6 Interview mistakes you must avoid

6 Common Interview Mistakes You Must Avoid

Some interview mistakes can easily be avoided. You just need to be aware of them. This GoApti post discusses 6 mistakes that can spoil even the best of interviews.

1. Thinking of your interview as an interrogation session.

“You won’t have a gun pointed to your head during an interview.  Neither will you be subjected to intense scrutiny.”

  • Most candidates assume interviews to be synonymous with interrogations. That is not the case. An interrogation is unilateral; one person asks all the questions and the other gives the answers. An interview, on the other hand, involves bilateral communication.
    The interviewee and interviewer need to understand each other and that means an honest conversation.
  • Candidates who expect to be interrogated avoid asking questions. And this leaves the interviewer in the role of a reluctant interrogator. So do your homework, make a list of questions pertaining to the interview, and impress the interviewer.

2. Mentioning a positive point as a weakness.

“Whenever an interviewer asks about your weakness, you aren’t expected to mention a strength that you assume could be exploited.”

  • Interviewers frequently ask candidates the question, “what are your weaknesses?”
  • Traditional interview wisdom tells you to take a weakness (such as “I’m a perfectionist”) and score brownie points. You may think that by demonstrating an all-positive approach, the interviewer would be impressed. These responses, however, are cliched. interviewers have heard them hundreds of times before. Highlight a skill that you wish to improve upon and how you are working on it.
  • Interviewers do not want to focus on your weaknesses; they are more interested to see how you handle this question.

3. Not asking any questions.

“If you have questions for the interviewer, it shows how much the opportunity/position/opening matters to you. And that you are a serious candidate. This is one of the most frequent interview mistakes that candidates commit.”

  • The interview is nearing its end when the interviewer asks, “Do you have any questions for me?” Answering “no” is perhaps the worst response; it shows either you are not interested, or not prepared.
  • Before the interview, make a list of five or more questions to ask. “I think a good question is, ‘Can you tell me about your career?’” says Kent Kirch, Director Global Talent Acquisition & Mobility, Deloitte Touche Tohmatsu Limited. He adds, “Everybody likes to talk about themselves, so you’re probably pretty safe asking that question.”

4. You research the company (conducting the interview), but do you know yourself inside out?

“Interviewers know that you gathered information about the opportunity as well as the organization. But, how well do you know yourself?”

  • Candidates perform a thorough research about the opportunity, the company, and other related information.
  • They don’t take stock of their experience, knowledge, and skills.
  • Formulating a list of accomplishments prepares you for questions centered around experience.
  • You must be prepared for questions related to your professional experience. Interviewers usually start the interview with, “Tell me about yourself.” Don’t babble endlessly. Highlight the key points from your academic and professional career – incidents and events that you can impress the interviewer with.

5. Not switching off your mobile phone.

“If your mobile phone starts ringing at the wrong time, you give the interviewer a chance to find faults.”

Switch off your mobile phone before entering the interview room. Avoid the idea of keeping it in silent mode.

6. Waiting for a call.

“Several candidates wait for a reply or a call about the next steps of the recruitment process. You don’t need to wait unless you have been explicitly told to do so by the interviewing organization.”

Before leaving an interview, inquire about the next steps or stages of the recruitment process. This allows you to plan your next move. You can send a thank you email to the interviewer a few days later, with follow-up questions (if any).

What is your take on how to avoid interview mistakes? Any interview tips and tricks that you would like to share? Do comment.

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