Top 10 things you should NEVER do at an interview
Interviews are a part of life. Whether you like it or not, if you want a better job or even a pitch for a contract, an interview is a given. It’s the horror we face every single time. And even worse for those of us who have our own business and need to meet new clients on a regular basis, it can become an interview every single time.
Success is not always about your clothes, resume or level of knowledge about the company. There’s a lot more that goes on at an interview. You’ve heard about all the do’s but what are the donts’?
So here are ten tips that you can use in your next interview and ensure that you do your bit to make it smooth for yourself as well as the interviewer. You may already know some of these, but it never hurts to go through them again.
1. Never fidget with your clothes, hair or accessories. People notice it much faster than you think. You don’t want your interviewer to think that nervousness is your middle name.
2. Never stare at your interviewer in an attempt to make eye contact. They might just think that you are a lunatic.
3. Never lie. It will come through and show you in very bad light. Although you needn’t specify all of your shortcomings in detail, a blatant lie will get you nowhere.
4. Never address your interviewer as ‘Mrs’ if you are not sure about her marital status although many women dislike Ms just as much. Try and avoid it.
5. Try not to giggle inanely if a funny comment is made although it’s usually good to make the interviewer laugh… depends on whether they have a sense of humour or not! Remember not everyone has your sense of humour either!
6. Take care when accepting offers of tea, coffee or any other beverage. Don’t dribble and time the sips so you’re not slurping when an answer is expected from you.
7. Don’t leave your manners behind. If you haven’t understood a question, don’t say, ’huh?’ Say ’pardon’ or ’sorrys instead. If you are in the habit of responding with a ‘huh’, you will have to practise responding the right way. I know it might be obvious to you but having been at the receiving ends of ‘huh’ and ‘wot’ once too often, it’s not impressive.
8. Never walk into a room without knocking, even if you have been called inside.
9. Never interrupt. Most interviewers list this as the number one turn off. They are on the other side of the table for a reason, so let them finish first.
10. Don’t tell jokes, discuss politics or religion- a story found online narrated an interview blunder where while waiting for the interviewer’s manager to join the interview, the candidate started telling several female blond jokes to the interviewer. When the blond female manager finally joined the interview room, the candidate was escorted to the door and told that he was not considered a good fit for the role.
