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Job interviews

Even the strongest willed person can be overcome by nerves during an interview, after all this is your chance to make a big impression and secure the job. We want it to go smoothly and not make any mistakes and show the interviewer how capable we are.

A little careful planning however beforehand can go a long way to helping you succeed during the interview, people quite often forget about the little things so here are listed the most 6 common mistakes that people make during an interview:

1. The interview is not an interrogation

Many people think of the interview process like an interrogation, this is not true. An interrogation is when a person is grilled or questioned relentlessly to find out what they know.

The interview however is a two way process, the interviewer needs to find out if you are capable and are the best person for the job but also you need to find out if the job is what you want too.

Try to think of the interview as nothing more than a business conversation between two people, where both have question and answers. More often than not the interviewer will appreciate you asking Questions rather than just sitting there.

2. Turning a weakness into something positive

The interviewer will frequently ask you about your weaknesses, most people will usually turn this around and state that they are a perfectionist, trying to turn a negative into a positive.

However the interviewer will have heard this time and time again and will not be in the least bit impressed, you are far better off telling of an area of weakness and staying what you are doing to improve in this area.

The interviewer knows that no one is perfect and doesn’t expect you to be and will be happy that you have answered honestly.

3. Failing to ask Questions

At the end of the interview the interviewer will ask if you have any questions you would like to ask, the worst thing you can do here is to reply with a simple no.

This gives the impression that you are not in the least bit interested and you gave no thought about questions to ask before hand. Before the interview give yourself plenty of time to research the company and jot down at least five questions that you can ask when the time comes.

4. Research yourself

Most people when attending interviews will research the company but completely forget about themselves, Make notes about your self and include any particular skills and achievements that you have accomplished over the years.

Think about questions you may be asked during the interview and prepare your answers, you have to be ready to back up any claims of achievements that you make.

5. Forgetting to switch off your cell phone

Most of us will admit that we couldn’t live without our cell phone but there is a time and place for them and that place isn’t in the interview room. Before you go into the interview room double check to make sure you have turned it off or at the very least put it on silent.

6. Don’t sit and wait for the call back

After the interview write a thank you letter and then forget about the interview there is nothing worse than sitting by the phone waiting for the call back. If you have been successful then you will hear about it in good time if not then give yourself a pat on the back for giving it your best shot and try again.