Five Things That Will Kill a Job Interview

There's only one reason that we know of to go on a job interview - you need a job.  If you need a job, getting an interview is a crucial step.  Not to mention that with all of the candidates out there looking for a job, if you've been selected to go on a job interview, you are among the chose few.  After doing some research, we were amazed to find out the common reasons why interviews aren't successful and how easy those reasons are to fix.

Here are five things that will kill a job interview (sometimes before it's even started!):

1. Follow Up - Always follow up with the interviewer!  Once they've met with you, it's important that you follow up with them to let them know you're interested in the job.  In a recent study, 10% of employers stated that was a mistake that job candidates make.
2. Arriving Late -  You may not be familiar with the area or town where your job interview will be.  You may not be able to control a traffic accident along the way to the interview.  But you can control what time you leave and how much time you allow yourself to get there.  There are many ways to research the route you need to take an about how much travel time to allow yourself to get there.  Always leave way ahead of time so that you don't arrive late.  If you have to, give yourself an extra hour to arrive.  If you still arrive early, you can read a book or stop in to a nearby coffee shop while you wait.  Employers state that this reason alone is why close to 25% of job candidates don't get the job.
3. Cell Phones - There's no nice way to say it - turn it off!  Or better yet, leave it in your car so that it won't be a distraction.  You don't want it ringing while you're in an interview.  It's an unwelcome interruption and it makes you look very unprofessional. 
4. Not researching the company you're interviewing with - Did you know that nearly 50% of job candidates don't have a successful interview because they don't know enough about the company they're interviewing with?  If you're asked to come in for an interview, be proactive.  This could be the company you end up working for, act like you're interested in it by at least reviewing their website.  This could also provide you will some material for questions you could ask during the interview.
5. Personal Habits - While we're not here to tell you what you should or shouldn't do, there are some things that are just common sense.  Don't chew gum.  Don't over use perfumes or anything with a strong or overpowering scent.  Don't arrive hungover or even worse intoxicated.  Don't fall asleep.  Do all of these sound a bit ridiculous?  Believe it or not, these are all things that employers complain about in job candidates coming in for an interview.   

Follow the above items as well as the suggestions we've made in our posts this past week and you should have a successful job interview.  Have any other suggestions?  Please share with us in the comments below.

Is your resume keeping your from getting a job?  Contact us today for a free-10 minute consultation to see how we can help.