Job Interview Mistakes to Avoid

Job hunting, and even being headhunted is a long and arduous process. So why would you want to mess it up when it comes to the job interview? According to a recent global recruitment survey conducted by Korn/Ferry International, the most common mistakes made by executive candidates are:

• Talking too much
• Lack of knowledge about the company or position
• Over-inflated ego
• Appearing overly confident

As you can tell, 3 of the 4 above mistakes have absolutely nothing to do with the technical skills or competency required for the specific position being interviewed for. It has more to do with how you would be as a potential work colleague - how well you'd work with others in the company.   Sure -  skills, talent and experience count for some things, but at the end of the day, people choose people they like.

Another telling point with these mistakes is that these candidates weren't listening. If a candidate listened carefully to the questions asked and talked at length giving clear examples and relevant details that answered the questions, I doubt the interviewer would have thought "he talks too much". BUT, if the candidate started talking at length about things that don't answer the question, then that's when the candidate "talks too much" and wastes time. Good listening skills is key.

And lastly, what all these mistakes point to is the poor attitude of a candidate who isn't taking the job interview seriously by not preparing for it, or assumes he is a shoo-in. Always be prepared and never assume you've got the job until you've got the job offer in your hands signed by you and the company.