No one wants to have a poor interview surely? But some people manage to make all sorts of mistakes when it comes to interviews and some of the mistakes will be very costly for the sake of thinking, concentrating and being logical about the end goal of having an interview.
Below are some of the blunders you most definitely want to avoid making.
1- Turning up late
Arriving late for an interview. This is really bad. It shows a lack of respect and enthusiasm and will leave your interviewer feeling like this is you natural attitude and if you are unable to be on time for an interview then it is unlikely that if you were employed that you would be on time for work each day.
2- Not dressed appropriately
You always must dress appropriately for an interview. You must always dress according to the company and look smart and as though you have made an effort. You do have to look at what kind of role you are going for though and do not turn up looking out of place so that your interviewer cannot picture where you would fit in.
3- Not reading the job description
If you have not read the job description carefully then you will not understand what they job entails and more than likely be unable to answer the questions that the interviewer is asking you. You need to know exactly what areas you can do of the job description and what areas you may need some training on so that you can deal with these during the interview.
4- Going to the wrong location
Not going to the correct location where the interview is to be held. Some companies have different site locations. It is important therefore to ensure that you know exactly where your interview is to be held and not just assume that it is the location that you are most familiar with.
5- Not knowing the name of the person who is interviewing you
Checking the interview details are very important and so is knowing the name of the person or people who are interviewing you. Make sure when you meet them that you acknowledge them by name so that they know you are paying attention.
6- Disagreeing with your interviewer
A massive no no. No matter what you opinion do not disagree or challenge your interviewer as you could come across as being awkward and argumentative and until you are working for their company you are only using your opinion rather than experience.
7- Not preparing and doing research
If you are not prepared for your interview and have not done your research then this will become apparent very quickly in the interview. Any interviewer who gets wind that you know very little will just assume that you could not be bothered to find out as you are not that interested and if you are wanting to get this job this is not a good way to work.
8- Not asking questions
If you do not ask questions then your interviewer will also assume that you are not interested. An interviewer has just spent a certain amount of time talking to you and telling you about the company and role and therefore from that it should have generated some questions. If you are nervous about not being able to think of any questions then pre prepare a couple that you could use in most cases to show that you are interested.
9- Not being able to answer their questions
If you are not able to answer a question then do not ignore this but address it appropriately and try to turn it round into a learning curve and a positive rather than sitting there being awkward and saying that you do not know. If you do not know an answer to a question, think why. Do you not understand enough about the role or the business? Was there something you could have done easily to find the answers?
10- Taking someone with you
Do not take someone with you to an interview, it shows a weakness and not what an interviewer wants to see. If you have some with you for example if they drove you, make sure they stay in the car or if they just came along for company leave them in the cafe down the road or make sure they stay outside and out of site as it does not look good.
