Top 5 Job Interview Mistakes Most People Make

If you’ve ever been in an interview and thought it went well but then didn’t get the job,

or never heard from the employer again, you may have made one or more mistakes in the interview and weren’t even aware of it.

None of us are trained in how to present at an interview so understandably a lot of us trip up in ways we’re not even aware of.

So in this article I’ll show you some common interview mistakes that people make that cause them to put the interviewer off, and often costs them being offered the job, even when they have the right skills and experience for the role.

So let’s get straight to it…

Mistake number one is…
Lack of preparation.

When you apply for a role and are then offered an interview it’s obviously a good idea to do some homework on the company and the people who work there.

You can do this by going through the company website and then checking the LinkedIn profiles of the people who work there.

You can also ask people you know what they know about the company to try to get some background on the company and the people.

Less obvious for most people however is to do their homework on what questions the interviewer is likely to ask them and most importantly, how to answer the questions the hiring manager asks in such a way that impresses them so you walk out of the interview with the hiring manager intending to recommend you for the role.

We have a whole range of videos here on our Youtube channel that cover a lot of the questions you’re likely to be asked in an interview so watch them and subscribe to the channel so you receive the new videos every week.

Mistake number 2 relates to mistake number one.

This mistake is when we’re not ready for open ended behavioral questions from the interviewer.

An open ended question is a question where you need to elaborate to answer it. You can’t answer yes or no.

When the interviewer is fishing to find out how you interact with your co-workers, or if you’re a team player, or how you interact with clients or customers, they might ask you one or more open ended questions about how you handled certain situations in the past.

For example, you might be asked…

Tell me about a time when you had a difficult customer, what happened, and how did you resolve it?

Or a question could be…

Tell me about a time you had to work with a difficult co-worker. What happened, and how did you handle this situation?

These are common questions so be ready with answers that relate to the role you’re applying for that will impress the interviewer.

Mistake number 3…

Not giving cohesive, straight to the point answers to questions.

In other words, don’t ramble when you answer a question.

Keep your answers sharp and concise and when you have the opportunity, relate your answer to how qualified you are for the role. This reinforces you as the best person for the job.

Mistake number 4 is…

Thinking that an interview is all about you answering questions.

Yes, you need to answer questions during an interview, however YOU should ask questions too.

When you do, this impresses the interviewer because it shows you’re engaged and genuinely thinking about the role.

For some great questions to ask that will impress the hiring manager watch our video on the questions to ask during an interview. The video is in this playlist.

The questions in the video impress an interviewer when you ask them, so I recommend you watch it before you sit in an interview.

Mistake number 5 is…

Not dressing appropriately for the interview.

Even though the workplace has become more casual over the years, the interview is not the place for you to take advantage of that.

If you’re unsure, find out how you should be dressed for the role.

When in doubt, overdress. It’s better to be overdressed than under dressed.

So they are the top 5 mistakes people make in an interview.

When it comes to sitting through an interview successfully, preparation is the key.

If you’ve done your homework on the company, and at the very least the people you’ll be speaking with in the interview, if you know who they are, and have thought about the questions you’ll be asked and how best to answer them, you’ll be well on your way to impressing the interviewer and hopefully being offered the job.

And remember…

The BEST opportunity you have of being offered a job is when the employer knows you’re a good match for the role and they WANT YOU.

The way to do that is to use Connectzapp to find your next job.

So get it on the App Store or Google Play or go to Connectzapp.com.

It’s the quick and easy way to find your next job.

So please give this article a clap.

And as always…

Good luck with your job hunting!

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