Top 5 Mistakes During the Job Interview

Arriving late to the job interview. This is the worst mistake of them all. First impressions really do matter and they are remembered for a very long time even when they are not accurate. If you show up late for your job interview you have made the one of the worst mistakes you can. No matter what your skills or how well you interview you may not be able to recover from this mistake. By showing up late to the interview you leave the employer to wonder if you are going to be showing up late for work. Always plan to show up at least 45 minutes early.

Offering stupid excuses for past behavior. We all make mistakes in our life. The sign of a true professional is someone that owns their mistakes. Excuses are a pretty big red flag to most potential employers. The reason being is that it indicates that a person is unwilling to take responsibility and do the work at hand. Here's an example of a horrible excuse; "I'm late for the interview because I got lost. Your directions weren't very good." Next!

Being inarticulate during the interview. If you don't know what that word means look it up. If you speak poorly from the tone of your voice to grammar or even use slang during the interview you are killing yourself. Another big killer is when people use a lot of fillers "like", "okay", "um" and "you know". You may be one of the smartest people on the planet but if that is how you speak you will not present yourself that way. Plus if you are verbally sloppy your writing is probably the same. These are things that are not attractive to employers.

Showing little enthusiasm or drive for the position. There have been way too many interviews where I felt I was inconveniencing the job seeker during the interview. By appearing to be just looking for any job and a paycheck or coming off as being indifferent will really hurt your chances of getting hired. This type of behavior is usually a good indicator that the applicant would need very close supervision to properly do their job because of lack of motivation and drive.

Having a sloppy appearance. The way you look reflects upon how people think of you. If you show up to an interview in an unkempt manner it will imply that will be the quality of your work. No matter what the position you are applying for you need to be clean and neat in your interview attire. When in doubt men should always go with a traditional suit in solid colors. Women should also go with a traditional suit or pants and a blouse in solid and conservative colors. If a suit would be overkill for the position you are applying for, pants and a button down shirt is appropriate. A general rule of thumb when deciding on attire for the interview is take whatever the appropriate dress for the position is on a daily basis and go a step higher.