The 3 interview blunders you want to avoid

Applying for jobs is time consuming. When there are often so many applicants for a position, it can sometimes feel like you’re fighting to be seen and heard.  

But then you get invited to an interview, and it all becomes worth it. However, just because you’ve been offered an interview doesn’t mean the hard work is over. If anything, it’s only just beginning.

Interviews are all about selling yourself. The company liked your application, but that’s only your professional highlights written down on paper. Now you have the chance to bring these and yourself to life and really wow the interview panel. In this article we’ve pulled together guidance on what not to do in an interview.

Don’t be late

This may seem like an obvious point, but it still bears repeating: make sure you arrive on time! You should aim to arrive early, at least five to ten minutes ahead of the interview time. This will show you have good time management and are enthusiastic. By arriving late the impression you’re giving to the interviewer is that you’re unreliable, unprepared and have time management issues. All things that are going to count against you once they’re making their decision!

Don’t be unprepared

Lots of people think you should approach interviews in the same way as exams, by simply remembering as much as possible. But this won’t help you remember key information about the company and role. Putting pressure on yourself to remember pages and pages of information can make you feel overwhelmed and subsequently prevent your brain from pulling out the most important elements.

The best way to prepare is to make brief notes about the company, role, and your previous experience. Most interviewers will ask you for specific examples and achievements from your career, so it’s a good idea to prepare some of these in advance.

In an interview it can be difficult, particularly when under pressure, to remember everything you’ve prepared. If you have some notes written down, you needn’t remember. Plus knowing you don’t need to remember everything should help you relax and make the whole interview less scary!

“Lots of people still see interviews as a task, challenge or hurdle, but this is no longer the case. Interviews are conversations about relationships, and are about discovering whether a person will be a good fit for not just a job, but a company too. Preparation is key and will hugely work in a candidate’s favour, but it’s just as important for someone to remember to be themselves and talk about their passions and who they are as a person”, says Jade Wood, Senior Divisional Manager, Call & Contact Centre.

Be careful what you say about previous employers

The people who are interviewing you will almost definitely ask why you want to leave your current role. This is where you have to be careful in your answer: tell the truth, but make sure you don’t start airing all of your grievances. Make sure to keep it professional, tell the interviewers the reasons you want to leave and leave it at that. Remember, a job interview isn’t a therapy session! If you’re too enthusiastic in your criticism of your current employer, the interviewer may wonder what you might say about their company should you ever leave it. It could also present a negative attitude that is focused on problems and issues rather than finding solutions and working with others to drive positive change.

More useful job interviews dos and don’ts

For much more information about job interviews, dos and don’ts, and other useful tips to help you secure your dream job, access our free 2023 Career goals toolkit now.