5 Crucial Interview Mistakes to Avoid!

Job interviews can be more nerve-wracking than waiting on the results of an STD test. You want to impress the potential employer and you don't want to ruin your opportunity, so you try your best to make a connection with the interviewer. But as the pressure mounts, you get nervous and the likelihood of you making a mistake soars. Everyone has made mistakes during interviews and I think it's crucial to not only learn from your own mistakes, but avoid the mistakes that I have made.

Getting Too Personal

You definitely want to connect with the interviewer, but getting too personal may reveal too much information about yourself. This may be used as an excuse not to hire you. Don't mistake kindness from an interviewer as permission to treat him or her as an old college buddy.

Too Much Information

Years ago, I revealed that I had a Youtube channel on a job interview. Doing such a thing met that the interviewer could have viewed my political content and became biased against me because of my political views. Never reveal your political or religion views on a job interview. For example, you may clue the interviewer in to the fact that you are a single mother and this may lead some interviewers to believe that you don't have enough time for the job. You may reveal that you are a Mormon to an interviewer who is a Baptist. The Baptist may have a bias against Mormons. This kind of discrimination maybe illegal, but proving it may prove to be difficult.

Bring Unprepared

Never show up for a job interview without having enough information. I once applied for a job at the State of Michigan and didn't know what the job entailed. After waiting 6 months for the State to call me back, I had forgotten what the job position was about.

Lying

Misleading the interviewer in the first interview can come back to haunt you, especially if there's a second interview. If the interview continues beyond the one hour mark, you may have a difficult time remembering your lies. So be as honest as you want the interviewer to be with you.

Not Asking Questions

When candidates ask questions, it shows that they have been listening to the interviewer and are interested in the job. Not asking questions not only shows a lack of interest, but makes the interviewer wonder if you are knowledgeable enough for the job. I made this mistake when applying for a store manager position.

As you can tell, I've made my fair share of mistakes on interviews, but I have learned from every one. Remember, you will land the job by being yourself and convincing the employer that you are what the organization needs.