Interview Mistakes

If you have already secured the job interview then the potential employer or recruitment agency must be impressed with your curriculum vitae and therefore your skills, experience and qualifications are the right match for the job and for the company. However, all this is pointless if you do not perform in the interview, many candidates can have the best attributes for the job but making silly mistakes during the interview can be very costly. Here are a few common and often very costly mistakes made by candidates (some may sound familiar);
Timing; sometimes you cannot help being late, but if you are going to be late then phone the company and explain, don't just turn up 20 minutes late and expect they will still want to interview you. When you do arrive late, apologise once then move on, do not make a deal out of it.
Appearance; dress appropriately for the interview, in most cases a suit or smart business dress is expected but even for lesser paid, manual or casual jobs turning up in dirty shoes, ripped jeans, t-shirts with offensive slogans etc will create a poor first impression and is the worst possible start. Other mistakes include wearing too much make up, excessive strong perfume, facial jewellery etc.
Negatitive comments; many people will talk negatively about previous employers, jobs, their colleagues etc, this won't reflect badly on them, it will reflect badly on you plus it can make you look like a negative person. Always try to talk about the positives, often turning the negatives into positives if possible.
Remember what you have included in your c.v; do not include any lies or exaggerate too much as there is always a strong chance you will be found out if the interviewer starts asking probing questions, always be honest, but not always too honest, none of us want our employers to know every little thing about us!
Mobile phone; make sure it is turned off, or on silent, sounds obvious doesn't it?
Body language; job interviews can be a nervous experience, but try not to show your nerves. Not maintaining eye contact can look like you lack confidence or are not interested, fidgeting, scratching, touching your hair, nose, mouth etc can give the same impression, or maybe look like you are not telling the truth.
Salary; do not mention salary until the end of interview, or if it is fist discussed by the interviewer, asking about the salary too early or at the wrong time in the interview can give the impression you are only interested in how much they will pay you.
Think before you speak; all of us say the wrong things sometimes but job interviews are definately not the place for an accidental slip of the tongue, swearing without realising, talking in slang etc think about what you are saying before you speak and remember you are in an interview not having a chat with a friend
Not being properly prepared; turning up at the interview not knowing much about the job or the employer and not having any questions prepared to ask the interviewer. Why would they want to employ someone who has not even tried to find out what and who you are being interviewed for?

These are a few simple tips, some sound like common sense however it is suprising how many people do make at least one of these very costly mistakes, most of us are guilty at one time or another. Just remember, once you have secured the interview it is often down to how you perform there and can be the difference between two very similar candidates.

Richard Navin is an experienced recruitment consultant and owner of RJN Selection, an engineering recruitment agency. http://rjnselection.co.uk