It’s common knowledge that the face-to-face interview is one of the most important parts of the hiring process. Doing well during the interview is a prerequisite for receiving an offer of employment.
You might not know that, though, judging by the behavior of some candidates.
Those who are interviewing for jobs with some of the best companies in the industry often show remarkably poor judgment, and that poor judgment costs them what could have been a prime career opportunity.
In fact, our firm has received quite a bit of feedback recently from our clients regarding major interview mistakes that candidates have made during the face-to-face interview. Some of the feedback borders on the unbelievable, but rest assured that these are all things that candidates have actually done or said.
Below are five major interview mistakes that candidates have made:
- Talking about their brother’s meth lab.
- Telling the interviewer that they’re shopping in the Gap during the phone interview and that they can shop and interview at the same time.
- Wearing a sweater with holes in it.
- Wearing so much perfume that it overpowers the interviewers.
- Talking about how they got involved in a money-laundering scheme.
These mistakes all illustrate how important it is to remain focused during the face-to-face interview. Of course, while you probably will never discuss your brother’s meth lab (mainly because your brother doesn’t have one), there are other topics you shouldn’t broach with your interviewers.
Interview preparation and execution is crucial to receiving an offer of employment and taking the next step in your career. Don’t let thoughtless words or actions destroy your chances of successfully taking that step.
We help support careers in one of two ways: 1. By helping find the right opportunity when the time is right, and 2. By helping recruit top talent for the critical needs of organizations. If this is something you would like to explore further, please send an email to stacy@thevetrecruiter.com.