Honesty vs. Lying
It goes without saying that indeed, honesty is the best policy, and with interviewing, that fact cannot be truer. Many recruiters, HR specialists and interviewers are trained to see through lies while conducting interviews. So, to stay on the person’s good side, it is best to come into the interview with the most honest approach in speaking about your experiences and answering any other questions they may have. According to CareerBuilder.com, 66-percent of applicants who are caught lying are immediately removed from consideration by hiring managers! This is because it reflects poor traits of character and lack of experience. Here at Swoon, we advise you to stay in the clear by sticking to the truth!
Turning Your Phone Off
Sixty-four percent of hiring managers say that answering a phone call during an interview shows an unfocused, disrespectful candidate as it is one of the fastest ways to lose a job opportunity. Therefore, to avoid this, we advise you to remove the temptation completely by turning your phone off before the interview commences and not turning it back on until the interview is over and you have left the building. This will show that you are taking the interview process seriously – a reflection of your character and what you will bring to the table if given the opportunity to work there.
Dressing Prepared to Score the Job
Although judging a book by its cover may be wrong, interviewers do just that; they judge the cover of your resume, the cover of your cover letter and the outfit you use to represent yourself during the interview. Coming to an interview looking too informal, or too over-the-top may leave a bad impression of your understanding of their company culture. We recommend that candidates take the time to research the culture of the company they are interviewing for to decipher an appropriate outfit to use in the interview. Many candidates do not realize that hiring managers are looking for individuals with a key sense of detail as a part of the interview process itself is making sure you dress to impress!
Coming in Unprepared Vs. Being Ready
According to TheMuse.com, many hiring managers detest commonly asked questions revolving around the basics of the company, what it does and how it is organized. This is because they feel such primary company information should already be known and should be a part of the reason why the applicant wants to be with them. Hence, we advise that the candidate does research ahead of time, allowing an interview to transform into a conversation between two individuals who understand the company.
Being ready for the interview can also refer to being able to showcase your skills in accordance with your resume, and that takes practice! Make sure you are up to date on what you listed on your resume and be prepared to talk about your experiences (both the ups and downs of them) and demonstrate your skills through a test or live demonstration. Employers notice that when candidates come to interviews well prepared, there is a certain confidence the person possesses, while inversely, they also can tell when candidates are not prepared due to little displays of internal confusion, timidity and lack of dialogue.
Being Punctual Vs. Coming in Late
It’s 10 a.m. and you are at home about to leave for your interview that starts at 10:30 a.m. Apple Maps says the meeting is about 25 minutes away so you think you will make it with time to spare! Nope. Before you chose to leave so late, have you considered that inevitable traffic jam on the way downtown, where to park or even the time taken to get to the right floor? These little events take time and ultimately, could make you late for your interview!
Hiring managers in a recent survey on Forbes said that one of the first components of a candidate’s success is how punctual he/she is. Therefore, it is advised that arriving 10-15 minutes early allows you to use the restroom, locate the office and focus on the task at hand – acing the interview! Additionally, being on-time shows employers how you conduct yourself in a typical work environment. Also, when you are rushing to not be late, the adrenaline in your body may hinder you from mentally getting ready moments before the interview. Being punctual will help when it comes to your overall consideration – much more than you think.
With these tips on how to conduct oneself in an interview using good preparation and attention to details, you really can land the opportunity of your dreams. Observing these steps is the easy part. Now, go and use them to ace the interview!
All the best!
Written By: Osora Mojekwu
https://www.inc.com/rhett-power/13-things-not-to-do-before-amp-during-a-job-interview.html