While I am not aware of any universal sure-bets to nail the job interview, there are some blunders to definitely avoid if you want to be considered for the job. Here are seven dangerous job interview blunders.
1. Avoid trashing your former firm or supervisor. I have interviewed too many job prospects who can't avoid disparaging their prior employer or supervisor. Why is that? People forget that working for someone else is a relationship, some work out and some don't. Rarely is the breakup just one party's fault. More frequently it is split between the employer and employee. No one really wants to hear about your terrible fortune, so don't talk about it. And further, you don't want to be identified as someone who is willing to bad-mouth someone else. You might repeat the same conduct again and again. Say that you are exploring more difficult opportunities, or that you and your employer didn't see eye-to-eye on several topics.
2. Don't continuously brag about other companies. While it is great to demonstrate your awareness of best practices of other firms, don't make that a cornerstone of the job interview. Too frequently I hear about how amazing it would be to work for another company. So, listen up: focus on the firm with whom you are interviewing and explain why you want to work for them. Remember, this company does not want to be regarded of as a second-tier outfit.
3. Don't dress for a date. This is a professional job interview meeting, not a location to meet someone for a date or to impress them on your sense of dress. Men and women should wear appropriate business attire that reflect the ethos of the organization, not a duplicate of the latest fashion commercial. This also covers perfume and cologne, as well as jewelry. Soften the fragrance and decrease the bangles. If you have piercings or tattoos, you might play it safe by wearing clothes that disguise them for the moment.
4. Don't experiment with standard food and beverage rules. This is hard, I agree, but you need to be careful to the company's procedure about food and beverage. If the interview occurs over breakfast, lunch, or supper, order anything from the menu not something that has to be specifically produced. Select a middle priced food that is readily eaten while discussion. If uncertain, be a minimalist. Eat something before the interview to discourage a feeding frenzy. Don't converse with food in your mouth. Be practical: you are being interviewed for a job, not to stuff your stomach with food or to be a food critic. If the job interview environment is at the company's office, then accept water, tea, or coffee only. Don't overdo it.
5. Shut off the cell. Don't flaunt off your cell phone; it should not be visible to the company's representatives including employees who might catch your eye in the lobby while you wait to be interviewed, and certainly not as you stroll with others inside the office or outside the building. The focus is on the company not on anything else might be going in your life. Otherwise, it gives the appearance that others are more important than the ones who are interviewing you. This also means avoid the impulse to check your texts and text for the entire period.
6. Don't believe you can ad lib. Research the employer. Find out whether something recent has been written about them or their staff. Research the industry group. Find out what issues the industry confronts. Have handy at least two questions to ask at the end of the interview, even if it is an expand on a topic previously explored. Don't speak something you don't know anything about. If you don't know, admit you don't know.
7. Don't forget to email a thank you. Even if there is no simpatico between you and firm, send a thank you card just the same, electronically or the old fashion method through the U. S. mail. Consider each job interview as a means to learn more about a person, a firm and an industry group. Bear in mind that each time you interview you also enhance your interviewing abilities and self-awareness. All of this expands your professional network.
