1. Poor attitude. Many candidates come across as arrogant. While employers can afford to be self-centered, candidates cannot. 2...
1. Poor attitude. Many candidates come across as
arrogant. While employers can afford to be self-centered, candidates cannot.
2. Appearance. Many candidates do not consider
their appearance as much as they should. First impressions are quickly made in
the first three to five minutes. (For details regarding Appearance, refer to
the message 'Interview Etiquette' which I had posted earlier in " MRA-JOBS"
group).
3. Lack of research. It's obvious when candidates haven't
learned about the job, company or industry prior to the interview. Visit the
library or use the Internet to research the company, then talk with friends,
peers and other professionals about the opportunity before each meeting.
4. Not having questions to ask. Asking questions shows your interest
in the company and the position. Prepare a list of intelligent questions in
advance.
5. Not readily knowing the answers to
interviewers' questions. Anticipate and rehearse answers to tough questions about your
background, such as recent termination or an employment gap. Practicing with
your spouse or a friend before the interview will help you to frame intelligent
responses.
6. Relying too much on resumes. Employees hire people, not paper.
Although a resume can list qualifications and skills, it's the interview
dialogue that will portray you as a committed, responsive team player.
7. Too much humility. Being conditioned not to brag,
candidates are sometimes reluctant to describe their accomplishments.
Explaining how you reach difficult or impressive goals helps portray you as a
committed, responsive team player.
8. Not relating skills to employers'
needs. A list of
sterling accomplishments means little if you can't relate them to a company's
requirements. Reiterate your skills and convince the employer that you can
"do the same for them".
9. Handling salary issues ineptly. Candidates often ask about salary
and benefit packages too early. If they believe an employer is interested, they
may demand inappropriate amounts and price themselves out of the jobs.
Candidates who ask for too little undervalue themselves or appear desperate.
10. Lack of career direction. Job hunters who aren't clear about
their career goals often can't spot or commit to appropriate opportunities. Not
knowing what you want wastes everybody's time.
11. Job shopping. Some applicants, particularly those
in certain high-tech, sales and marketing fields, will admit they're just
"shopping" for opportunities and have little intention of changing
jobs. This wastes time and leaves a bad impression with employers they may need
to contact in the future.
Note from Author: I have put in a fairly good amount
of work for compiling this data. I hope, this will be useful to all those who
are attending interviews, especially freshers. If you find my work really
useful, submit feedback with few lines telling me how it helped you. Waiting to
hear from you all.
