Your resume stood out and you look good on paper… but how do you make sure you look good in person too? You can read anywhere about what to do in an interview but no one ever tells you what NOT to do. Working in HR and having interviewed hundreds of candidates over the years, here are the top 10 things people do that lose them their dream jobs.

1. Turning up late. You need to arrive at least 10 mins early to show you are keen, if you are going to be late due to unforeseen circumstances, you need to make a courteous phone call, it really is not that hard.
2. Dressing inappropriately. Dress for the occasion, always dress corporate especially for a desk job, if you are already in that industry then you have a pretty good idea on what to wear, but always ask someone for their opinion just to make sure things match.
3. Not knowing names. Make sure you know the name of the person who is interviewing you. Most companies send out confirmation emails with time, date and who you are going to see, use that information.
4. Not knowing what the company does. Make sure you do your research on the company, every company and business will have a website, make sure you go through each page on what they do. Recruitment managers now expect this!
5. Not answering questions properly. Don’t give one word answers but also don’t take 10 mins to answer one question by going around in circles, find a happy medium, get to the point and provide an example.
6. Not making eye contact. This makes them think you are not interested in the job or their time
7. Speaking negative about past employees. If they do ask why you left explain perhaps it was time to move on, I needed a challenge etc.
8. Getting too personal. There is a time a place to bring up personal matters, probably best to keep the more personal problems to yourself.
9. Lying on your CV/Resume. Be careful because in the interview you can be caught out.
10. Not following up. Make sure to send a quick thankyou email to the person who had interviewed you, ask for a card and even if you don’t make the cut, they may think of you if another position pops up.

Hope these tips help you out. Remember to smile and be confident. You got this. Good Luck!

Karen Stanwell – Talent Acquisition Support Officer