Don’t...

Express negativity about old employers. You may have some relatively fresh wounds from your old workplace. Perhaps you didn’t leave on the best of terms; perhaps you are completely glad to get shot of your old boss, who frankly, you didn’t get along with. But this kind of thing is better left in the past- it certainly won’t impress an interviewer. There may be a question asked about why you left your last job, but don’t fall into the trap of vocalising negative opinions of old colleagues, see my blog on interview answers for advice on how best to answer this question.

Use a lot of pause words, slang or swear words. An interview where you stumble along with a lot of ‘ums’, ‘errs’ and colloquialisms, just won’t be one that goes well. To avoid stumbling and pausing over your answers, it is best to do a lot of preparation. The more you practice and prepare, the less you will be caught off guard by the questions in the interview. At all costs avoid any kind of swearing, and slang phrases. Make sure you are coherent, clear and professional when communicating with your potential new employer.

Be Cocky. Ok so an interview is your chance to sell yourself to an interviewer, but there is a big difference between asserting confidence and coming across as cocky and arrogant. Reel in the self assuredness to ensure that the interviewer doesn’t mistake confidence for arrogance, as this will put them off quicker than you can say, ‘I’m exactly what you’re looking for, me.’

Give the bare minimum. When it comes to answering questions at an interview, you should never just give the bare minimum. Always elaborate on your answers, give examples of your skills, show times when you have excelled, and really back up your suitability for the role with the right examples. Be careful not to do the opposite and talk too much, just watch for the interviewer’s cues as to whether you have answered the question enough.

Fidget and slouch. What would your grandma say- sit up with your back straight! No interviewer wants to see you sprawled across their office chair whilst conducting an interview. Equally it can be very distracting seeing the interviewee constantly fidgeting, fiddling with clothes or hair, fanning themselves with their CV or any other nervous habit you may have the urge to indulge in. Try and control your nerves and keep fidgeting to a minimum.

Flirt; chew gum; or clock watch. In an interview all eyes are on you so whenever you do something, however slight- they will notice. So fight the urge to look at your watch, this will just tell the interviewer that you are bored and therefore not that interested in the position. Don’t chew gum during the interview because this will inhibit your ability to talk coherently and is also pretty rude. And under no circumstances should you flirt with or try and charm your interviewer. This, worryingly, does occur in interview scenarios, but it is absolutely, 100%, a bad idea.

Bring up salary before it is broached by the employer. You should try and avoid bringing up the topic of salary as this may serve to overemphasise your valuation of salary over the actual job role. And whilst this might be true, you want to assure the employer that you are there because you like the sound of the job, not because of the size of the pay packet attached.  Employers will most likely bring up salary at interview and then this is something that can be discussed, but try and avoid mentioning it before the interviewer has had a chance. If by the end of the interview salary has not been mentioned, it would not hurt to then ask, but ensure this is approached in the correct way.

So try and avoid these nasty interview habits to get the best out of your interview situation. Happy Job Hunting, and if you find yourself at a loose end over the bank holiday, why not check out my earlier blog posts. There’s lots of good stuff on here, don’t you know!!