Let’s face it, at some point in your life you were just a little bit imperfect. We at Search Solution Group have never experienced an ounce of imperfection, but we hear it’s a common occurrence for other folks. One of those awkward or imperfect moments was most likely career search or interview related. While there are some people who seem to be natural-born interviewers who can land a job like nothing, it actually is a combination of Practice, Conscious Effort, and Experience that give these people immense power to land any job.
From the mouths of top Recruiters at Search Solution Group, here are 6 ways to kill any chance of acing an interview:
- A Terrible Personality: It should go without saying that you want to be perceived as a team player, a people enthusiast, and someone who won’t drag down the environment of the office. Being outgoing and personable during your interview goes a long way towards success. No matter how skillful or intelligent you are, a recruiter has a really hard time approving of a candidate who is lacking in the personality department.
- Focusing on Your Needs: When you go in for an initial interview, your main goal should be to make a good impression, find out more about the position, and decide whether or not you think you’d be a good fit with the company. While you may be thinking about the salary and benefits, DON’T ask about it. When a candidate is initially interviewing, the recruiter wants to see interest in the position and not perks of the job. Wait until further interviews when the recruiter or interviewer brings up compensation.
- Um, Like, You Know! : These words are fillers and they make you sound dumb in an interview. If you need time to think of a response to an answer, do just that! Don’t open your mouth to answer until you have a complete answer. This will avoid those filler words and your interviewers won’t mind the pause. In fact, showing that you carefully formulate answers will be a good sign of intelligence
- Dressing Like a Slob: It doesn’t matter if you are interviewing to be a Barista or the Creative Director at Starbucks, always dress nicer than you think is necessary. It is better to look professional than run the risk of being judged on your low appearance. If your shirt wrinkles easily just from wearing it, it probably isn’t the best thing to wear to an interview. Gentlemen, wear a nice tie and a suit jacket, shave your face, and shine your shoes. Ladies, wear a nice and simple suit either of the pant or skirt variety, wear minimal makeup/perfume, and wear shoes with a reasonable heel.
- Disorganization: When asked about specifics on your resumé, and you can’t answer the question, that is a HUGE red flag to recruiters. Why would we take you seriously as a candidate if you can’t explain your past experiences? Additionally, when dates and positions with past companies don’t match up, you are either labeled as sketchy or sloppy.
- Unprofessionalism: First and foremost, not being early to an interview is being late. Additionally, when you have terrible eye-contact or a weak handshake, you didn’t bring multiple copies of your resumé, all label you as a lame candidate and can potentially devastatingly kill your chances at landing that job. However, luckily for you, all it takes is some practice and conscious effort to not make these mistakes.
As a candidate, our recruiters at Search Solution Group work to make your interview process as smooth as possible. We act like a coach with our candidates and are looking for a huge win for you!
