Common Interview Mistakes – How to Avoid Them

In a successful job interview, your technical skills, goals, and experience will be at the forefront of the conversation and create positive interactions that your recruiter will remember.

Of course, there are a few pitfalls you need to be aware of. We’ll share with you some pointers regarding potential mistakes that many interviewees make. These pointers are used by Kris Rides, who is CEO and co-founder of a well-known recruitment company, Tiro Security. [NOTE: I saw this person quoted in another article on Copyscape – you may want to take out mention of him specifically if you did not speak with him directly.]

Being unpleasant to the front desk – or any – staff

Don’t be rude toward the receptionist, don’t focus only on the staff recruiters, and try to make a good impression on all members of the company. And why not start with the front desk? You should be polite while you are having a face to face conversation or a phone conversation; you never know if your future manager could ask these people their opinion of you and how you treated them in your interactions.

Some questions are better than others

Once your recruiter asks you “Any questions?”, Make sure you’re focusing on questions that will leave a favorable impression and show you’re interested in the right things. Even if you really want to clarify some things, be patient and smart.  According to an article published by Forbes, questions about vacation time, PTO, remote work, or perks are off limits at this point in the interview process. Ask the classic questions, regarding the company, the team and so on. This will show that you are really interested to know more about them, and not just how the job benefits you.

Always research the company before going to an Interview, collect as much information as you can, and show the recruiter that you’ve done your homework.

Don’t Guess – How to answer when you don’t have the answer

If your interviewer asks you a question and you don’t have the answer, that can become obvious very quickly, and you risk getting called out by the interviewer. Your recruiter may ask you some questions that might stump you. If you don’t know the answer, make sure you don’t simply guess.

Kris Rides recommends being honest while answering because there is nothing wrong with not being an expert on some points, especially early in your career. The best thing you can do is explain that you are unsure of the answer, and then talk about how you’d find the answer. Prove that you’re resourceful and know how to find information when you haven’t encountered a scenario before. Interviewers will appreciate that you want to learn how to do something, rather than faking it and possibly making mistakes.

Focus on being quick to learn, and your dedication to picking up new skills.

Mishandling salary discussions

Salary discussions can be uncomfortable, and you need to ensure you’re timing them correctly in the process. Once you’ve reached the level of salary negotiation, you have the option of presenting a higher salary to help you with negotiations. However, some companies check these facts and it can be easy to get caught being misleading. Your best bet is to stay honest about your salary expectations and go from there. According to Forbes, you should focus on the salary you’re hoping to obtain and try not to discuss past salaries at length.

Inappropriate Contact

Handshakes should be firm, without being overly aggressive. Don’t hug if the interviewer is not giving you signs that they’d like a hug after an interview. Also, be careful of body language that might indicate you’d like a high-five or other casual gesture. In most cases a handshake is typical. Try to build a professional relationship and practice boundaries: a handshake will be more than enough but take care not to crush their fingers!