The Most Common Interview Mistakes. How to Land Your Dream Job and Avoid Blunders?

Securing a job, whether it’s your first job ever or a new opportunity that opens up more possibilities for professional growth, is one of the biggest challenges we all face. Finding a worthy position, crafting a well-written resume, and ultimately acing the interview require time, perseverance, and significant effort. Each of these stages is challenging, but without a doubt, the interview with a potential employer is the most stressful, and therefore, it requires special preparation.

It is important to remember that the larger the company and the more senior the position you are applying for, the more interviews you may have to go through (with recruiters, department heads, company executives, etc.). However, this is one case where more is better because it all adds up to invaluable experience.
Let’s explore together the common mistakes that candidates make during job interviews and how to avoid these “missteps.”

The most glaring mistakes during offline job interviews include:

• Being late, which shows a lack of respect, or arriving too early and coming across as intrusive.
• Not knowing anything about the company, its history, achievements, and priorities, which demonstrates genuine disinterest.
• Being excessively shy, giving the impression of weakness, or behaving overly confident, giving the impression of arrogance.
• Speaking disrespectfully about previous employers and colleagues, creating the perception of being socially inappropriate or controversial.
• Being too open about personal flaws or, conversely, excessively praising one’s strengths, displaying a lack of objectivity.
• Focusing solely on salary and bonuses, presenting oneself as greedy.
• Dressing inappropriately, projecting an untidy image.

By avoiding these mistakes, you can significantly improve your chances of success during an offline job interview.

The most severe blunders during online job interviews are:
Periodically muting the sound or camera – signifies being distracted by something else.
Having a cluttered background – indicating untidiness.
Allowing pets or family members to occasionally appear “on-screen” – disrupting the formality of the interview.
Consuming food or chewing gum during the conversation – displaying a lack of respect towards the interviewer.
Forgetting to account for time zones – showing up for the interview at an inappropriate time.

As you can see, there can be numerous pitfalls. So how can you avoid them?!
Here are our top tips:

• Prepare thoroughly for the interview. You don’t need to memorize your “signature” phrases or questions, but you should understand what you will be talking about and how. It’s advisable to rehearse with a friend or practice in front of a mirror.
• Make sure to arrive on time, dressed neatly, and with a positive attitude.
• Speak clearly and confidently during the conversation. Be truthful and avoid downplaying or exaggerating your knowledge and skills.
• Demonstrate professional competence and show interest in the company during your answers.
• Maintain eye contact with the interviewer, be friendly and polite.
• Share genuinely about your hobbies, but don’t overshare about your personal life as it is private.

At the end of the interview, express gratitude for the time given and discuss the next steps.
And remember: 55% of information about you is conveyed through nonverbal signals (gaze, facial expressions, gestures, posture, etc.), 38% from intonation (rhythm, pace, melody), and only 7% directly from your words.

Take heed of our advice and land the job of your dreams!