9 Interview Mistakes To AVOID At All Costs - The Financial Cookbook, LLC

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Common interview mistakes can prevent you from landing your dream job. In this day and age, making a good impression at an interview is extremely important. Here is a list of things you should never do in an interview to make the best impression possible.

Congratulations on getting an interview! That's often the hardest part!

Now, let's not mess this up, right? Here are 9 interview mistakes to always AVOID.

You want to make sure you give the best first impression possible so there are things you should always avoid doing in a job interview. These things could be costing you the job.

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Interview Mistakes You Could be Making

1. Being Late

Make it a point to never be late to an interview. In fact, you should be at least 15 minutes early to every interview you do.

It's standard in today's world to be early to an interview so being late is just not acceptable. It gives the impression that you don't care about the job and don't value the time of the interviewer.

I think this goes without saying that it will automatically make you look as though you're not dependable. That's the last thing you want!

2. Weak Handshakes

This is actually a pet peeve of mine and an interview mistake that is never talked about.

When I'm interviewing someone, if they give me a weak handshake, I can pretty much tell that's not someone I want working for me.

A weak handshake gives off the impression that you don't have initiative or confidence. Employers want to hire people with confidence.

Instead, when you meet the interviewer, give them a good firm handshake. Squeeze their palm slightly and look them in the eye when you do so. This will show them your confidence!

3. Not Asking Questions

This is another pet peeve of mine. You know when the interviewer asks “do you have any questions?” Please, for the love of everything, do NOT say no.

When someone doesn't ask a question at the end of the interview, all I'm thinking is “tell me you don't care about this job without telling me you don't care about this job”.

It's so true!

A job you actually want should invoke so many questions for you! If you aren't sure what to ask, reference my Ultimate Guide to the Best Questions to Ask in an Interview.

If you truly have no questions, make something up for goodness sakes. Ask a question you already know the answer to! There's always something to ask.

Whatever you do, don't NOT ask any questions. Not asking questions will ensure you DON'T get the job.

4. Not Making Eye Contact

You want to make sure you're making eye contact with your interviewer.

If you avoid eye contact, you're telling them you're not confident or aren't invested in this conversation. It tells them you're thinking about something else. You don't want that.

Make eye contact and nod your head as they speak. Show them you're engaged in the conversation.

5. Not Knowing the Organization

This one is a BIG No-No as this is one of the most important parts of an interview and one of the biggest interview mistakes you can make.

You need to make sure you know the organization.

How do you learn about the organization? Do research!

Google the company, look at the mission statement on the website, understand their initiatives, look at the public earnings statements, read any recent news they've been apart of, etc.

You should know any current events of the company. Make sure to sprinkle the tidbits you know into your interview.

For example, you can say things like “I believe I have the same characteristics of the company's mission, which is to XYZ.” Try to be a little more subtle than that, but you get the idea.

Basically, show the interviewer you've done your research. They will be impressed, I promise you.

I also believe that knowing the organization and showing the interviewer how well you know it will single handedly help you land the job. If you impress them with things they didn't even know about the organization, you're bound to have a really good chance of getting the job.

For example, I recently helped a client get a managerial role at a hotel. We researched the hotel, the executives, the mission, the grounds, the area, and the holding company. Let's just say he blew their socks off with how much he knew. He knew more than the general manager and they even said he wouldn't have to go through any training. It was clear that he would definitely get the job, and he did.

Aim to be that guy!

6. Not Researching the Interviewer

This brings me to my next point.

You should also research the interviewer, if you know who will be interviewing you.

It's easy these days.

Look them up on LinkedIn and look at their previous job history, interests, school they attended, etc.

During your interview, mention some of the things you have in common and try to build some rapport. Building rapport from the beginning of your interview will help you develop a relationship that other candidates may not be able to do.

7. Not Dressing Up for the Job

The rule of thumb these days is to dress for the job you want, not the job you're applying for. This is one of the most obvious interview mistakes, but I'm quite surprised by how often I see it.

You should ALWAYS overdress for the job, even if you think it feels silly.

Interviewers want to see that you care about the job and put in the extra effort.

If the entire office wears jeans, then you will wear a suit or skirt and blouse to the interview.

If you're applying for a service job, wear dress pants and a blouse to the interview.

The key is to look different from the other employees. You want to stand out. You want them to be able to tell that you're there to make a good impression.

If you look like everyone else, you won't stand out and they may even think you don't care about the position.

For example, I recently helped a client get a job at Costco as a cashier. He didn't want to dress up for the interview since everyone at Costco wears jeans and t-shirts. I told him to anyways. He dressed in slacks, a dress shirt, and a tie. The interviewer was blown away and said no one had dressed that nice for an interview all year. Needless to say, he got the job. Through his clothing, he showed them that he cared more about getting that job than anyone else that had applied.

That's what you want.

8. Not Turning Your Phone on Silent

This interview mistake should be well known.

Silence your phone before you walk into the door to interview. Don't be on your phone in the waiting room. They are watching your every move.

In fact, pretend they are watching you from the moment you drive up. Cameras are everywhere now a days and how a person acts when they think no one is watching will tell you everything about them.

Turn your phone on silent and don't take it out until you get back to the car (or just leave it in the car).

9. Not Asking for the Next Step

I see this mistake constantly and I'd venture to guess that most people don't do this.

At the end of the interview, after you've asked questions, you want to make sure you ask for the next step in the interview process.

Why is this important? This simple question helps you understand the process and may even land you the next step right there.

If the interviewer says the next step is another interview, ask if you can set them up today. The goal here would be to get the interview on the calendar before you leave.

However, sometimes an employer really does have an actual process they go through which is perfectly fine. You can wait and follow the process.

In either case, just make sure you understand when you'll be hearing from them, how you'll be hearing from them, and who you'll be hearing from. That will help you to prepare for the next step.

Interview Mistakes to Avoid

I hope that list was helpful! Were you making any of these mistakes?

Don't forget to send a thank you note or email after your interview. Here's a blueprint tutorial on exactly what to say: How to Write a Post-Interview Thank You Note That Will WOW Any Employer.

You've got this! Good luck! Let me know if you get the next step!

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