It’s been three weeks and although you’ve eagerly checked your phone for a missed call or voicemail every hour on the hour, you are yet to receive word on the job interview you had. Where did you go wrong? While this is a question that can only be answered by the person who interviewed you, there are certain cues or indicators that all point to a failed or flawed meeting. Keeping in mind your particular performance, read through the following interview flops and soon you may have the answer.
an interview is that you are caught lying.
Arriving Late or Early
It is estimated that human beings form impressions within a matter of seconds. With so much pressure, it is important to get the simple things right, such as your arrival time. You may think that arriving half an hour early will show that you are eager and committed, but in reality, you are potentially making a nuisance of yourself. Don’t forget that your interviewer likely has a strict schedule filled with other meetings and tasks for the day. Similarly, appearing late can be equally inconvenient, not to mention suggesting that you are disorganised, unpunctual and slack.
Wrong Dress Code
Dressing appropriately is also within your control, so don’t mess it up. If you’re interviewing for a corporate, professional services role, don’t appear donned in jeans and a casual t-shirt. For creative jobs, the dress code will likely be more relaxed, but that doesn’t mean you should forgo personal grooming and standards of hygiene. Our personal presentation says a lot about us; are you organised or slovenly? Do you respect yourself?
Being Caught out on a Lie
The absolute worst thing that can happen in an interview is that your – ahem – slightly embellished resume is picked to pieces and you are caught lying. How do you avoid this? First of all, don’t lie! Secondly, be confident in your abilities and work history and think of ways to talk up your talents without being out of your depth.
Babbling and Fidgeting
Unfortunately, job interviews produce stress and nervousness. What do we do when we are nervous? For some of us, the answer is babbling. An uncontrolled burst of over-the-top language, immaterial facts and nonsensical stories that mask the informative, relevant answers that are in there somewhere. Or maybe fidgeting is your Achilles’ heel? That horrible tendency to pick, itch or constantly move your fingers? Whatever the vice, the result is that the interviewer will perceive you as being flustered and unprofessional.
Poor Attitude
A sure-fire way to eliminate yourself as a job candidate is to show up with a poor attitude or be perceived to have one. How do you come across? Aloof or engaged? Keen or disinterested? Hold a mock interview with a friend and practise your answers. Then ask them to describe your disposition. The results may be quite surprising, not to mention enlightening. In your interview, show that you have researched the company and ask intelligent questions at the end.
What do you think? Do you have some aspects to improve on? Recruitment companies and employment marketplaces such as Just Digital People and Seek have many online resources for job seekers, so be sure to check them out.
Image Credit:
Ambro – FreeDigitalPhotos.Net
One reply on “How You Messed up Your Job Interview”
Once I was late for my second interview for the job, and I was late. I ended up being scolded before they offered me the job.
I then said, I will think about your job offer and left.