JOB AND CAREER
Critical Job Interview Mistake
Inadequate Preparation for the Interview
One of the most critical mistakes that you can make in a job interview is to arrive unprepared for the interview. There are too many job seekers out there who do not do any research into the company that they are interviewing for. How can you prove that you are the right candidate for a job or a specific position if you do not know anything about the job for which you are applying?
Benjamin Franklin is known for a famous quote, "By failing to prepare you are preparing to fail.", and this quote is never more applicable than when it comes to preparing for a job interview. It is imperative that you do all of the necessary homework long beforehand. If you come off as an enthusiastic and committed
candidate for the job, you will have a much better chance of impressing whoever is interviewing you. As soon as you find out that you will be interviewing for a company, research them and the position that you will be interviewing for. This way, you can demonstrate that you are absolutely the right candidate for the job by answering the questions that your interviewer poses effectively and intelligently. You will also be able to prepare the most appropriate questions to ask of your interviewer as well.
The most obvious way to prepare yourself for a job interview is to visit the website for the company that you are interviewing with. You will find a lot of useful information on most company websites. Other website resources that are worth exploring include websites relating to the industry, websites offering business information, and websites belonging to competing companies. You may also want to visit your local library to find out about relevant periodicals and directories.
Another useful idea is to visit the company beforehand, picking up any relevant information and brochures that are available there. You may also feel inclined to observe for a little while. The better prepared that you are for your interview ahead of time, the greater your chances will be for success. You will find that many of the principals in this report tie in together. For example, preparing yourself for your job interview will have a great impact on
avoiding a number of the critical mistakes that follow after this one. For example, by researching the employer and company beforehand, you can better prepare yourself both to answer questions posed by the interviewer, and to ask the right questions when prompted. Preparing yourself with the right information
about the company beforehand can have a significant impact on how comfortable and prepared you come across to the employer. This is one of the most ideal ways to prove that you are the right candidate for the job.
Critical Job Interview Mistake
Arriving Too Early or Too Late
One of the most common mistakes that job seekers make going in to an interview, one that can easily compromise an entire interview is arriving at the wrong time. It is difficult to overcome this initial bad impression created either by arriving too late for the appointment, or by arriving far too early and forcing
the interviewer to change their schedule in order to accommodate you. Luckily, there are a couple of different techniques that you can employ in order to avoid making this seriously costly mistake. It is imperative that you arrive on time to your job interview appointment. You do not necessarily have to arrive at the appointment time on the dot, but a few minutes early is actually preferable. Make sure that you have working directions, which may mean driving them to test the travel time before the actual day of the interview. You may want to make a complete practice run to make sure that you have the timing right. Make sure that your dry run is completed at the same time as your interview, so you can gauge the traffic at that time during the day. Make sure that you have all of the information that you need long beforehand so that you are not scrambling at the last minute in preparation. For example, you should write down the name of the person that you are supposed to ask for, so that you can go directly to the right place once you arrive. You should also make sure to bring all of the necessary documentation, which we will touch on later on in this report - But the important consideration to make is that you should gather all of your necessary documentation long beforehand so that you are not scrambling at the last minute to print out resumes, or to gather references and work samples to bring with you. Arriving in a flustered rush is not a good way to show up to your interview. The whole intention of a job interview is to prove that you are the right candidate for a job, and if you prove your unreliability the first day that you meet the interviewer, you will have difficulty proving otherwise. Being too early for your initial job interview can be just as critical a mistake as arriving late. If you arrive an hour early or more, you may be forcing the interviewer to change their schedule in order to accommodate you, and that is not a good way to get the interview started. If you want to impress the interviewer by being prompt, aim for 10 to 15 minutes early rather than a whole hour or more. By arriving fifteen minutes early, you have ample time to let the interviewer be notified of your arrival without forcing them to accommodate you long before the interview is set to begin. When it comes to arriving at your job interview, the best thing that you can do is arrive either right on time, or with ten or fifteen minutes to spare.Arriving late is essentially asking to be dismissed.People who have turned up late for job interviews have literally been turned away, because employers are not looking for people who cannot prove their own selves to be dependable and trustworthy from day one.Your interview is your first impression to your prospective employer, and your main intention should be to impress future employers in as many ways as you can.
