As a potential candidate for the job, there are many factors that you should keep in mind while preparing for an interview. Many candidates prepare for the interview sessions thoroughly, but they often forget about the minute of details of impressing the hiring manager.
You have to be ready to impress the recruiter with your soft skills, confidence and your behavior. Try to find a balance in your behavior when having a formal conversation with the hiring manager.
Do not seem overly excited and distracted as this might make a bad impression on the recruiter. The following are the various situations in which many candidates scare the recruiting manager during an interview.
What’s Wrong With Your Interviews?
1. You are wearing unprofessional attire:
One of the many details that most of the candidates tend to forget is that they do not dress properly for the interview. Some might come in casual clothes and some would wear semi-casual clothes.
All these things are frowned upon by the hiring manager. Do not try to wear casual clothes like ripped jeans and a t-shirt while attending an interview. Always try to wear a formal suit and proper accessories.
This is applicable to both men and women. People who fail to wear formal attire, show less amount of commitment they have towards the job. Also make sure that whatever formal clothes you wear is clean, neat, tidy and properly ironed. Pair the formal attire with the correct amount of accessories.
2. Do not be assertive:
As a candidate, you are certainly excited about the job and there are a lot of things about the job that you want to know. But this does not permit you to go beyond a certain limit of decency.
It is okay that you are asking questions about the job in matters like, “what’s a typical day like?”, “ how is the range of salary?” and so on. But asking all these questions by firing them one after the other is not a good way to impress the hiring manager.
It creates an impression that you are too overly enthusiastic about the job and the hiring manager will think that a candidate is an overbearing person. Try to be as calm as possible and slowly ask what all doubts that you have.
Make sure you have an informative interview, instead of a rushed interview. Do not intimidate the interviewer by asking such questions, they might mistake your enthusiastic behavior for being too overconfident.
3. Being too needy:
Keep in mind that while attending an interview, many candidates are in the necessity of a job. Also, keep in mind that a recruiter does not hire a person who only needs a job. Do not try to be too desperate about getting the job.
Try to keep your cool and let the interviewer know that you enjoy what you do and the position that you have applied helps you to reach your goals and aspirations. Most of the employers will ask you why you want this job. The success of the interview lies in how you answer the question.
The best method is to answer in such a way that shows them that you are not needy for the position. Also, do not try to beg the recruiter in helping you get the position. This is forbidden irrespective of the type of interview.
If you fail to follow this, you will be kicked out of the selection process. Keep in mind that there are many chances out there and that this is just a stepping stone to achieve your goal. Try to be confident, even if you think that you might not get the job.
4. When you become talkative:
Try not to talk too much about your personal life. Know what to speak and what not to. If you are an individual that talks a lot, then try to refrain from talking too much during the interview.
Only include points and facts that are needed for the questions asked. Talking too much will make the recruiter feel intimidated. They might think that you are not suitable for the organization.
Also, talking too much can disrupt the balance of the office environment and its work culture and can also disturb the other employees. Most employers want workers who can show what they are capable of through their work instead of people who just talk.
Try to avoid talking about your experiences and your daily life, unless specifically asked. Talking too much can make the interview lengthy and this will make the recruiting manager bored and uninterested in the interview.
5. Trying to be too negative:
Many hiring managers try to bait the candidates in encouraging them to talk negatively about their previous jobs, colleagues and their circumstances. Do not try to fall into their trap.
This is just a test to measure your emotional quotient and how much you cope with the stressful office life. Anyone who complains a lot is looked down upon by many. No employer wants an employee who will just spread toxicity and negativity in the office.
People who are pessimists indirectly and passively affect other employees and also affect their performance and output. Also, pessimist people are seen as dishonest and untrustworthy when compared to their optimistic counterparts.
A negative approach to things won’t help you to reach anywhere on the corporate ladder. Try to ensure that you face the challenges with a positive approach and try to solve them with satisfying results. Many employers want workers who can face a challenge head-on and overcome the associated obstacles.
6. You take questions too seriously and literally:
Many candidates take the questions asked by the interviewer literally and do not think about the context of the question and think why such a question was asked.
This tactic uses by many hiring managers and recruiters to check whether the candidate is thinking about a situation in all its aspects and whether he/she is taking consideration of both sides of the coin.
One of the most common questions asked to a majority of candidates is how they feel about working in a team consisting of members of varying ages. Before answering the question as it is, try to think what the interviewer is hoping to get as an answer.
Try to form a good answer based on that. Many candidates simply answer in such a way that they portrayed as a team player, but in reality, the hiring manager wants to see whether the candidate exploits his power while working in the team and ridicule or go against his juniors and seniors. Try to think about how you can answer such questions with the correct amount of subtlety.
7. When you are not relying too much on:
Interviews should always be an interactive experience and cooperation should be provided from both the sides of the employee and the candidate. Always consider the ratio of how much you are talking when compared to how much the interviewer is talking.
Make sure that there is always either a 60:40 or a 70:30 split, with the candidate on the higher side. There are many ways in which you could deliver a satisfying answer:
- Try not to answer questions with just a single syllable of a “yes” or “no”. Try to state examples where you have faced a tough circumstance, what all actions you took, how it was received by other colleagues and what was the final result of the measures you took. At the same time try to be focused on the interview and do not try to lose the aim of the question that was asked.
- Try not to get too tensed and ramble too much when answering questions. Do not mumble too much and add long and awkward pauses while answering. This makes the interview unamusing for the interviewer.
- They often add questions for the hiring managers to answer. They go astray from the main topic and just state some random facts and experiences, irrespective of the main question asked.
8. When you panic too much:
Try not to seem too panicked with an attitude and desperation that you could face any challenges coming your way. This is not good behavior especially in front of the interviewer. This is where your resume and your CV comes into play.
Try to persuade the interviewer into thinking that you are a capable person and that you are not a one-hit-wonder. Try to achieve a balance while interacting with the interviewer. Too much pressure and stress from your side of the conversation will scare the interviewer and you will be deemed unfit for working in the company.
In every interview, it’s inevitable for the candidate to panic and stressed but, make sure that this panic and nervousness do not take over the whole interview. Make sure you confront your fears and answer questions with confidence, surety, and ease.
9. Focusing too much on yourself:
It is a known fact that an interview is a place where the focus is on you and only you. But, keep in mind that the interview should not only be about you. Try to consider various other factors such as the clients, customers, the company and also your peers and colleagues.
Make the impression that you are always caring for others and at the same time meeting the needs and requirements of the company. Every employer wants an employee who can juggle between the work cultures, the customers and still can meet the aim of the company.
Give a positive impression of the whole situation. Sell your talents to the employer and make sure that they do not feel any regret in hiring you.
10. Being too honest:
Everybody knows that there are an upside and a downside to every situation. While preparing for an interview, make sure you have a mental filter that filters out the negative aspects of the situation.
This does not mean that you have to present yourself as a ball of sunshine. You should have a subtle amount of honesty, just enough not to offend the interviewer. Try not to be too cutthroat about what is asked.
Try to rehearse beforehand on what to say and what not to say. Being too honest can create a feeling of tension between the candidate and the interviewer and this might even make the interview start on a wrong foot.
Preparing for an interview requires a good amount of hard work, strategy, and luck. Make sure you have a clear mind before attending the interview. Try to practice interview questions and answers, either by yourself by looking into a mirror, or with the help of a friend.
Proper practice and preparation will help you solve half of the problems that arise during an interview. Also, do not try too hard and exert yourself for only a single interview. This normally sees as a form of desperation from the candidates’ side. Taking an interview can also lead to backfiring your chances of selection for the job. Try to keep your calm and be cool for the interview.
