Top Interview Mistakes and How to Avoid Them

Interviews can be extremely stressful and it’s easy to make a mistake in such a high-pressure situation. Here, we’ll take a look at the common mistakes made at interviews and how you can avoid them!

Common Mistakes Made at Job Interviews

To maximise your potential at interview, you’ll need to know about the most common mistakes so that you can avoid making them and instead make a great impression. Top interview mistakes include:

• Not Understanding The Company

A job interview is an opportunity to see if you would be a good fit for a job role, and if you don’t know anything about the company you are applying to, you’ll fall at the first hurdle. When you attend a job interview, you need to prepare yourself by researching the organisation, including using their website and any mentions of them in online searches. You can find out about their recent news stories and even take a look at the specific team and management you would be working with to discover any common interests and ensure that this role would suit you.

• Not Building Rapport

Building a rapport with your interviewer is an essential if you want to make a good impression, and this starts with a polite and friendly approach. Establishing common ground and using positive body language can help to show that you are at ease in the situation, and you can practise this with a trusted friend or family member.

• Over Sharing

Occasionally, when invited to discuss previous roles and experience, candidates will express negativity about their previous or current employers and reveal more than they intend about their own character. It is vital to maintain a professional impression throughout your interview so do not be tempted to relax into gossip or become too casual in your approach. Even if you have been treated unfairly in your current role, this is not the ideal situation to discuss this, and you should take a professional approach at all times.

• Dressing Incorrectly

Again, an interview is all about making a good impression and this means dressing for success. You should dress professionally and ensure that you look clean and well presented. Arriving on time is another essential!

• Answering Questions Unclearly

It is difficult to hold a conversation with someone who does not answer questions clearly and goes off on tangents, and this is not going to make a good impression in an interview. It is a good idea to practice your interview technique with someone who will give you honest feedback, and when you are asked a question, give yourself a second to think before you begin to speak. It goes without saying that you should not interrupt your interviewer and that you should speak clearly, and it is also important to answer fully and avoid deviating from the point of the question.

• Talking Too Much

Obviously, the point of an interview is to get to know you and find out whether you will be a good fit for the organisation. However, the interviewer does not need or want to know your full life history and talking too much can be off putting. You should aim to create a balanced conversation that shows you are interested in others and will not dominate a team if you are offered the position.

• Not Asking Questions

Conversely, having too little to say can suggest that you are not interested in the position or the company, and it is a good idea to have a couple of questions prepared for your interviewer. This is also an important step in establishing whether you will be a good fit for the company and the job role.

• Don’t Use Your Phone

This one is self-explanatory but you might be surprised at how often it is ignored. Many of us use our phones constantly but taking it out during a job interview, whether you are checking the time or looking at your notes, is a huge no-no and should be avoided at all costs.

Of course, many interviews are now conducted online and the above still apply. If you are being interviewed remotely, you may find it helpful to keep your notes nearby to prompt you in case of a sudden panic, but do not be tempted to rely on these as it will prevent you from engaging with your interviewer.

Work With Recruitment Experts In Ireland

Our Recruitment Consultants at CareerWise can help you to optimise your job search and prepare for interview. We will take the time to get to know you and understand your experience and skillset, enabling us to connect you with organisations that interest you. We work with local, national and international organisations across many industries, and we can offer support throughout the recruitment process.

We are based in Cork, Shannon, Galway Mayo and Dublin and we specialise in the Engineering, Supply Chain, Science/Pharma, IT and Accounting industries in Ireland. Contact our experienced team online now or give us a call to talk with one of our expert recruitment consultants on +353 (0) 21 206 1900.

Louise Mulligan

(Senior Recruitment Consultant) BBS CIPD – Mayo Office

Louise has a Marketing Degree from Limerick Institute of Technology. She has also completed a Certificate in Personnel Practice from the National College of Ireland. She is also CIPD accredited. She has 16 years Recruitment experience with Collins McNicholas (Dublin, Galway & Athlone), HRM (Dublin), Lionbridge (Mayo) and Team Horizon (Mayo & Dublin).

She has also worked in Quality Assurance in Allergan (Mayo) & with Ballina Beverages (Mayo).

She has successful recruitment experience involving key roles within Human Resources, Engineering, Quality Assurance and Planning for large multinational companies. She was involved in recruiting all levels including Senior Management for the Medical Devices, Electronic, Pharmaceutical & Manufacturing Industries both on the contracting and permanent side of the business. She has developed a Strong Network of Engineers built up over the last 16 years as she worked in the Mayo, Sligo, Dublin, Athlone and Galway Markets.

Louise has joined CareerWise in March 2017 with the responsibility of growing the business out of the new Mayo office with a primary focus on the West & North-West regions.

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