Common Mistakes

How To Correct Them

Your Action Plan

Lying

There is no exception for this, you lie, you get caught, you loose the job

Lack of eye contact

If you find making eye contact difficult then pick a point on the interviewer's forehead or chose their nose to focus on

Late for the interview

Says you will always be late.

Unkempt

It is believed this will be when you look your very best. Be clean and pressed.

Body and / or mouth odor

Soap, water, deodorant and toothpaste are very inexpensive. No matter what the weather is nor the time of day, there is no acceptable excuse.

Evasive answers

If you have something that makes you uncomfortable, come right out and say it

Has no strengths nor weakness

We all have them, what are your best traits. What do you do poorly?

Only concerned with money

You will leave as soon as you find something with more money.

Limp, fishy handshake

There is nothing that will turn a person off more than dead fish handshake. Web to Web.

You feel that the resume, someone else wrote for you, is a better representation of you than what you can make

No resume will ever take the place of what you say. You show a lack of confidence in your abilities when you push your resume over answering questions directly. It devalues everything you say and debunks your resume

Bad mouthing your past boss, professors, instructors, teachers

It says you will bad mouth them when you leave there

Not taking responsibility for your own mistakes.

Own up to your strengths and weaknesses

Has no references or doesn’t want you to do references with last supervisors.

One way to make sure they will do them is to forget their names or ask that they not be done.

Family and friends accompanying you to the interview.

This is one of life’s independent things. If you must have someone drive you there. Have them stay in the car; do not allow them to wander around the company's property.

Taking credit for something you did not do

The royal ‘we’ do not count. There must be a happy medium or "I" and "we".

Smelling of smoke

In today’s business world it is seen as inappropriate to come to an interview smelling of stale smoke

Spelling mistakes on your resume

This is the age of computers with spelling and grammar checkers. Use it and a dictionary.

Not sure why you are there or for what position you are applying

Hello is there anyone in there. How can you not be sure. Write it down if you thing you may forget.

Not going wherever and whenever the employer or agency requests it.

You are the one looking for the job; you are the one that needs to make the adjustment in your schedule.

Inappropriate language or jokes

This is an interview, not a bar. Leave the 4-letter words home.

Using words or terms that you cannot pronounce or know there meaning

Make sure you know and can pronounce every word used and know all the terms.

Unable to make up your mind

Even such things as which chair to sit in tells a great deal about you.

Has no questions

Every interview leaves things untold to see how you will approach the gaps

Will not stop talking about yourself

Answer questions with short concise answers that match what the question asked was, no rambling

Stand before shaking hands

It is not up to the interviewer to pull you out of the chair.

When the interviewer asks if you have questions, the interview is almost over

Ask a couple of well-worded questions about things not the company’s history or growth. Not about money, benefits hours or vacation. Ask what the next steps in the hiring process are and the schedule for the decision, then stand and offer our hand.

Cannot be heard, mumbles or your hand covers your mouth when speaking.

Sit up straight, you will have more lung capacity, make sure you can be heard.

Fidgets in the chair and/ or plays with things on the desk.

If the chair has arms let you hands rest on them. Do not touch their stuff.

Has done no research on the company

Ask your consultant for what the company does, look it up on the web, go to HRDC or the library.

Lack of respect for company property

Wipe your feet, do not take more than one chair,

Not prepared for the interview

Make sure you bring a pen and a pencil and don’t steal their pen.

Too much perfume or cologne

Many people have allergies to perfumes, a little goes a long ways and even better is just the nice clean smell of soap and water.