Did you feel that something went wrong during the most recent job interview but couldn’t figure out what exactly? In some cases, the situation is beyond your control. For instance, the interviewer didn’t like your personality or their expectations from the candidate didn’t match your skills and background. However, as the practice shows, the interview success mostly depends on simple things that everybody knows: being prepared, acting confidently and showing enthusiasm.
Top 10 reasons why people fail job interviews
- Not researching the company in advance
Researching a company is as easy as pie. However, the impressive 47% of job-seekers come to an interview knowing little or nothing about the business. And when asked what you know about the company, mumbling and telling something vague like “Well… your company is the state biggest shoe retailer…and…” is the last thing you want to do.
Spend at least 15 minutes browsing the company website and looking through the news about the company and industry in general. This will allow you to speak to the interviewer on equal footing. If you can discuss the company’s future prospects and industry situation, it will definitely impress the hiring person.
- Dressing unprofessionally
If you enter the office wearing flip-flops, shorts or a top that doesn’t leave much to the imagination, don’t be surprised when the interviewer doesn’t call you back. People in professional settings make impressions about us based on what we wear. The inappropriate clothes signal that a person knows little about professional etiquette or isn’t a cultural fit.
The idea of a professional attire today varies from company to company. However, you can assume the desired dress code based on the industry and what you’ve found on their website. Dress on a conservative side of what is appropriate in the company just to demonstrate that you care of the job enough to dress up.
- Running late
There can be dozens of reasons why you didn’t make it on time – and neither is a good excuse. This reason alone puts you below other candidates for an interviewer. They start perceiving you as a poorly organized, irresponsible or not interested in the job. Needless to say that when you head into the office nervous and sweaty you’ll find it a lot harder to concentrate and impress the interviewer.
Leave for an interview in advance. If you arrive too early, you can wait in the nearest Starbucks or simply walk around. You’ll also have plenty of time to review your notes and focus on the upcoming interview.
- Not preparing to answer basic questions
In most cases, you can’t know in advance in what direction the interview will go. However, telling about yourself, your strengths and weaknesses, future plans and the most recent job are the part of every job interview. If you get nervous or start stumbling on your words, the employer will see that you failed to prepare. Or, they might also suspect that you hide something.
Prepare good responses to these questions at home. If you lack inspiration, Google has plenty of answers. No need to turn your answers into success stories – being up to the point and sincere is often enough.
- Showing bad manners or poor etiquette
Did you bring a cup of coffee to-go for an interview, take a seat before they had offered or yawn like you hadn’t had enough sleep? Or maybe, your phone rang in the middle of the interview and you excused yourself to take a call? Good manners aren’t everything, yet they force the interviewer to assume a lot of negative things about you. They think you aren’t organized, don’t know even the basics of business etiquette or simply don’t bother. Neither of these assumptions will help you get the job.
- Weak body language
Since people perceive most of the information non-verbally, the interviewer is likely to form the impression about you before you start answering their questions. One of the huge deal-breakers for job-seekers is body language. Bad posture, weak handshake, sitting in a closed or too casual position can spoil all the attempts to look confident.
Before you enter the office for an interview, practice confident body language: give a firm handshake, smile, and maintain eye contact. Avoid crossing your legs and arms. Speak positively and confidently. The right body language along with an appropriate attire can make a great impression even before the interview starts.
- Not selling yourself
Being too modest isn’t the best interview tactic. The interviewer actually expects you to show off your previous contributions and accomplishments. Otherwise, they’ll assume that you haven’t done anything impressive or significant. On the other hand, avoid meaningless bragging like “I was the best software engineer in my previous company and the boss was happy with my work”. Instead, say “My students get high SAT scores and enter the Ivy League schools” or “I identified software bug prior to release, saving thousands of dollars in product-replacement costs”. Whatever you proud of in your career, brag it – but give the recruiter facts rather than interpretations.
- Forgetting to ask questions
As they say, an interview is a two-way street. So, when they ask if you have any questions in mind, avoid saying no or inquiring about salary and perks. A candidate who doesn’t have any questions is seen as unmotivated and uninterested in a position. This isn’t the impression you are looking to make; so prepare the list of questions in advance in case you get nervous and nothing comes to mind during an interview.
The best types of questions to ask are about how to be successful in the role, how a typical day looks like, or how it’s like to work for the company.
- Speaking about personal issues
Personal problems and issues don’t belong to an interview. If you are going through divorce or urgently need money to pay the bills, keep these conversations for friends and family. Also, avoid washing dirty linen in public when it comes to talking about relationships in the previous company. Even if you had a fight with the boss or the colleagues were toxic, avoid bringing it up in the interview.
If the interviewer asks why you left the previous company, keep calm and answer on a positive note. Don’t mention any misunderstanding and don’t badmouth the previous employer.
- Not sending a thank-you note
To stay top of mind for an interviewer, send a follow-up reiterating the main points of the interview and repeat once again why you make a good candidate. Send it the same day as soon as you get home or in the evening. Keep the note short – 2-3 paragraphs would be sufficient.
This simple courtesy will also set you apart from other people interviewed for the same position. Did you know that 90% of candidates don’t bother to send a thank-you email? So, if you do, it will immediately increase your chances for getting a job offer.
The above-mentioned reasons lead to failed interviews quite often, so now you know what to avoid in the next interview to pass it with brilliance. And last but not least: keep the interview on a positive note. Show enthusiasm in a company, position and the conversation with the interviewer. Keeping confident and motivated always makes a great impression.
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