Avoid These Job Interview Mistakes
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1. Sharing too much personal info
It usually happens when answering the question “tell me about yourself. You end up talking about family, kids, hobbies, etc. instead of giving a personal elevator pitch.
2. Oversharing about weaknesses
Talking “too honestly” about weaknesses and insecurities. A job interview is not a therapy session.
It’s best to choose a skill you’re not completely terrible at and talk about how and why you are planning to improve it.
3. Being too vague or general with the answer. Failure to give a specific example.
When the interviewer asks you to “tell about a time when…” you did something, give a specific example of a situation you handled
4. Poor preparation
Not knowing the name of the company, being poorly dressed, having poor audio quality, noises in the background, generally appearing “not to take it seriously”.
5. “Ramble” too long on answers not allowing the interviewer to ask their questions.
Be mindful of time. You only have up to an hour to make a good impression on the interviewer. Make sure your answers are to the point.
6. Not being candid
If you really don’t have the answer to a question, just say it! It’s better than pretending that you know.
For example, you can say you need more time to think about the questions.
Use phrases:
“I’m not 100% sure but this is my best guess”
“I’m not sure I know to be honest”
7. Not asking questions
If you don’t have any questions at the end of the interview, that’s a red flag.
You should have questions for the interviewer about the company, the role you’re applying for and how you can add value to it.
8. Not practicing common interview questions
Prepare answers in advance for the following situations:
The time when you achieved something / solved a challenging problem
The time you had to work as part of a team
The time you received difficult feedback
Check useful resources to prepare for a job interview:
- Create a professional resume, practice job interview questions with the mentor, revamp your LinkedIn profile with the English For Tech 2.0 course.
- Common interview questions: https://www.tryexponent.com/questions
- Another resource to learn about how to answer interview questions (with examples) https://novoresume.com/career-blog/behavioral-interview-questions
- A platform where you can have mock job interviews with peers: https://www.pramp.com
- Watch a webinar about top interview mistakes and another webinar with the recommendations from a recruiter on how to nail a job in tech.
