competition is getting tougher and tougher day by day as per educationdate.org around 3.9 million
students graduated from college last year and as of 2019 according to the same study 35 of the us
population had completed four years of college or more which compared to 1940 only 4.6 percent of
the population had a college degree or more with more and more people graduating every year and
countless number of graduates often applying for the same positions your chances of getting a good
paying job if you don't have the right connections is slim at best with graduates outweighing jobs
there is a demand and supply mismatch most large companies have strenuous job application processes
and out of the several applicants only a handful make it through as i said before getting a job
these days is immensely difficult and you shouldn't blow your chances once called for
an interview so what should you do what mistakes should you avoid today we discuss some of the
common job interview mistakes that people make so you can avoid them in your next interview
1. dress to impress it takes only 7 seconds to make a first impression and employers
will judge you based off of how you look dress and talk before looking at your qualifications
maybe appearances shouldn't matter so much but they do be sure to dress appropriately
for the job if it means wearing a clean suit and tie with a nice pair of polished shoes
do it when you dress appropriately you show professionalism and sharpness which will help the
employer qualify you as a suitable part of their workforce 2. lack of research one of the biggest
mistakes a person can make is not doing any research on the company quite often you would find
job applicants not knowing basic information about the company what it does or what it stands for
before going for an interview you must thoroughly research the following points the company's vision
and mission each company sets a certain goal which is reflected in the mission and vision of
that company knowing the goals and objectives of the company can earn you brownie points
moreover answering in a way that shows your goals are aligned with the company also gives a good
impression values all great companies have values these are the rules and guidelines that companies
must abide by giving two or three personal or professional life examples related to such values
can help you go a long way for example teamwork might be a value that a company has
when asked about yourself you can mention that you're a great team player and finish
off by narrating an impactful example you can do this by giving a short story
like how you and your previous colleagues came up with a solution to save your previous
boss thousands in unnecessary costs just make sure it's a true story that suits the scenario
to better understand values we must look at them from a deeper perspective generally people with
similar interests tend to get along better people are more welcoming of people of the
same religion caste ethnicity or race similarly values are the life and blood of an organization
they are the traits that everyone being part of a particular organization should possess
hence showcasing how you have the same values as the company may go a long way job description
knowing the job description of the role you applied for is pivotal for success
often candidates are stumped in the interview as they fail to ask for the job description before
if you're applying for a marketing position you must be aware of the latest trends prevailing
in the marketing world you must also be aware of some great marketing campaigns as
interviewers can stump you off by asking a recent advertising or marketing campaign that you liked
industry having an industry background is also exceedingly important it's imperative that you
go through the financial statements know the profitability margins and
you must be able to identify the company's performance with respect to the industry
researching your interviewers researching your interviewers may also help immensely with linkedin
this has become quite easier understanding their likes and dislikes and then using your examples
by revolving your examples against those likes and dislikes can help you outshine other candidates
3. not updating cv at times you may be lucky enough to be called for an interview with a poor
or mediocre cv this however doesn't mean that you shouldn't tweak or make amends to the cv
before going for a job interview grammatical errors checking your cv for grammatical errors
is important you don't want an interviewer to embarrass you by finding silly grammatical
mistakes during the interview this gives the impression that the candidate is not detail
oriented and does not value the little things in life cv length cv should normally be of a page
length if you still find the urge to add more details you should go to a maximum of two pages
but not more than that interviewers normally have a busy schedule and they may just skim
through your cv the idea of going through many pages can put the interviewer off customizing
your cv customizing your cv is critical for success in the interview applicants often make
the mistake of using a uniform cv for all jobs and companies it is necessary to tweet the cv
following the position and company as mentioned earlier all companies have different values and
goals hence using the same standard cv may work at some companies but may be disastrous at others
lying on cv you must refrain from lying on your cv interviewers normally may ask questions regarding
everything on your cv and if you've written incorrect information there's a high chance that
they can catch on to you interviewers normally have years of experience in conducting interviews
while they may not show it they can easily judge when an applicant is lying
only information that can be defended should be added to your cv 4. not practicing enough job
applicants normally take interviews rather lightly and go unprepared for interviews even if your
research is complete lack of practice can derail even the smartest candidates let's understand what
we mean by more practice knowing yourself you must know yourself before even hoping to pass
the interview one thing that should always be kept in mind is that the interview will be about you
hence if you lack information related to yourself how will you communicate it to the other person
going through common interview questions common job interview questions such as tell me about
yourself strengths and weaknesses should be gone through before going to the interview companies
often ask behavioral questions like tell me about a time you did such and such questions tell me
about a time you did such and such questions answer to these questions must be prepared and
practiced in advance so that one could eloquently communicate at the time of the interview
the start which means situation task action and result approach works best in this scenario
practice practice and practice you should practice in front of your friends or colleagues and always
take their feedback before going to the interview people despite knowing the answers stumble due to
the lack of practice 5. lack of discipline be punctual being on time for the interview is
one of the essentials of a job interview when we say to be on time we mean the optimum time
being too early may show desperation while being too late may show disinterest
we believe appearing just 10 to 15 minutes before the interview may work just fine
it's also important to follow the instructions mentioned in the email or on the telephone
not following instructions also leads to a bad impression amongst the workers inappropriate
dressing as mentioned earlier you must dress for success no matter how casual companies
become dressing nicely is a bare minimum to set a good impression for us dressing in a well-dressed
suit with matching tie goes a long way it gives a good impression on the interviewer showing that
you're interested and it helps you earn brownie points remember first impressions always count
well groomed along with dressing grooming is also necessary you must be clean shaved with well
combed hair fingernails should be cut and you must make sure to apply proper deodorant before the
interview teeth should also be brushed bad breath can be a serious red flag for the interviewer
inappropriate behavior you must maintain appropriate behavior from entering to leaving
the organization everyone should be treated with respect even when partaking in the interview you
should try to listen to the questions first and then speak also other inappropriate behaviors
such as flirting and excessive arguing should be avoided not asking questions and following
up after the interview ends good questions must be asked this again shows your eagerness
to join the company moreover it also gives the impression that you're aware of the latest trends
and shows an interest in the company endeavors remember to thank the interviewers with a smile
before leaving the interviewer room once you go home you should email all your interviewers
with a thank you note this again might help you outshine all the other job applicants
so in conclusion job interviews are stressful especially for young graduates coming straight
out of college however avoiding these common mistakes can help a person achieve their dream job
if you're working already do tell us in the comments section how your interview
was before you got the job thanks for watching and i'll see you in the next one