5 Common Interview Mistakes And What They Reveal About You

By Roseann Ngángá

Did you know, every detail of how you present yourself for an interview counts?
Right from the time you arrive, how you greet the receptionist, how you are dressed and how you speak all give away your personality.
Eventually, this helps an employer determine whether you are the best fit for the job.
Let’s look at these 5 common interview mistakes you might be making and what they potray about you.
1. Arriving late for the interview
So you’ve kept an interviewer waiting for you to arrive. You did not even bother to call and say you would be running late.
By the time you walk into that interview room, the interviewer has a negative impression of you.
The message you give by arriving late is that you do not keep time or value other people’s time and if given the job you would not meet the set deadlines.
That said, please arrive early for an interview. 15-30 minutes early that is.
This will give you ample time compose yourself, get your ideals together and prepare to face the interviewer.
2. Showing up with a shabby CV or nothing at all
If you have a habit of carrying your CV and other documents in rugged envelopes, and folding them aimlessly, you are doing a disservice to yourself.
How you present your CV from an outward appearance, to the wordings and the overall format reveals whether or not you are keen and your level of attention to detail.
Always carry your CV when you are going for an interview and most importantly make sure it is  error free and has the right  format.
Quickly Read This >>> The Kind Of CV that Gets You The Job
3. Getting too personal
Sometimes the interviewer may ask you questions like:

1. “how is your marriage life?”
2. “What is your favorite food?”
3. “My wife and I are planning to go on a holiday. What can you recommend us?”
4. “Describe to me the process and benefits of wearing a seat-belt?”

This kind of questions are designed to provoke you, put you on  the hot-seat  and out of your comfort zone just to  see how you would react in unexpected and stressful situations.
In such situations, you should not go defensive-mode on the interviewer or loose your temper.
Remain calm and collected and come up with a creative answer without having to give out personal information.
For instance,if asked about how your marriage life is you could respond “ My marriage life is fine. Infact me and my wife were talking about the milestones this company has made in the last five years and how it would be an honour to work here.”
This Might Interest You >>> 4 Smart Ways to Answer Unexpected Interview Questions
4. Getting apologetic
Sometimes the interviewer may ask you about something in another field  totally unrelated to the what you had actually applied for.
Like for instance maybe you had applied for an administrative position and the interviewer asks if you can do graphic design.
This kind of question maybe asked to see whether you are open to learning other things or if you are a dynamic individual.
Maybe you’ve been asked this type of question you started to apologize for not fitting the bill in regards to having the right qualifications.
This will display to the interviewer that you are feeling insecure about handling the task at hand and also the ability to take on something new .
Do not get apologetic,rather show them what you can do with regards to the job advertised and your willingness to learn.
5. Listen carefully to the question
During an interview you will always be given an opportunity to speak  after a question has been posed to you.
It gives a bad impression when you begin interrupting the interviewer before he/she is done asking you the question.
Never interrupt an interviewer by continuously answering a question with a question or saying things like “pardon me” ‘’what exactly do you mean?” “ I really didn’t get the question”.
This out-rightly shows the interviewer that you have very poor listening skills and your communication skills maybe wanting.
Just listen and think before you answer.
Now that you know…
The next time you go for an interview ensure you are well prepared and pay attention to every single detail from your dressing , to your tone and your body language lest you give off the unintended image about you.
Roseann Ngángá works as a Communication’s  Assistant at Corporate Staffing Services – a Human Resource Firm that offers FREE CV registration and recruitment services.