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Career Article: The Top 5 mistakes made in interviews

Posted on Tuesday, 15 May 2007 04:52PM by Janet Davies

You've found your dream job, written a winning CV and caught the attention of the recruiter. All you've got to do now is get through the interviews, and that's sometimes where it can all start to go horribly wrong! Recruitment is definitely a team game meaning that candidates, recuitment consultants and employer interviewers, both HR and line managers, can all make it 'thumbs up' or a 'thumbs down' experience.   So, what are the Top 5 interview mistakes and why? 1) Preparation – i.e. the candidate not knowing enough about what a role entails, not researching the internet or local/trade press for information. The recruiter not passing on information from the client to the applicant. The client not being empathetic to the candidates’ information needs, particularly for those issues that may not be in the public domain, or showing that they obviously haven't actually read the candidate's CV! The interview is primarily about finding the right fit and is a risky process for both recruiter and candidate. If a candidate doesn’t appear to be interested in the client organisation, their motivation for applying will be in question and their capability for providing the enthusiasm and passion required to do the job well. A candidate who has been poorly primed by the recruitment consultant may also miss the opportunity to provide vital evidence in their background that the employer would use favourably in their decision making process. Everyone has to do their homework. 2) Not asking or answering questions properly: For candidates that means not listening to what the interviewer is saying, not clarifying the question if they don’t understand what the interviewer is really after, or by talking for too long. Sometimes it is a result of nervousness, sometimes a lack of interview experience, sometimes just plain arrogance! For recruiters that can mean being poorly prepared or trained. 'Just talk me through your CV' is perceived as a lazy question by candidates especially if the interviewer doesn't give any further direction or appear to have a plan for using the information they are given. The candidate will fail to convey the information that will result in the interviewer believing that they really are the best candidate for the job. Recruitment consultants should prime candidates and rehearse with them if it is obvious that a candidate might inadvertently let themselves down just because they don’t understand the rules of the game. HR staff should similarly coach inexperienced line managers who are interviewing candidates – poor performance on their part negatively impacts their employer brand and almost always leads to poor hiring decisions.  3) Lying: It could be ‘over gilding the lily’ e.g. candidates claiming more credit for an achievement than was the case or an out an out lie such as their medical history or real reasons for leaving a job.  Interviewers might not, for example, disclose the truth about the stability of their company, the financial rewards on offer or may undersell the amount of time a candidate might need to work away from home.  Lying by either party is bound to end in tears because checks conducted further down the line may damage a candidate’s integrity or the trust that both parties need to have in one another. Either way, a job offer may be compromised and time and energy wasted by all concerned. Or, the candidate and employer may part company very quickly after the person actually starts the job. The further down the line a lie is discovered, the greater the consequences become. It pays to try to be as honest as possible throughout the process. 4) Underestimating the importance of first impressions: this affects all parties i.e. turning up late, not apologising for lateness, not dressing appropriately, chewing gum, smelling of alcohol or cigarette smoke, not turning off mobile phones, having a poor hand shake or a lack of other basic social skills. However objectively and professionally we like to think that we behave in these situations, we make up our minds about people in a matter of seconds. A poor impression or a series of, often, non verbal signals can lead both parties to distrust or dislike each other from the beginning. The rest of the interview then becomes an exercise in confirming our first impressions and prejudices or both parties simply go through the motions until a decent amount of time has passed so that they can excuse themselves and leave politely. Always make sure that your first impressions are good and then stay that way. 5) Not projecting a positive impression throughout the process – Candidates badmouthing previous employers, disclosing inappropriate information about themselves, appearing defensive when asked for evidence to back up achievements, inconsistencies or reasons for leaving a job. Very importantly, not appearing to want the job! Recruiters can sometimes use overly aggressive or patronising questioning techniques that leave candidates coming away feeling that they wouldn't want the job even if it were offered to them. Interviewers want to pick the best qualified and experienced candidates. However, they also want to choose people who will fit culturally, who actually want the job and are hungry for the chance to use their talents in their organisation effectively. A candidate who fails to project that positive impression usually means that the recruiter will choose someone else who does, even if it means that they compromise in other areas. Employers should ensure that their brand image is never tarnished by a poor interview experience and take care that they choose external recruiters who will safeguard and project their values too. For more New Life top tips on how to succeed in interviews please click here. Happy hunting! Copyright ©Davies Development Services Limited 2007 - www.newlifenetwork.co.uk