When you’re attending a job interview, every chance you have to make a good impression counts. Experienced interviewers have some horror stories of interviews to tell, and you don’t want to be one of the characters! These simple tips will help you avoid making the embarrassing gaffes that will cost you the job.
1. Don’t be negative.
This is one of the top mistakes employees make. When an interviewer asks you about previous employers, they don’t necessarily want an honest evaluation of the many flaws in the management of the last company you worked for. Instead, they want to see that you are positive and avoid blaming them, harshly criticizing them, and otherwise displaying negative attitudes. After all, your interviewer thinks that some day you might be saying those things about them. Impress them with your maturity and tact, without lying.
2. Don’t make too many jokes.
It’s okay to use a little humor and lighten up a tense situation, since often interviewers are just as nervous as you are. Be judicious in your use of humor, however. Making too many jokes that fall flat will embarrass you and the interviewer, and might make you seem unprofessional. On that note, be careful what type of jokes you tell, too, as your sense of humor is an accurate indicator of your personality. If you tell immature jokes, employers will attribute that immaturity to you and be a little more wary of hiring you.
3. Don’t talk about your private life.
Your children, spouse, partner, in-laws, or lack thereof are not appropriate topics to bring up in an interview. Most employers like to see that you have a clear boundary between your work and personal life. After all, the employee who chats about their kids is likely to be the one who brings them to work without warning, and disrupts the rest of the office with their loud and repeated stories about the latest cute thing they did.
4. Don’t be dishonest.
If you have the opportunity to lie, don’t take it. Not only do most truths tend to come out eventually — and usually at the most inconvenient times for those who lied! — but they will make you feel a lot better about yourself than falsehoods constructed to get the job. Bragging, exaggerating and creatively overstating are generally only acceptable in a very few work environments. For the most part, employers prefer to hire employees who are honest, realistic, and sincere. Don’t risk the embarrassment and bad image of being fired when they discover you don’t actually have the qualifications they’re looking for.
5. Don’t forget to pay attention to body language.
Your interviewer’s body language will signal important things if you pay attention to it! Your interviewer will sometimes subtly let you know how you’re doing through body language, and will almost always give the cues when they expect you to leave. If you linger, it makes you look unperceptive and desperate for the job.
By following these simple tips, you can help your interviewer form a good impression of you, and hopefully make the decision to hire you!