Avoid the Top 10 Job Interview Mistakes
All that hard work sending out résumés has finally paid off
and you’ve been called in for a face-to-face job interview. Congratulations!
This is an important next step in your job search. It’s also your only chance to
make a lasting first impression.
On the day of your interview, sweating palms and stomach butterflies are to be
expected. But you can reduce your stress level by knowing some common mistakes
that interviewees make when meeting with potential employers -- and avoiding
them.
Here are 10 of the most common mistakes people make on job interviews:
Not taking the interview seriously. Don’t
make the mistake of thinking the interview is just a formality. Even if all the
preliminaries have gone well, don’t be cavalier and start imagining how you’ll
start spending your new salary. The biggest error you can make is to assume
that, because you’ve gotten this far, the job is in the bag.
Dressing down. How you present yourself
during your initial meeting with a potential employer is very important, and
your physical appearance can speak volumes to someone who is meeting you for the
first time. Even if you know that the firm allows employees to wear jeans, don’t
sabotage yourself by showing up to the interview in casual clothing. Err on the
side of conservative and show up in neat, professional clothing, preferably a
business suit.
Not showing why you’re the best choice. Be
familiar with the job description of the position you’re interviewing for so you
can illustrate how your experience, abilities, and strengths are in line with
the company’s needs. Many potential employers want to know why they should hire
you specifically. Make it clear to them.
Being too modest. Failing to talk yourself up during an interview is one of the
most self-defeating mistakes you can make. This is not the time for humility, so
sing your praises! Don’t be afraid to talk up everything you’ve accomplished,
whether in school or in previous companies. This is your time to shine.
Talking too much. Be careful not to talk
over the interviewer. This meeting should be a two-way conversation, and many
interviewees cover up their nervousness by blathering on. Sit calmly and listen
carefully, answering questions thoughtfully.
Focusing on the funds. Don’t start talking
about money too soon into the interview. Focusing on your salary requirements
and previous salary history right off the bat may cause you to reveal too much.
While the topic of salary will certainly come up, follow the interviewer’s lead.
He or she may be saving that topic for a later conversation.
Trash talking. Even if you hated your former
boss or felt you were treated unfairly by your previous employer, a job
interview is not the place to launch into a litany of complaints. Don’t go
there. If you were laid off or fired from a previous position, be prepared with
an explanation that puts a positive spin on the circumstances.
Failing to ask questions. Your résumé may be impressive on paper, but employers
also appreciate a candidate who can ask several intelligent questions during an
interview. Prepare at least 3 or 4 questions in advance to ask the interviewer.
Interviews are an exchange of information, and not having questions to ask can
reveal a lack of preparation.
Lack of enthusiasm. This is your first and
sometimes only chance to showcase your personality. Don’t walk in announcing how
you’re having a bad day. Be polite and upbeat. Show your enthusiasm for both the
job and the opportunity to interview for it. And don’t forget to thank the
person at the end of the interview!
Forgetting the follow-up. Make sure to send
a handwritten thank-you note or polite email to the interviewer expressing
gratitude for his or her time and consideration. And while you don’t want to
start calling the company on a daily basis, a phone call checking in a week
after the interview is perfectly acceptable.
There are certain things that should be avoided by the job hunters.
1. Backdoor opening - An unacknowledged way of gaining access to a job. There are two types in this scenario.
In the first case the concerned Person is the employee of a MNC. In the second case the person impersonate as the employee of a MNC.
First they collect the email address and then approach you with a lucrative offer. They first start by saying that they will forward the resume for which they charge certain amount. They operate in small faction, which involves HR and some members of the technical panel. They collect the second installment of the payment after they arrange for the interview and the final payment after you get the offer letter.
The impact of such backdoor opening is that well deserved, qualified candidates will loose their opportunity. The private sector in India will turn out to be yet another Government institution corrupted from top to bottom. This will indirectly lead to many catastrophic effects. India is very fortunate to have nearly 550 million youth out of a billion people. It is the youth of the Nation that can bring about untold changes. The least we can do is to put in a lot of sincere effort contributing our mite to the great nation's planned efforts to become a developed nation.
The indispensable thing that we can do is to inform about the incident. If you get any offers like this you can personally mail to Ezhilnambi@yahoo.com to avoid such malpractices or forward the mail the group so that innumerable people will come to know about this kind of malpractices. The basic requisite is that we should not encourage such unethical act even though some cases may be true.
‘Try not to become a man of success but rather to become a man of value.’
2. There are lots of advertisements in Newspaper from institutes which boast 100% placement and that their students are placed in leading MNCs. Many of these institutions are not genuine. They charge a large sum for such courses and at the end they say you didn’t do the exam well. They even don’t have proper infrastructure and qualified faculty for handling such courses. If any one of the NESTian has come across such fake institutions they can send the details to Ezhilnambi@yahoo.com or group, so that in future there will not be any such incidents. Still if you feel that it is essential that you have to join such courses, then you can approach any of the NEST members with your queries. The appropriate step that you should take is to inquire about the institution from the students who studied/studying there. The feedback from them will lead you to the correct decision.
3. In recent times a new type of venture is booming a lot. The company offers you a job after three months with salary around Rs.7000. But first for that you have to pay an initial amount of Rs.10000 and you will be kept in a queue. After three months it turns out to be a false offer. Of late there have been a lot of queries about such offers from many NESTians. Do not encourage such disreputable persons. Never offer money for landing in a good job. Patient and sincere effort will take you to greater position.
Please don’t encourage such kind of malpractices. A good guidance and sincere hard work will help you to get a good job soon. Patient and sincere effort will take you to greater position.