5 Job Interview Mistakes and How to Avoid Them

Are you about to have a job interview? Receiving the call from a recruiter and scheduling an interview is a great opportunity. You have to get the most out of it! That’s why you need to be ready and avoid making mistakes. Do you know the most common mistakes in that scenario? 

T2W is a recruitment agency with more than 25 years of experience in the world of Human Resources, so we can help you. In this article we will show you the most common job interview mistakes and how to avoid them. 

1. Not being ready for the questions 

If you never had a job interview before or you haven’t had many, you must know there is a series of questions that interviewers always make. What kind of questions are we talking about exactly? Well, some of most the common questions in a job interview are the following: 

• What are your weaknesses? 
• Why should we hire you? 
• Why do you want to work with us? 
• What can you tell us about yourself? 

All these questions aim to assess a specific aspect of the candidate and is likely that you have been asked one of these before. Since these are widely used in job interviews, is better to prepare the answers in advance. The last thing you want is to go blind into an interview and let a formulaic question caught you off guard. 

2. Not asking questions 

We have just talked about the questions you will have to answer in the interview. Now let’s talk about the questions you should make. That’s right, not asking questions is another of the most common interview mistakes. 

You might be wondering: The candidate should be making questions? And the answer is: Yes, of course! A candidate who asks questions show interest in the position she or he is applying to, which always gives extra points. 

Besides, there are some details you must know about the position you might get into. These are some of the questions you can make: 

• Does the position requires working from home or from the company’s premises? 
• Are there possibilities for professional development within the organization? 
• What are the benefits the organization offers? 

Try not to ask all your questions at once. You also must avoid interrupting in order to ask them. You have to let the interviewer carry the interview and wait to the end to solve all your doubts. 

3. Not being prepared for a virtual interview 

Today, virtual job interviews are more frequent than physical ones. That give us some extra time and help us avoid common issues such as traffic and delays. However, this modality is not free of potential risks. 

In the current context, one of the worst interview mistakes is to go to the scheduled appointment without being familiar with the videoconference platform that will be used. Do not download the app 5 minutes before the interview begins! That will cause many problems. 

It is necessary to familiarize with the app at least a day in advance. Make rehearsal calls and get accustomed to the buttons position as well as the accessibility options. Also, check if the microphone, headphones and camera are working correctly. 

Lastly, select a place at home that is free of loud noises for the interview and with a strong Wi-Fi signal. You don’t want a low quality call for such an important meeting. That would be a terrible first impression. Remember that you should connect about 10 minutes before the interview. 

You might also like: How to you answer the question about your salary expectations

4. Not researching the company 

Imagine you are in the middle of the interview and everything is going well. Suddenly, the interviewer asks: “Tell me what you know about our company”. In that situation, if you haven’t previously researched the company you are applying to, your possibilities of getting the job might be affected. 

To avoid that, you need all the information you can get about the company as soon as you schedule the job interview. The best way to get it is through its website. First, learn the history of the organization, the years they have been in the field and its main achievements. 

Then, look up the “About Us” section and identify the vision, mission and company values. Lastly, go to the “Products” or “Services” section and get to know deeply the sphere in which the company works and all it offers. 

5. Speaking ill about your previous employer 

Finally, one of the biggest interview mistakes is to speak in a negative way about your previous employer. That just shows the interviewer the way in which you could talk about the company if the professional relationship doesn’t end the best way. 

Besides, the interviewer will be looking for a candidate that can work well with other people and is able to avoid or handle any kind of labor dispute. Yes, there might be some reason for you to feel that way about your previous employer, but it’s better if you do not express it. 

Is the subject of the previous employer comes up, just focus on the tasks you used to do in that company and speak about it with professionalism. Leave the emotions out of the interview. 

These are some of the most common mistakes to avoid in an interview. If you are about to have a job interview, make sure you are prepared. With preparation and planning ahead, you will have better results. 

At Talent2Win, we strive to align your company’s business objectives with the best Talent Acquisition strategies available. If you want to learn more about the services we offer, do not hesitate to contact us.