Five Common Interview Mistakes

Online, September 10, 2009 (Newswire.com) - Interviews can be the most frustrating part of the job searching process. Here are five key mistakes every interviewee needs to avoid:

1. Lack of Preparation: The importance of being prepared is one the most obvious but most commonly made mistakes when interviewing. Confidence is essential, but overconfidence is one of the primary reasons candidates fail to prepare for the interview. A candidate should know what the position requires, how his or her background and qualifications match the requirements, current events of the company to ask about during the interview, etc. If the position is worth interviewing for, it's worth preparing for.

2. Elaborating on Answers to Questions: Generally speaking, a candidate's answers to questions during the interview should be concise and complete... but not too wordy. Sharing a relevant job related experience is fine, but elaborating too much can "muddy up the waters". This is usually due to nervousness on the part of the interviewee which is normal, but this can oftentimes impact the interview in a negative way. If one finds themselves getting in "too deep" on an answer, it can help to find a way to quickly tie in what is being said at that moment with the beginning of the answer and stop it right there.

3. Not Elaborating Enough on Answers to Questions: Just as it's possible to elaborate too much during an answer, a candidate can also elaborate too little. Anyone who has been the interviewer has a story about an interviewee with one or two word answers to every question. This can be very irritating to the interviewer and can end up feeling more like an inquisition rather than an interview. If a candidate finds him or herself having difficulty elaborating on a question, it helps to try and tie in a concise experience relevant to the question to share.

4. Speaking Ill of Past Employers: If a candidate had a bad experience with a past employer, it is often due to some manner of differences or conflicts with management. Bear in mind that the majority of interviewers are themselves managers of some type and speaking ill of past employers will likely result in the interviewer trying to understand the side of management in the situation rather than the side of the interviewee. This is not to say that one should be dishonest about the relationship, but choosing words wisely is imperative in these situations.

5. Being Dishonest: Its common sense that is quite often not common practice. In our current job market, there are more people looking for jobs than there are jobs. Every aspect of the interview process is subject to verification from the resume to statements during the interview. Framing situations in the best light is acceptable as long as it is honest. For example, if there is a lapse in employment on a candidate's resume, a well framed (but honest) explanation of the events surrounding it could be completely acceptable. However, if the same candidate chooses to inaccurately record start and end dates on his or her resume... that is dishonest and completely unacceptable.

About the Author:
Michael Powless is a content author for CareerReady Academy. CareerReady Academy is an online career preparation service provided to students at client colleges and schools of Career Service Solutions, Inc. Career Service Solutions, Inc. is the nation's leading career services outsourcing company for colleges and schools.

For more information about CareerReady Academy or Career Service Solutions, Inc. go to:
http://www.placestudents.com or email the author at [email protected]