Common Job Interview Mistakes

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Common Job Interview Mistake #1: Arriving late for your job interview is the first impression that will not go away. Make the mistake of arriving late for your job interview and no matter what the excuse you will probably not be able to recover. Employers wonder, "Will you also come to work late?"

Common Job Interview Mistake #2: Expressing bad, negative and corrosive attitudes during the job interview is a classic mistake. If you tend to be negative, overbearing, extremely aggressive, cynical and opinionated to the extreme it will cost you the job. Expressing intolerance and prejudices towards others is also a common job interview mistake. Complaining about everything will also help you not get the job. No matter how talented a person is if they show a bad attitude the employer is going to be concerned about having to fire them in a couple of months because they cannot get along with fellow employees.

Common Job Interview Mistake #3: Offering stupid excuses for behavior is a big job interview mistake. Any type of excuse is usually a big red flag to any potential employer because it indicates that a person is not willing to take responsibility and complete their work. Here is a horrible excuse for the mistake of being late for the job interview: "I got lost because your directions weren't very good." That person is not going to get the job. Here are some other common excuses heard during job interviews:

• I forgot.

• It wasn't my fault.

• It was a bad company.

• My boss was a jerk.

• I'm not a job hopper - I'm just getting lots of good experience and advancing my career.

Common Job Interview Mistake #4: Giving short and incomplete answers is a common job interview mistake that I often see. Responding to job interview questions with "Yes," "No," "Maybe," or "I'm not sure" when the interviewer is looking for more well rounded deeper answers can make the interviewee appear shallow and indicates a lack of substance, initiative and enthusiasm. That is why it is so important to avoid this job interview mistake.

Common Job Interview Mistake #5: Maintaining poor eye contact is a job interview mistake. Eye contact is an indication of trustworthiness and attention. If a person is not willing to keep eye contact during the job interview it usually illustrates they have something to hide. Having too little or too much eye contact during the job interview is a mistake because it can make the interviewer feel uncomfortable.

Common Job Interview Mistake #6: Speaking negatively of previous employers and co-workers is a major job interview mistake. When you are asked during the job interview why you left your last position you never speak poorly of your previous employer. This concerns hiring authorities when interviewing for an open position because it can be an indicator of if a candidate works well with others.

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