5 Mistakes That Instantly Kill Your Job Interview

On the day of the interview, you may notice that candidates who were interviewed before you stayed longer in the interview room and it only took you five minutes in there. In case, you are wondering, there are mistakes that easily kill your interview and as a job seeker, you need to be aware of what they are.

Be sure to steer clear of these 5 mistakes if you wish to make it past the boardroom. According to Muthoni Ndegwa, Recruitment Manager at Corporate Staffing Services, there are a number of mistakes candidates make during interviews that end up costing them their dream jobs.

Here are 5 interview mistakes that instantly cost you that dream job

1. Lateness
I find candidates arriving for interviews an hour late and are not even apologetic, and those that are concerned give too many excuses which I can already tell are lies. So how can you tackle this? Ms. Muthoni advice that “We all sometimes find ourselves getting late, especially now with this weather, traffic has slowed down, so just call the interviewer and inform them you are going to be late and also clearly explain why you are going to be late.”

She adds that “This kind of mistake is enough reason for me to decide that the interview is done.”

2. Bad attitude
You manage to get there on time, you are well dressed, but you do not look any bit interested in the interview. You look bored and the interviewer has to ask leading questions. “I find this very irritating and unfortunately it leaves me no choice but to dismiss the candidate as soon as I can“, Says Muthoni. She also adds that “Other candidates are very arrogant, some take over the interview and as an interviewer, you are left with no choice but finalize with the interview as quickly as you can.”

She also adds that “Other candidates are very arrogant, some take over the interview and as an interviewer, you are left with no choice but finalize with the interview as quickly as you can.”

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3. Rudeness
Unfortunately, a huge number of candidates have this problem and the sad part is that they are not even aware of it. “I cannot count the number of candidates I have for example asked ‘what their day-to-day activities are’ and they instead asked me to check on their CV – that it’s all indicated there.

Why did I ask you to come over for the interview then, I would have just gone through your CV.” Laments Muthoni.

4. Going round in circles when asked a question
Well, this mostly happens because of showing up for interviews without doing research about the role you applied for thus you have zero ideas on what it entails.“As a rule, before attending any interview, you are supposed to do a background research on the role you are interviewing for.

You can also go a step further and find out what the company does and how you can marry the experience you have with that.” Adds Muthoni.

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5. Lying about your experience
Among many other reasons, the sole purpose of an interview is to confirm that the experience you put on the CV is truthful and also gauging the candidate on how they can use the experience they possess for the position they are interviewing for.

Muthoni confirms that, “Before calling candidates for interviews, we thoroughly scrutinize their CVs and if there happens to be a reason that makes us question information given in the CV, we do that, so information on educational background, dates, and referees should match with what you say and what is on the CV”.

Lying will get the interviewer kicking you out of the interview room before you even get a chance to thank them for giving you the chance to interview with them.

A candidate messing up during interviews is sometimes not intentional; it could be that they do not know how to behave during an interview or how to tackle different interview questions and not sounding rude. Seek for guidance when invited for an interview and I promise you will not be kicked out of that room before you have had a chance to present your case.

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Do you have an upcoming interview and you are struggling with how to go about carrying yourself or answering interview questions? Talk to our Interview Coaching Manager at Elizabeth@corporatestaffing.co.ke to book a session and nail that next interview.

The writer is a Communications Officer at Corporate Staffing Services, a leading Recruitment firm that offers CV Writing, Job Placement & Career Advice. Email clientservice@corporatestaffing.co.ke