. Show them you’re the best!

     

  • 8) Forgetting the interview is a two-way street.

  • Don’t go to the interview thinking that you are the only one trying to “make a sale.” You need to ask questions to help you discover if the job, the people you would be working with, and the employer are what you want. You also need to decide if you would be happy working there for at least one year.

    Observe what is happening at the location. Are employees and customers smiling or not? Do people seem busy or bored? Does the environment look like a pleasant place to spend most of your day?

     

  • 9) Not following up.

  • Often, job seekers leave at the end of the interview(s) with a huge sigh of relief that the interview is over, and they can get on with their lives. They leave, and wait to receive a job offer.

    To stand out in the crowd of job candidates, which usually number four or five, immediately send your thank-you notes to each person who interviewed you. Also send a thank you to the external recruiter, if one was involved, or the employee or networking contact that referred you for the opportunity, if you were referred.

     
     

    While we’re not saying that making any one of these mistakes will automatically disqualify you for a job that you’re interviewing for, what we are saying is simply … don’t. Making sure that you don’t do these 9 things will give you a very good chance of impressing your interviewer.

     
     

    (written by: Whitney)

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