The Interviewing "Nevers"

Believe it or not, the following "blunders" occur quite often. Make sure you avoid these fatal errors so you can leave a strong and positive impression on employers during the interview process.

Here is a good checklist of the most common mistakes candidates make during the interview process:

• Never wear white socks with your business suit and think no one will notice. As soon as you sit down, everyone will see your Nike gym socks. This screams "Geek". Always wear dark color socks.
  
• Never yawn. It is an absolute insult to your audience (regardless of a seemingly legitimate excuse). If you do slip and yawn. Apologize immediately and make up some story about how you pulled an all night-er at work :).
  
• Never look at your watch during the interview. If you have a bad habit of doing this, take it off before you go into the interview.
  
• Never give "fishhand". Weak handshakes don't go over well with anyone! At the same time, don't overcompensate with a Hulk Hogan "bone crusher" or the Tony Robbins "I am trying too hard to get you to like me" double hand handshake. Practice with someone to get it just right.
  
• Never slouch, fidget or cross your arms. These are very bad non-verbal cues. Some people struggle with what to do with their hands. Consider bringing a notebook. That way, you can hold the pen and take notes to keep your hands busy.
  
• Never take risks with what you wear. Even if someone tells you it's a very casual workplace, that doesn't mean you can bust out your favorite Metallica t-shirt and keep your nose ring in. During the interview process, you don't want to stand out for the wrong reasons. This isn't a time to take risks. Try to blend in and wear attire that is a match for that corporate culture, but lean towards the conservative side. If you don't know what to wear, you're always better off going with a suit or corporate casual attire..
• Never forget to primp. For god sake, I can't believe I have to say this, but do you know how many candidates I have personally "primped" before going in to meet a client? You should be perfect in your physical presentation (clean, neat, ironed clothes, good hygiene, moderate accessories and no perfume/cologne). Nuff said.
  
• Never..."go down that road". Always steer clear of topics about sex, ethnicity, religion or politics even if the manager initiates these topics. It's best to stay neutral and change topics. And speaking of being PC, always refer to people as "men or woman", never "girls or guys".
• Never be late or too early. Plan to be there about 5-10 minutes early. Account for not only the directions, but also parking arrangements so that you plan your arrival appropriately. Also don't go in any earlier than this. It burdens your interviewer who then feels compelled to shift their schedule to accommodate you and meet with you earlier then the scheduled time, 
• Never smoke a cigarette just before an interview. It smells and, let's face it, you never know  if that manager has a "thing" about people that smoke.
• Never chew gum during the interview. Its disrespectful and says.."I don't care what you think, I'm just going to do what is comfortable to me"
  
• Never dis ANYONE you encounter at that company. Be polite to everyone: security staff, people in the elevator, the receptionist and especially Human Resources!! Word travels fast when people act rudely.
• Never leave your cell phone on. Make sure that you turn off your cell. You may be one of the many with a ridiculous or annoying ring tone. And, if it goes off, this will be a disruption. If you need to leave it on for work purposes, place it on vibrate and make sure that you outline this potential disruption to the manager at the start of the interview. They will understand.
• Never mispronounce people's names. If you don't know the proper pronunciation, DON'T guess! Call the company and find out. Also, don't ever call anyone Mr or Mrs...(they're not your 3rd grade teacher). Always use their first name.
• Never complain about filling anything out. If you are given forms to complete, fill then out with a smile on your face. and are on a time crunch, just simply ask if you can take the application or form home and mail it back in. Complaining about this will get back to your interviewer (not good).
• Never forget your business cards and make sure you ask for every person's business card that you meet with in the interview. It shows that you took them seriously and gives you valuable follow up contact information for a thank you letter.

Comments

[Dave M.]

All great advice. As someone who's been in the workplace for about 30 years and rarely been at one job more than 3 years, I've interviewed quite a lot. (Never once have I worn white socks.)

The main reason I had to comment here is because Christine's mishap made me laugh out loud. Hopefully the boss didn't hear me or I may be looking for another job yet again. ;) JK

[christine collins]

Never wear a wrap skirt tied too loosely, it may fall to your ankles when you stand up (it happened to me).