Common Interview mistakes

 

We all know how daunting job search  can be whether you are a graduate starting out your career, looking for a career change, or the pandemic has put you back in the job market. According to the 2019 recruitment benchmark report by Jobvite about 250 people apply for a single position and of those, only 5 of them will be called for a face to face interview. Therefore, it can be really frustrating when you get a chance for a face-to-face interview only to be unsuccessful and you know you could have done better.

There are few mistakes you can make at an interview that can cost you the job of your dreams. We will explore some of them here and how to avoid them.

 

Applying for jobs you are not passionate about

It is clear that not everyone can work in a role that they absolutely love all of the time, especially if you are just starting your career. However, applying for a role and attending an interview for a job that you absolutely have no passion for is asking for trouble. The lack of passion will come through at the interview, in your answers and in your posture. So ensure that you at least like the job you are applying for.

Not putting enough time, energy, and effort into your preparation.

You can almost guarantee that one of the interview questions will be ‘Tell us why you want to work at this organisation?’. Before the interview read the person specification and the job description carefully. Read between the lines and identify the organisation’s pain points, their values (do they match yours?), the services they offer, their challenges, and their competitors. Even before you get to the interview stage, you can determine if this is really an organisation you want to work with and why. Use this intel to craft your pitch on how your strengths, skills and experience can help them achieve their goals.

 

“Thorough preparation makes its own luck”

Joe Poyer, Author and Novelist

 

Unawareness of body language during interviews

According to a survey carried out by StandOut-CV where over 2700 employers were surveyed, 41% of them said negative body language is off-putting. As you know, your body language speaks volumes about your attitude and this is easily picked up by the interviewers. Sitting up straight shows that you are interested in the conversation and the people you are speaking with.

Your energy level is another aspect to pay attention to. Granted, some people are more laid back than others and that is just their personality, but showing more energy increases people’s interest in you. This is not about misrepresenting yourself but about putting your best foot forward. Maintaining good eye contact is another important point to remember.

A tip for growing in awareness of your body language and posture is to practice in front of the mirror. Alright, this might be a little awkward at first but persevere. Alternatively, practice with someone that you are comfortable with and ask for their feedback.

Inadequate examples

Just stating that you can do a job is not evidence that you could, you need to prepare some examples to demonstrate you can. Use the person specification to structure your examples, they have told you what they want, now use examples to show that you are it. Writing out bullet points and key words and then practising answering questions with your examples will ensure seamless presentation in the actual event.

Bonus Tip: The easiest way to gather these examples is to write them down during your everyday practice, way before you need to apply for a job. Have you received a thank you note from a patient/relative/other HCP? Keep a note of it. Gone the extra mile for someone or helped them solve a problem? Write it down. Have you just completed a project? What skills did you use, what was your contribution and what was the result? Write these things down so that when it is time for an interview, you can easily pull these information together.

A short pencil is better than a long memory.

Talking too much or not enough

You do not want to ramble as this shows a lack of preparation and you do not want your answers to be too short either. Interview answers should be 1 to 2 minutes long according to Jennifer Scupi, an interview coach. This allows you to give adequate details in your answers. Aim for at least 30 seconds. This does not seem a long time but in an interview, especially if you have not practised, it can seem like eternity.

Of course factual questions do not need to have answers this long. If your answer is longer than 2 minutes, your interviewer may get bored, it is hard to listen to someone talk for more than 2 minutes.

Don’t mumble or rush through your speech, take your time.

Structuring your answers can make it easier to talk for the right amount of time. You could use the simple structure below:

The opening

This is where you give a simple answer to the question without extra words or ideas.

For example,

“What is your greatest strength?”

“My greatest strength is ………..” simple, clear and to the point.

The middle

This is where you give evidence or examples to support your statement above. Give up to 3 supporting details anymore and things might become muddled.

The Closing

Here, you say something to show that you are finished. Do not say “that’s all” or “that’s it” because that will minimise all the answers and supporting statements you have just given. Using the example above:

“What is your greatest strength?”

“My greatest strength is ……… Supporting statement (1), Supporting statement (2), Supporting statement (3). So I will definitely say my greatest strength is …”

Answers to behavioural questions can be somewhat longer because you need to give more details. With those, always remember to describe what happened, what YOU did and the result or outcome. That is a fine structure right there.

 

Underestimating how much your appearance matters

Whether we like it or not appearances still matter. Wrinkled clothing or looking unkempt can easily put an employer off. And if your interview is virtual, don’t be deceived into thinking you could leave your bottom half undressed. I am sure you have seen videos of people who forgot they were half dressed only for colleagues to call their mobile phones to inform them of the unfolding scenes. In addition to protecting the eyes of others, there is just something about when you are fully and well dressed, you just feel more confident.

 

Not preparing meaningful questions to demonstrate competence and curiosity

Not doing this may imply that you have not thought enough about this role. Prepare at least 5 questions so that even if some of them are answered during the interview, you still have some left ask.

 

Arriving late

72% of the employers surveyed said that this is unacceptable. It may be interpreted as not being interested in the role and as a lack of respect for the interviewers time. Plan ahead, know your route and leave extra time for the unexpected. For virtual interviews, get your system set up way ahead of time and if possible test your connections. It may be a good idea to collect the contact number of the interviewer so you could still communicate if the systems were to fail. And if things don’t work out, telephone interview is still an option. If for whatever reason out of your control, you will be late, call the interviewer much in advance of your interview time to inform them of the delay. They will appreciate that.

 

3 things to remember:

• Answer the questions you are asked as clearly, simply and concisely as possible.
• This is not an test, you are an asset and are about to embark on a mutually beneficial relationship.
• Don’t sell yourself short

Others and corresponding employer percentages

The Bad

Apologising unnecessarily (18%)

Turning up too early (this can disrupt the interviewers schedule)

Failure to practice

Forgetting to follow up (52%)

Fidgeting (28%)

The Ugly

Criticising previous employers or colleagues or complaining (38%)

Rudeness/bad attitude

Lying

The Weird

Flirting 

Bad handshake (24%)

Forgetting the company’s name

 

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