Congratulations, the company of your choice has scheduled you for a job interview. You don’t have the job yet, though, and you’ll want to keep these 7 major mistakes in mind before you meet your interviewer.
1.) Skipping breakfast
You might not think that it matters, but skipping breakfast before your interview can lead to poor decision-making later in the day. A popularly-cited study from 2011 suggests that decision-making can be radically be affected depending on how recently you had your last meal. You’ll want to keep your mind as nimble as possible during your job interview, and you’ll want to keep your stomach (and your brain) satisfied for as long as you can.
2.) Looking bored
Body language is extremely powerful, and the ultimate decision of the interviewer or the business owner may ultimately rest on how enthusiastic you look. Most companies are not in business because they want to provide employment – they exist because they want to achieve certain objectives, including making a lot of money. No business owner will hire someone who doesn’t at least appear willing to help the business succeed at reaching those objectives.
3.) Not preparing beforehand
Applicants who don’t dress for the job or don’t bring basic items such as a pen and notebook, as well as those who have no clue what the job is about are just wasting everyone’s time, including their own. The state of the Philippine job market is such that very few companies are willing to hire people simply because they have positions to fill. Employers are more selective than they have ever been, so make sure you show that you have what it takes.
4.) Asking irrelevant or badly-timed questions
A popular adage says that “there are no stupid questions”. We may have to agree to disagree. In our experience, a good deal of questions asked by job applicants are either pointless or could be answered right on the company website or Facebook page. A lot of the answers are also volunteered by the interviewers before some applicants ask them.
More often, the questions aren’t necessarily bad, but they’re often posed at the wrong time. Badly-timed questions can be almost as bad as irrelevant ones because they can show that an applicant lacks awareness, which no modern company wants.
5.) Sharing too much personal information
Interviewers may sometimes try to appear chummy and amiable so that applicants are more at ease. It’s understandable because job interviews are stressful — otherwise, you would not be reading this article. It simply doesn’t benefit any organization to scare away qualified people.
On the other hand, this might work a bit too well, and the applicant might start sharing too many personal details. Sometimes this is because an applicant is naturally extroverted and wants to set the interviewer at ease, but sometimes it’s an attempt to manipulate the interviewer into giving them a pass.
Either way, chances are you’ll get your best chance at scoring a final interview or getting the job by not divulging too much personal info. You can never be too sure if that information is prejudicing your chances with the interviewer or business owner. To that end, avoid sharing any religious or political views as well, to prevent a potentially negative impression from being formed.
6.) Inappropriate behavior
We’re not just talking about the most obvious things, such as catcalling employees or showing up late. There are less-obvious types of behavior that signal a red flag to interviewers. Talking badly about your former company is one definite no-no. Another one is not cleaning up after yourself or offering to, if the interview process involves a light snack or a drink, as it often does. Talking too loudly might be seen as inappropriate behavior in many contexts as well.
To avoid these social landmines, try to get as much information about the company’s culture or of the specific department you’re trying to get a job in, if possible. If you can’t do that, try to play things as safe as possible.
7.) Being too quiet
Culturally, Filipinos are not usually very quiet when we’re within a familiar group. But we can be extremely passive when we’re in unfamiliar situations, such as in job interviews. This might be misread as a lack of enthusiasm, especially in the context of an international company.
Be sure to respectfully contribute to the conversation with your interviewer when appropriate, and make it clear that you are genuinely interested in getting the job. If you’re able to do that, you will have an edge over many other applicants in most settings.
Chances are you will want to score more than just one scheduled interview. Use Mynimo to connect with companies and other organizations with relevant job openings in your area. There’s no need to move to a different city because Mynimo’s powerful localization features give you all the best openings closest to you.
