For those of us, who have experienced being ‘in-between’ jobs, we understand the importance of ensuring we have optimised our CVs and taken steps to create a professional online brand. But does any of this really matter if we cannot make a great impression during an interview?
There are so many ways that you can ruin your chances without realising it, that we have put together a short list of the pitfalls to be aware of during the interviewing process. Some may seem obvious, but feedback from recent interviews show these are the top contenders for what lets an applicant down:
1. Underestimating the importance of a telephone interview: If you’re one of the lucky few that manages to impress the hiring manager with your CV, then more often than not you will be invited to take part in an initial telephone interview.
However, do not underestimate how important a telephone interview is. For the employer, this is their chance to whittle down their list of potential applicants to a more manageable number, who will then be invited in for a face-to-face interview. Failing to take the call or treating it as an opportunity to present yourself in the best light, could seriously jeopardise your chances. And in all likely event you may not be given a chance to reschedule.
Once you have got the interviewer on the phone, make sure that you treat it just as seriously as you would do a face-to-face interview. Try to:
- find a quiet place
- make sure that you have enough reception if using a mobile
- that you have allotted enough time for the interview without distractions
- be prepared to answer in depth questions about your career and skills.
2. Treat each opportunity as though it is your only one: This may sound very obvious, but we have often received feedback from interviewers that the applicant did little research on the company, or did not fully prepare for the interview. And in some cases, has even indicated that they may be getting other offers.
Whilst it is paramount to be honest within an interview, it is essential that you do not alienate your prospective employer. After all, they have taken time to review your CV and arrange free time in their busy schedules to allow you the opportunity of presenting yourself.
In all instances you should treat every interview as though it is your ‘one and only’ chance of proving you are the right person for the job. Be honest, yes, but don’t ruin your one opportunity by talking about other roles you are interested in, that you haven’t even got yet.
3. It’s okay to hold something back: Okay, so we might not have all been in the situation of struggling to find a job, but common sense should tell us that it is important to remain professional, even if this is your one shot at landing a role.
Some candidates feel it necessary to share their hard-luck stories with potential employers, but unfortunately whilst these stories are very sad, they are not going to land you that dream job. No one wants to take on the person that comes across as negative and needy, regardless of the skills they could bring to the role.
4. Always be positive about past roles: We probably have all experienced issues in the workplace at some stage in our careers. But what surprises us more, is how applicants will quite openly be negative about a previous employer in an interview.
It is very easy to blame a previous manager for issues you experienced, but venting these issues should really only take place with a friend or family member. Any person who speaks negatively about a former manager or employer is never seen in a positive light, and in our experience it has never led to a job offer.
5. Being too confident: Confidence is important when seeking a new job, but over confidence is much less appealing. It is amazing how over-confidence in your own abilities, can be misinterpreted and end up making the job sound as though it is beneath you. The key to a good interview is not sounding like a ‘jobseeker’, but someone who has identified a particular company as a strategic move to achieve long term aspirations.
We hope you find this a useful guide and ‘happy interviewing’.
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