Finally, job interview has arrived and of course you don’t want to loose this opportunity. However it is very common to make mistakes either because of anxiety or because of the lack of preparation. Here you will know all the main mistakes made during a job interview, so you can avoid them and be successful in your next job interview!
Job interview: 5 Mistakes to avoid
1. Arrive unprepared
What is the main topic of the interview? It is you! So it is essential that before coming to the job interview, you have a good knowledge of your entire study and work life. Above all, that you know how to tell it in a way to value yourself.
It is very common for the candidate not to be able to tell his experiences or even to tell them in a very superficial way. This prevents the recruiter from understanding your skills and experiences, which will make you look less experienced than you actually are and that’s not what we want! So should you do?
- Review all your study path trying to find your strengths and improvements for each experience. It is important to try to make connections both with the company and with the position you are applying for, in order to be prepared also for the question “why should I hire you?”.
- Work experiences are heavily explored by recruiters because those are important for understanding your skills and abilities. The more you will be able to anchor your work experiences to your skills, the more attractive you will appear.
- Your passions are more than ever important topics to be addressed at a job interview, because it is your passions that will you make yourself different from the other candidates. Today companies hire people and not resumes! So, try to identify them and understand what they add to your life.
- Self-presentation is always required through different questions during a job interview such as: tell me about yourself, tell me about your resume, describe your main work experiences. To answer these questions effectively it is advisable that you prepare a text by putting together your study path and your work experiences, always reporting your learning. Don’t forget that all of that will have to be done in a very coherent and engaging way. Your goal is to make it clear that you are the right candidate without saying it directly.
2. Not knowing the company
Not knowing the company you are applying for is a mortal sin and that can determine the failure of a job interview. Companies are looking for a partner who knows them, admires them and if possible who is in love with them.
I know it may seem too much but that’s how companies and especially multinationals think. So you can show your “love” with your interest. Here is everything you should know about the future company before going to the interview:
• History and corporate structure
• Main products and / or services
• Main competitors
• Company site
3. Not knowing the job offer
Another mistake commonly made in the job interviews is to get there without having very clear the profile that the company is looking for. Sometimes we want so much an occupation that we do not keep this aspect in mind, but the more your candidacies are targeted, the more chances you have of finding a job.
When you submit an application that is not consistent, in most cases it is a waste of time both for you and for the company. This is one of the reasons why many people do not even get called for a job interview: because the curriculum is inconsistent. Some questions to ask yourself:
- Is this job position right for me?
- Do I have all the requirements? How can I prove I have them?
- What is my added value for this position? How can I sell myself in the best way?
- What are my weaknesses for this job offer? How can I show my best?
- Is there any missing information on the job offer? How can I recover them?
4. Talk too much and nothing
Oh my God! I don’t think there is one thing that makes a recruiter more mad than being in front of a person who talks too much and confusedly. Remember that the job interviewer is a person and the subjective part has its weight! If you talk a lot, you will risk both boring the recruiter and taking the speech you are setting out of the way.
The opposite would also be a serious problem, because it is impossible to evaluate a person who does not speak, so in doing so, you will be throwing away an excellent opportunity to tell who you are.
In other words, it would be advisable to follow the flow of the recruiter by answering the questions in a very concrete, specific and rich way. Also pay attention to the body language of the recruiter because it can provide lots of ideas on how the job interview is going!
- Don’t have a question at the end of the interview
Often at the end of the job interview the recruiter leaves room for you and your questions. This is a very important moment to show your interest in the company and also to know more about it. Here are the topics that you can ask about:
- Job position – if something is not clear to you and you lack some information about your future activities and / or tasks this is the right time to ask.
- Company – if you have a curiosity about the company which you haven’t found on their website, you can ask a question about it.
- Work environment – it’s another important information and perhaps even a decisive one. It is always good to remember that the job interview is a double-way assessment.
- The next steps of the selection process – You can also ask how the selection process is structured, if in case of a positive outcome, there will be other interviews, for example.
The job interview is your first contact with the company and this meeting can be decisive for your hiring. So it’s your job to get the best out of it, but the results are not in your hands, because there are so many things involved in hiring a person. The recruiter takes into account many variables to make a decision (and this decision is always joint with other partners). However, don’t panic! Remember that the interview is just an interview😉
If you want to receive a special attention and be accompanied in this preparation, we offer this service. In total there will be two meetings in which:
- We will analyse your work and study history together to understand your strengths and weaknesses.
- We will define the best way to bring out your talents.
- We will prepare you to answer difficult questions regarding your possible gaps.
- You will learn how to make a winning presentation.
- We will do an interview simulation and give you feedback.
BONUS: if you say you read this blog post, you will receive a technique to manage the anxiety at the interview.
So, don’t hesitate to write us and make an ad hoc path for you!
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