What to Do and What NOT to Do
You might feel as though hiring managers want to hear about how you’ve been struggling, just took out a cash advance for fast cash and need a job now. They could honestly care less during an interview. Since so many job applicants have committed such interviewing blunders, according to the annual worst interview mistakes survey at Careerbuilder.com.
Awkward behavior isn’t the only thing that will kill your chances of landing a job. When asked about the most dangerous and common mistakes that interviewees could possibly make, 51% of hiring managers said dressing out of sorts. Forty-nine percent named badmouthing former bosses as the worst offense, while 48 percent said that appearing disinterested was their deciding factor. These were just a few of the reasons listed, some more among them were not asking good questions, insufficient answers and arrogance.
For your convenience, I have listed 10 actual mistakes that will draw out what not to do when you take a seat across from the hiring manager at your next interview.
Oh, No She Didn’t!
There was once a candidate who answered her cell phone in the middle of an interview and asked the interviewer to leave his own office because it was a “personal” conversation. This should never be done under any circumstances. You must not forget that you are being judged, whether you like it or not, from the moment that you walk into the doors of the establishment. So, make sure that your cell phone is turned off during an interview, or at least put on vibrate or silent.
Don’t Provide TMI
A guy filling out an application for a job told the interviewer that he probably wouldn’t be staying with the company long because he was expecting an inheritance check when his uncle died, and “he looked half-way to death at the moment.” He finished by saying, “I just need some fast cash to pay off some debt.” This is not the information that a hiring manager or interviewer would like to hear about. If you plan on not being at the company very long, and can’t supply a date when you plan to leave, it’s best not to apply for the job at all.
Arrive Prepared
One candidate asked the interviewer if they could catch a lift home after the interview. Odds are that if you don’t know someone, you don’t want them in your car after only 30 minutes of bonding time. Make sure that you are prepared before you arrive to the interview, and that means securing a ride there and back.
Express Yourself – But Not Too Much
There was an applicant who lifted each of his arms and smelled his armpits before entering the interviewing room. Obviously, make sure that issues of personal hygiene are sorted out before you go to interview for the job. Interviewers logically think that if you are unsure about your cleanliness at an interview, you will be the same way if hired.
Don’t Lie
There was an interviewee who told the interviewer that she couldn’t provide the company with any writing samples due to the fact that all her work was previously for the CIA and marked as “classified.” It would be impossible to know if she worked where she did (the resume should list it), and it wasn’t what you say during an interview. As a professional, a writing sample should have been drafted before entering the company’s doors. As stated above, always arrive to an interview prepared.
Know When to Keep Thing Professional
Never do what one candidate did and tell the interviewer that he was fired for beating the crap out of his former boss. This is the type of information that makes an interviewer respect his honestly, and thanks the heavens he can cast your resume off to the side. The information you may want to give may be true, but ask yourself if it really belongs in an interview.
Keep the Vices at Home
An applicant was offered some cookies, food and refreshments before an interview and declined them, saying with excitement, “I can’t line my stomach with that grease before I get drunk tonight. I’m getting ripped!” Everyone has their vices, but you DON’T bring them up around an interviewer, because it might cost you the chance of getting a job.
Prove You Should Be There
At an interview for an accounting position, an applicant said that she wasn’t a “numbers person,” she was a “people person.” I’m sure the statement didn’t make a positive impression with the interviewer. Make sure that you can prove to the person interviewing you why you are there and what your skills can bring to the company or business.
Even Over the Phone, Be Polite
During a phone interview with a hiring manager, one interviewee flushed the toilet. You can probably tell they didn’t get a call back. Be professional and polite, at all times. First impressions can be lasting.
Groom Yourself BEFORE the Interview
The applicant waited until the middle of the interview to take a comb from her purse and give her hair a touch-up. While some might not find anything wrong with keeping up appearances, there is a time and a place for it. You don’t want the state of your hair, clothes, brutal honesty, or body odor to get you a ticket back to the unemployment line or a fast cash advance instead of into a new career.