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The world is competitive. With fewer and fewer interview opportunities and increasing number of candidates; it is essential that you should make best possible first impression. In a personal interview most of the time the rule is that your selection is done 60% on how you make this first impression and only the 40% is correctness of the questions in a technical interview. We have heard tales of those candidates who did reasonably well in written exams, aptitude test and perfect in academics but on the interview front had performed poorly and hence could not get the job. Something of following ten must have to be blamed :
Poor Handshake -
Yes, handshake is as much important as the interview itself and the first opportunity to make a lasting impression on the interviewer, whether good or bad. A limp hand or an “arm pump” indicate disinterest / weakness or overly aggressiveness respectively. Holding tips of fingers shows lack of ability to engage. Ideal handshake should be firm, warm with full palm and just right to radiate confidence and solidarity. The best way to get perfection in handshake is to ask honest critiques from several friends.
Bragging or Talking Too Much -
While taking pride in self achievements is just fine, but boastful language in expressing it is something everybody dislikes. Talking too much takes many forms. It may be giving more information than asked for or avoiding direct answers to direct questions or making such talk which may be indicative of efforts in hiding something. To the point answers are what expected, and for a question if you don’t know the answer, better is to immediately tell so rather than turning or twisting. You are not expected to know everything under the sun and it is expected that you show confidence that efforts could be made to even learn those things in a short while. Nervous talking is another mistake some candidates do in such situation which is equally bad or worse as talking too much. Also avoid taking unnecessary long to answer a question, which either indicates under preparedness or lack of confidence.
Negative Talk About Current Employer -
This mistake is done by most candidates while giving reasons for them wanting to switch the job. You may have complaints about your current employer and even they may be reasonable and true, but being frank about them is sure shot way of losing the current opportunity. When faced with a question relating to your present employer or a former employer, make sure you are prepared with a positive spin on your experience. For example you may say – “Actually the present organization has contributed a lot to my experience and knowledge and since now I am feeling confident enough to take more responsibilities and higher compensation I wanted to come out of limit of saturation, hence ….”
Rude At the Front Desk -
Receptionist is the first person you meet when you appear for the interview. Remember, receptionist is as important as the interviewer as the receptionist is one of the important feedback provider about you in most of the companies. Often the job of the receptionist is not only to usher you into the interview but also provide feedback on your behaviour while you are in waiting queue for your turn.
Not Done Enough of Homework -
Coming prepared for an interview means you should be prepared well with all those points you have mentioned in your resume, and also gathered enough knowledge about this new prospective employer. You should have information about scope of responsibilities of the position applied for, your contribution if the job is offered to you and in general show interest in seeking this employment. Just being technically prepared is not enough.
Verbal Ticks -
Practice fluency. “umm…”, “you know..”, or some such verbal ticks show lack of confidence and they are considered signs of nervousness. You can avoid verbal ticks by pausing for a few seconds to gather your thoughts before each response.
Avoiding Eye Contact -
Candidates avoiding eye contacts are considered nervous, uninterested at minimum to untruthful at the most. The reverse, that is too much of eye contact, is equal killer of your chances of getting the job. You have to be at ease while presenting yourself at the interview and that comes from your natural eye contact while you respond.
Communication Style -
Ineffective in communication is observed to be a spoiler in most cases. Apart from fluency, setting a tone of conversation by which how you put your interviewer at ease as much as you yourself is key to an effective communication. It’s about mirroring the communication style. Think about the interviewer as peer – make yourself seem more like him or her and you can set the ball rolling.
Showing Up Late or Too Early -
One of the first lessons in job-search etiquette is to arrive for the interview in time. “In Time” means “In Time”, neither late even by a minute and nor too early. Arriving too early – more than 10 minutes of the fixed time for the interview, is as much bad as coming late.
Conclusion -
Just like a great resume would help you get an invitation to an interview, polishing your interview skills by avoiding those pitfalls can win you a job, for sure.