Critical Job Interview Mistake
Having the Wrong Attitude
There are a number of different behaviors during an interview that can cause you to come across as a negative person, or simply a person who does not have the right positive attitude for the job in question. Coming across as a negative person can be the result of a wide variety of different behaviors that occur during the interviewing process. For example, if you should happen to make complaint regarding previous jobs, positions, bosses, co workers, colleagues or companies can send a rather negative message to your prospective employer, and should be avoided at all costs. Something else that can create a negative impression is inappropriate body language. The following body language actions can all offer a negative message to the person who is interviewing you -
- Hunching down
- Slumping in the chair
- Avoiding eye contact with the interviewer
- Looking down constantly
- Folding your arms over your chest
- Fiddling with your hair
- Fiddling with items on the desk
There are also a number of verbal and non-verbal signals that give off a negative attitude to the person who is interviewing you, including but not limited to -
- speaking inaudibly
- speaking quietly
- mumbling
- the use of words like 'like' or 'um' repeatedly
It is important that you practice your answers to test interview questions, and your questions about the company in front of a mirror in order to improve the tone of your voice and your positive body language. By practicing beforehand, you can eliminate flaws in your interview demeanor which can give you a better chance of being successful in your interview.
Critical Job Interview Mistake
Being Unprepared for Interview Questions
There are two important elements to a job interview - The first is the questions that the interviewer asks of you, and the second is the questions that you ask of the interviewer in return. If you are unable to properly articulate the right answers to the interview questions that are asked of you, you will most certainly have difficulty conveying the fact that you are the ideal candidate for the position to the person who is interviewing you. The best way for you to avoid this practice is to think about your answers and to prepare them beforehand. There are many resources for common job interview questions, and most employers within different industries ask the same questions or at least similar sets of relevant questions which means that you can be prepared to a certain degree no matter what job you are applying for. Prepare your answers to the most common job interview questions within your industry long before your interview. What questions are most likely going to be asked during the interview? What is normally required of a successful candidate for the position that you are applying for? There are a number of basic or general questions that tend to crop up in almost all job interviews, including but
not limited to the following questions -
- What are your strengths, or what is your greatest strength?
- What are your weaknesses, or what is your greatest weakness?
- Why do you want this job position?
- What are some of your achievements to date? What has been your greatest achievement in your working history?
- Why are you the ideal candidate for this position? Why should we employ you rather than another candidate?
- If we were to call up your former employer or employers, what would they say about you?
Prepare and practice the answers to questions like these, and you will be able to avoid this critical initial job interview mistake. You do not want to suddenly go blank during the interview process, and this can easily be avoided simply by preparing beforehand and figuring out the most effective answers in order to appear both confidant and poised to the employer who is interviewing you.
Critical Job Interview Mistake
Not Asking the Right Questions
There are two important elements to a job interview - The first is the questions that the interviewer asks of you, and the second is the questions that you ask of the interviewer in return. At some point during the job interview, the person interviewing you is going to ask "Do you have any questions for me?" And this is a question that makes a lot of people tremble. Failing to ask the right,most appropriate questions simply shows a lack of interest and forethought. As a result, this is one of the most critical mistakes that a job interview candidate can make.
Use the company research that you conducted earlier based on Critical Job Interview Mistake number 01, and prepare questions about the company that are insightful as the best and most efficient way to impress the interviewer you are working with. This will also help you gain the information that you need in order to make the most well informed job decision possible. During your job interview, you should not sit like a bump on a log. Instead, you should make a real effort to show interest in the company, which can easily be done by asking the employer excellent interview questions in return. This shows the interviewer that you are interested in the company and that you have done your research and arrived prepared. Here are some of the questions that you may want to ask your interviewer. Keep in mind that when asked "Do you have any questions for me?", "Hmm, nope" is NOT a good answer.
- What are your biggest challenges?
- What is the average day like for this particular position?
- What specific tasks will be expected of me in this position?
- What is the next step following the interview?
- Is this a newly created job position or am I replacing another employee?
- How will my job performance be measured?
- What are the immediate goals of the department that I will be working in?
- What is the biggest challenge that the company is currently facing?
- What competitive advantages does the company have over other similar companies?
- What does the interviewer like best about the company?
- What could I do within this role that would make your job (The employer's job) easier?
- Is there anything else that I can further clarify for you?
- How do I compare with other candidates that have already been interviewed?
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