4 interview mistakes that can cost you the job

Are you aware of the critical mistakes made by job seekers? Here are some tips on how to avoid them and land the job.

Handshake Source: Graeme Robertson/Getty Images

Today I will share with you four critical mistakes made by jobseekers and how to avoid them to land the job.

Mistake 1: Lack of preparation and background research

Interview Expert Academy lists lack of preparation as a top reason why job-seekers fail.

It is a well-known saying “failing to prepare is preparing to fail: Background research enables you to be confident, helps you stand-out and prepares you for unexpected questions.

How to avoid this mistake: Undertake extensive research about company and the interviewer. Use Google, LinkedIn, Facebook and other social media tools to learn about the organisation.

Follow the company on LinkedIn and Twitter to keep up-to-date with current events.

Find the interviewer on LinkedIn, connect with him/her and study his/her LinkedIn profile. Here is a powerful app you can use to mine data about the interviewer – Charlie App. This app finds everything about the interviewer and prepares a report for you. I have used it for my meeting with business associates for deeper engagement.

One last pointer about preparation – Usain Bolt prepared four years to run for 10 seconds; how much do you prepare for an hour's interview?

Mistake 2: Displaying negative body language

Career Builder’s research on biggest body language mistakes job-seekers make provides some great insights on how to avoid negative body language.

67% fails to maintain eye contact; 39% fails to smile; 29% crosses the arms; 30% displays bad posture; 21% weak handshake; 7% too strong handshake.

Considering that verbal communication, tone of your voice and what you say, is approximately 30% of the total communication; rest is body language. One must take body language seriously.

Here's what you should do: 

Maintaining eye contact is a sign of confidence. Keep your eyes on the triangle – end of your eyes to tip of your nose.

Leaning forward is a sign you are taking genuine interest in the conversation.

Firm handshake is a sign of confidence and positive approach.

Mistake 3: Lack of research about the position / role

I have observed lot of job-seekers scramble to find the job description just before the interview. If you do not have the job description, feel free to ask the hiring manager or recruiter to send you.

I suggest you to conduct following research for the job.

1. What are the key performance indicators (KPI) for the job?
2. Why the position exists? Did someone leave the job? Is the organisation expanding / restructuring?
3. What specific skills are they looking for?

Undertaking informational interview with other professionals who work in similar industry and role and contacting past employees who held similar position, is also helpful.

Mistake 4: Not sending thank you note after the interview

I believe only 5% of the job-seekers send thank you note after the interview. I give you four reason to send a thank you note immediately after the interview.

1. You can stand-out from the crowd;
2. Reinforcing your interest in the position;
3. Providing information, you missed during the interview;
4. Improving your chances of landing the job.

I recommend taking notes of the of the interview discussions immediately after the interview; this will allow you to craft an outstanding thank you note.

I am confident your chances of winning the job will increase if you avoid these four mistakes. 

- Naishadh Gadani

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