Job interviews: The 10 most frequent errors
If you have already submitted your Curriculum Vitae and your profile has liked (we recommend our article "10 tips to improve your Curriculum Vitae"), congratulations, you have an opportunity to get that job you have been looking for for some time.
Now, not everything is won. There is a series of unwritten rules that we must comply with if we want the company that offers the position to opt for our services.
Job interviews: making a good impression depends on you
In our daily lives we all make mistakes, but if there is a place where we should avoid them, it is during Job interviews .
In many cases, mistakes can be amended, but mistakes made during a job interview can determine, in the eyes of the interviewers, whether we are suitable for a particular position or not. Since we probably only have one opportunity to demonstrate our potential, we must give the best possible image.
The most frequent errors in job interviews
In the following list we will cite the ten most common errors that the Human Resources staff Detects in interviews.
We will also propose some tips to avoid them, in order to enjoy greater possibilities of being chosen for the job we want. Let's go to review the most frequent mistakes in job interviews.
1. Dressing inappropriately for an interview
How to avoid it: we should investigate the culture of the company to have an idea of how to dress . Both the job position and the organizational culture can determine which is the best impression for the job to which we aspire. If you have no idea how to go, the safest bet is to dress in a serious and elegant way, not necessarily in a suit.
2. Arriving late
How to avoid it: If you are the type of person who is usually late usually, you must leave home half an hour or an hour before , the time that you consider sufficient counting the worst of situations (traffic, that can be lost along the way, etc.). Few mistakes will ruin the chances of being hired more than this one.
3. Bad body language
How to avoid it: it is one of the most frequent mistakes in the development of job interviews and also the easiest to prevent. Maintain good posture, stay relatively still and maintain eye contact as much as possible. Training to avoid nervous habits such as touching one's face, swinging back and forth, or nodding in excess can improve the quality of the interview and the interviewer's perception of us.
If you want to delve into the aspects of non-verbal language that influence the image you project about yourself, you can consult the article: "5 keys to master non-verbal language".
4. Lack of self-confidence
How to avoid it: Do not stammer, do not look at the floor or table, and above all, do not fall short when talking about personal abilities . But always with humility! Most people have some fear when it comes to exposing their positive qualities and achievements, but job interviews is the perfect place to do it.
Confidence in yourself is key, so do not hesitate to take a look at the post "Self-confidence: 7 keys to improve it".
5. Lack of interest
How to avoid it: Ask questions about vacations, benefits, or how relaxed you would like the work environment to be in the office where you want to work can have negative effects. However, not asking anything can be even worse, because it can transmit apathy. You have to show interest in the position and in the company so that the interviewers can know that you really want the job.
6. Ask too many questions
How to avoid it: ideally, should wait to ask questions until the interviewer lets them know . Otherwise, you should do them when the opportunity arises during the job interview. It is important to show curiosity, but without bombing the interviewer with questions.
7. Interrupt the interviewer
How to avoid it: in the best case, if you interrupt the interviewer, he will not perceive you as an anxious person, but surely he will think of you as something disrespectful or simply rude. No matter how excited you are, make sure you are actively listening and very carefully to the interviewer, and wait until he finishes speaking before answering.
What does the interviewer usually ask? You can discover it in our article "The 10 most frequent questions in a job interview".
8. Talking bad about your old job
How to avoid it: It is likely that in job interviews you will ask a question or two about your old job or about your relationship with the last boss you had. Do not take this as an opportunity to speak ill of them .
Accentuate the positive, it turns into a nice and pleasant person with whom it becomes pleasant to work. If you focus on the negative. It will seem spiteful and vengeful, and this can give an image of unreliable and too individualistic person.
9. Give false information
How to avoid it: study the company; do not go to job interviews without knowing her well . Check your resume. There is nothing more shameful than not being able to respond accurately to a question about a specific project in which you have worked.
The first step in preparing for an interview is to be an expert on yourself. Take some time to know who you really are and know their qualities and shortcomings in order to do a fluent and correct interview, without lying but emphasizing their qualities that make you more desirable for the organization that interviews you.
10. Lack of preparation
How to avoid it: all the errors mentioned above can be summarized in this one. An interview is essentially a casting, and you are an actor. Do you think that someone would go to a cast without preparation?
Do your research and make sure you are ready to be able to do an interview in which to show your best profile, or at least that version of you that best suits what the company in question is looking for.
