4 Things to avoid during interview
If you've applied for a job and are lucky enough to
score an interview, don't let one mistake ruin your chances of getting the job.
A LinkedIn survey of more than 550 hiring
managers found that when it comes to a job interview, even small mistakes can
put a candidate out of the running.
Here are four things you should never be caught
doing, according to the survey:
4. Checking your phone
Even the slightest glance at your phone during a
job interview could cost you. More than one out of every three hiring managers
polled said they would eliminate a candidate for looking at his or her cell.
Checking your phone gives the impression that
you're not totally there mentally and don't respect the person sitting right in
front of you.
Be safe and before the interview, turn your phone,
and it's thousands of notifications, off.
3. Looking disheveled
Nearly half of interviewers — 46 percent, to be
exact — said they had eliminated a candidate because of unprofessional attire.
If you're worried that your shirt is too casual,
your pants are too wrinkled or your dress is too short, be safe and skip it.
Better yet, have an interview outfit in your closet that you try on before the
morning of your interview, so you don't have any last minute surprises like
rips, stains or wrinkles.
2. Lying or stretching the facts
Sure, you're eager to impress the hiring manager,
but make sure you're not lying. Before a company's talent team hires you, they
almost always consult your references, ask people in your network about you or
run a background check.
Some 52 percent of hiring managers have scrapped a
candidate after learning he or she lied about their previous work. If there's
something on your resume or in your work experience you're worried about,
address it in a truthful and compelling way.
And whatever you do, don't brag about lying on your
resume, as your company will probably find out.
1. Arriving late
Traffic, getting lost, spilling coffee on your
shirt — there are a million reasons why you could arrive late for a job
interview. Unfortunately, hiring managers don't usually care. More than 60
percent of interviewers eliminated a candidate for arriving late, making it the
biggest mistake you should avoid.
Here's a simple way to avoid it: When you map out
how long it will take you to get to the company's building, budget an extra 30
or 40 minutes of wiggle room to be safe. Others will even do a test run of
driving to the new location or locating the office building in advance.
If you end up arriving more than 20 minutes early,
you can double check with the front desk that you're in the right place without
officially checking in. You can tell the receptionist that that you'll
officially check in closer to you appointment time, say, 15 minutes before.
In that time, you can make sure you look
professional, turn off your phone and do something to relax yourself such as
deep breathing. You could even borrow a mental strategy
one Olympic gold medalist uses and give yourself an inspiring pep
talk
