This post is all about interview mistakes we make, and how to avoid them.
We’ve all gotten rejected from a job. The easy thing to assume is there was someone more qualified, or maybe they just didn’t see how perfect you were for the position! The truth is, you might’ve been a great candidate, but ruined your chances by making a simple mistake.
Interview mistakes are common, and easy to avoid if you know how to prepare.
Interview Mistakes
1. Not sending thank you email
Anytime you’ve had a networking call or interview, it’s great to follow up with a thank you email! Of course, you’ll likely have already thanked them for their time during your meeting, but it stands out to show your appreciation.
It is quite common to send thank you’s, so if you’re one of several candidates and you didn’t follow up, it may show you aren’t as interested in the role.
A standard thank you email could go as follows:
Dear [name],
Thank you again for taking the time to speak with me today!
It was great to meet you and learn more about the role.
Thank you again for your consideration, and opportunity to join your team.
I look forward to hearing from you.
All the best,
[your name]
2. Answering questions too quickly
Out of all of these interview mistakes, this would probably be the most common. In our prep we tend to work ourselves up, and start answering right away.
When you’re being interviewed it’s important that you don’t jump to an answer too quickly!
It’s the worst feeling when you start your sentence, and forget what the question was. Avoid this by taking a few seconds to gather your thoughts and form your answer.
3. Not asking questions at the end
At the end of an interview, you’ll get the chance to ask them a few questions. Don’t waste this!
The questions you ask can help you stand out from the rest of the candidates.
Of course if you have basic questions, ask! But don’t leave it there. Everyone will be asking the classic “when will I be hearing back?”.
The question period at the end of an interview should be about them, and the company. Not about what they can give you (like salary, vacation etc.).
Try and come up with some thoughtful questions before the interview so you’re ready. Come up with at least 3, so you have backups if something is answered during the interview.
Good examples are:
- What do you like about working at [company name]?
- What are qualities in previous candidates that have been successful in this role?
- Is there anything about me that you’re unsure about that I can provide more clarification on?
4. Not preparing
Prep, prep, and more prep! Interview prep is the key to feeling confident.
The Twenty Thrive Interview Playbook is a great resource to compile your experiences to reference them when getting ready for your next interview.
If you’re looking for some practice questions, Glassdoor is a great resource. Under each company profile, there are tabs for jobs, salaries, and interviews.
The interviews tab will show you reviews from past candidates. It covers the interview difficulty, if they got an offer, and an overall review of their experience.
The best part? They also include a section for the kinds of questions they were asked.
As you scroll through, you’ll be able to compile a list of common questions that have been asked that you can prepare for.
Note: be sure to check the date of the review! Pay most attention to newer reviews since they’ll be more relevant to the company now.
5. Inappropriate clothing
Jeans, spaghetti straps, sandals… you can leave those at home.
An interview is your first opportunity to make an impression, so make it a good one! I find it easiest to have a staple interview outfit that looks good and is comfortable, and just use it for all interviews!
It makes your life easy, and you don’t have to invest in so many pieces (for allll the interviews you’re gonna get!!).
6. Speak negatively of your last job
The question comes up - why are you looking for a new job? If you’re applying for your first full time job this isn’t too hard to answer, but if you’re sussing out other opportunities while currently employed you’ll need to practice what you want to say.
Avoid bad mouthing the last place you worked. While the reason might be that your manager is a nightmare and you can’t take it anymore, it’s best to leave that out.
A new company will be cautious about hiring someone who speaks so openly about a negative experience at a workplace.
Spin everything in an interview toward the positive. Focus on answers like “desire to learn more, and don't have any more room to grow”, or you’re “looking for a new challenge”.
This is likely to be a question that will come up often, so come up with how you want to present the reason for your job hunt.
7. Oversharing
This one I pulled from my experience as a hiring manager - don’t overshare. It’s easy to say you won’t, but sometimes when you get rambling and forget what the question is, you can start to expand on your life a little *too* much.
It’s okay to be honest, but remember to keep it professional!
8. Unstructured answers
Have you ever answered a question and gone on a trip through your brain, and completely forgotten what the question was in the first place? It’s the worst.
This lines up with the earlier point of not jumping to your answer right away. Take a few seconds and think about what the question is asking.
It can be easy to start rambling and forget what you were even answering in the first place. The risk is that you don’t end up answering the question, and you also probably said the same thing 5 times in different words.
If you find yourself in this situation - ask for them to repeat the question! It’s worse than not answering at all.
To avoid this from happening, it comes back to practice. You don’t need (and shouldn’t) just memorize answers, but you should remember the key points you want to mention, and use them as a map.
Know where you want to start, what you want them to know, and how you’re going to show them that before you anwer.
This also gives the interviewer more concrete information to take note of while you’re talking, and also way easier to follow!
9. Not researching the company
Always, always look into the company you’re interviewing at.
Check their facebook page, linkedin, instagram, and most importantly - the website! You can get a ton of information from these sources, and depending on the company, one may be more appropriate than another.
At the bare minimum, be sure to understand the primary offering of the company, and their core values.
10. Not networking within the company you’re applying to
This ties into the above point. Do your research! Talk to people who currently work at the company to see what it’s like and what to expect.
This also helps give you insight if the company would be a good fit for you.
11. Not following up
It takes time to fill a role and get through all candidates, so it might take some time to hear back from the company you interviewed for.
Don’t panic and follow up three days after your interview!! Wait at least one week before reaching back out.
It’s a simple “hi hello I’m still interested!” to show them you want the job and are anxious to hear back.
Here’s a basic template you can use:
Dear [hiring manager’s name],
I just wanted to follow up on the role of [role] that I interviewed for on [date of interview].
I am very interested in the position, and look forward to hearing back from you.
Thank you again for the opportunity!
All the best,
[your name]
You don’t need anything more than that! It’s really just a reminder and will set you apart from other candidates if it’s a close decision!
Wrapping it up
When it comes down to it, finding a job you like is hard, and interviewing is even harder. Make things easier on yourself by spending enough time preparing! Know the potential mistakes you could make and be careful to avoid them.
Good luck to all my job hunters out there!
This post is all about interview mistakes we make, and how to avoid them.
What do you do to avoid making interview mistakes? Comment below!
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