Knowing what not to do at interview is equally as important as knowing what to do. Once you have landed that interview you can land the job with sound principles. There are 13 important don’ts you should avoid falling into during an interview. If you keep these you will have the right preparation, comportment and communication power to succeed guaranteed!
Don’t arrive late
Although very straightforward it is still worth mentioning that you should not arrive at an interview late. Let me add that don’t arrive at an interview 10 minutes to time. Ideally arrive at least an hour before the interview starts. When you arrive early it will help you present you as serious studious person and it will allow you settle in and get in tune for your interview. Arriving for an interview allows you to make a very good first impression and allow you handle the rest of the interview well.
Don’t dress informally
Don’t come to an interview dressed informally and leisurely. For all interviews it is best to come well dressed in a formal attire. For men, the suit or political suit is the best form of dressing for an interview while women should also stick to formal dressing.
Don’t be unprepared
Don’t go for an interview when you are not prepared. Preparation for an interview involves reading the Job description, making notes, zeroing in on critical skills, competencies and concepts the job requirements. Once you identify potential areas of interest of your potential employer it then is your duty to prepare very well. I will add that you should do rehearsals either solo or with a colleague or friend.
Don’t be inattentive
No matter the problems you have drop them before you enter the interview room. You must go into the interview with great attentiveness in fact for the entire period make sure your body and mind are fully present. Display attentiveness and poise in listening and responding to questions. Don’t be inattentive and rush. Be centered, calm relaxed and speak with pauses and thoughtfully too. It is usually the non-verbal cues that interview manager can pick on and rate you highly. Take advantage of it.
Don’t go to an interview with unprepared answer for common questions
For every job interview under the sun there are always common questions that will be asked. You should know them and prepare answers for them. Read my article 10 ways to prepare for an interview to see the common interview questions and more. The common questions are always related to motivation, strengths, weaknesses, relevant questions you may have and questions on your CV etc.
Make sure you prepare the best way possible to answer potential questions.
Don’t speak poorly about your present or former employers.
Don’t speak poorly about you past or present employer during an interview. Don’t trash them or else you send a bad signal as being an unagreeable and ill-mannered person. If you are asked the question why you want to change jobs it is better to focus on career prospects, advancement, exposure and much more.
Don’t falsify information.
Don’t falsify information during an interview, you may be sooner or later caught which can destroy your career and reputation. You should not falsify your education, experience or achievements to be impressive. You may be found out at the stage of references or you may simply come across immediately as a liar. As much as possible speak the truth and tout your actual qualifications for the job.
Don’t speak over the interviewer.
Don’t be hasty in answering questions and allow your interviewer to ask their question before you start answering. Always allow the other person to talk first rather than speaking over them you may come across as rude or worse still indicate that you’re a poor communicator.
Don’t let any past rejections infringe on future ones
Don’t be your own enemy dwelling on the negatives and past poor experiences during interviews. We all have had poor experiences where you did not have a great interview, take the lessons and build more confidence with preparation. Just be fluent and present yourself forgetting of any bad experiences.
Don’t text/talk on your smartphone
In a mobile generation where the phone is so glued to us it can become an enemy during an interview. Don’t go into an interview with you phone and better still put it off or on silence if you must keep it on. The phone should not be a destruction for the period of the time of your interview. As for using your phone during an interview it’s forbidden.
Don’t ask questions on checks, drugs and remunerations
Don’t ask questions about background checks and drug tests, or raises, holidays, and vacations until the job offer negotiation. Asking the wrong questions can be revealing of your motives and fears which may not be in the right direction. Keep questions if given the opportunity to ask them, to the role, expectations and important tasks.
Don’t forget your elevator pitch.
Don’t forget to prepare your elevator pitch of a powerful summary of your career strengths and successes. You will always be asked a question around your motivation, uniqueness and strengths. Be sure to prepare a pitch than you can unload when the question is asked.
Don’t forget to send a thank you note
Don’t forget to send a thank you note after the interview. A thank you note tells the employer or recruiting managers that you are a thoughtful and very interested person. Look out for the HR email or send in a handwritten letter.
1 Comment
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