In the hiring process, being invited for a face to face interaction is not something easily achieved. Becoming one of the “shortlisted candidates” is a major victory one doesn’t want to mess with the opportunity. What next happens in the interview will either see one celebrating OR looking back to what went wrong (if anything did go wrong).
Here are 5 basic face to face interview mistakes to avoid:
- NOT BEING PUNCTUAL: Being late for an interview doesn’t just show up one’s professional attitude but it also puts up a question mark on one’s planning and reliability. Try to reach the interview venue 5-10 minutes prior to the appointment given.
If by any unavoidable situation, one happens to be late, call the contact person informing about the delay. Apologize for not being on time for the interview.
2. NOT FOLLOWING FORMAL DRESS-CODE:
Don’t show up to an interview looking informal or casual. One may browse through the company website to understand the culture and work environment and then choose to dress appropriately for the interview. In any case, business casuals are the best choice to go with for an interview.
3.NOT BEING PREPARED:
One should be aware of the job role and job responsibility and what one can bring to the job. One can learn this through the job advertisement, the job description or the Linkedin profile of the people/interviewer working for the same company.
Apart from being prepared for the job, thorough research about the different aspects and angles of the company is a must.
4.NOT BEING FAMILIAR WITH YOUR CV/RESUME: One must know what is written in your resume. One must be able to answer all questions around the information given in the resume.
5. HAVE NOT SWITCHED OFF CELL PHONE: Even if one is just checking the time on the cell phone, it may appear to be rude and unprofessional. Avoid using a cell phone in any way at the interview.
