Of all the stages of a selection process, the interview is perhaps the most important and distinctive one, the moment when both sides, company and candidate, give their best to discover each other’s strengths and weaknesses.
That face-to-face meeting is, by definition, the point of contact where each side has to get across its strengths and weaknesses for the job it is seeking or offering. There are no manuals for getting through this part of the selection process, and no magic formulas for success either, but there are distortions in the technical side of the process, and mistakes the candidate can never, or should never, make.
Here are some of the mistakes we should avoid in a job interview.
Let’s start with not arriving late. A lack of punctuality gives a bad impression, especially when we show it before we’ve even started working for the company. Allow for the unexpected and try to be in front of the recruiter before your appointment time.
Like punctuality, appearance matters, so you should also avoid turning up badly dressed or unkempt. How you present yourself is vital in a first contact with your future employer: you mustn’t disappoint them or put them off, which is why what you wear to an interview is important. Research the company and dress in line with its social conventions.
During the interview, don’t show nerves, anxiety, stress… They are always bad advisers, but at this moment they create insecurity, a false mood and a lack of control over your feelings. Aware of how important the meeting is, handle the face-to-face encounter with the recruiter maturely and, as well as behaving appropriately, keep an eye on the time: don’t drag the interview out longer than necessary, but don’t look at your watch either, since that shows anxiety or a lack of interest.
The interview is a dialogue between several people. Don’t interrupt the conversation under any circumstances. Respect the turns in the conversation and, above all, make sure your mobile phone doesn’t let you down. This is the most important moment of a selection process, so take the greatest possible care over how you come across. That contact with the company that could give you a job is the most important thing in your life, at least for the minutes the interview lasts.
Of course, this is an adult world. You shouldn’t bring anyone with you to a job interview, neither family nor friends, at least not through the door, because it suggests a lack of seriousness and independence and a great deal of insecurity.
Good manners above all, so avoid any discourtesy toward the company. Even if you don’t like what is happening in the interview, or the job on offer doesn’t interest you, never reproach them for it and avoid criticizing them. Likewise, the interview is not the place to talk about money. First they have to decide whether to choose you; then they will make you a job offer, which you can negotiate or turn down.
See also: 7 body language techniques that will help you in business
