At a job interview, you are actually selling yourself. But while doing so, it’s easy to make mistakes and put off the interviewer.
The interviewer or the hiring manager has a crucial job to do – choose the most suitable candidates for the advertised job position. Therefore, they’ll always ask questions, cross-examine you and find out your true character or at least the way you think about a particular workplace situation.
While you may be ready to focus on your strengths during an interview, you may not be aware of what could be considered a weakness. And if you are not, you could easily put off the interviewer and lose the job.
Given below are four surefire ways of putting off your interviewer:
#1. Trying to Show You’re a Know-it-All
You may have multiple years of working experience under the belt. You may have a wide range of potential skills as well. But it’s a huge mistake to show that you know everything.
Interviewers are looking for candidates who are ready to learn new things and grow on the job. Why would an employer want to hire a candidate who will not adapt? Of course, you should take pride in your past achievements. But that doesn’t mean that you can’t move on and learn more.
If you don’t want to put off the interviewer, never ever try to imply that you have reached the highest level of your knowledge.
#2. Trash-Talking Anyone
Interviewers or hiring managers closely watch every word that you say about supervisors and co-workers from your past job. Even if you are provoked, you should never let your guard down – unless you want to turn off the interviewer. You should avoid making sexist or racist remarks at all cost.
In short, trash-talking makes you unlikable and most interviewers filter out job applicants on these grounds.
#3. Saying You’ll Do Anything for Any Job Offer
A lot of candidates go on to say that they’ll do anything for the sake of getting a job. What does this suggest? One of these two – either you are utterly desperate or you are unaware of the job description. Whichever of these is true, the fact is that it will turn off the interviewer.
Hiring managers avoid hiring those candidates who seem to be desperate about getting the job. And they will never hire someone who doesn’t even have any idea of what the job description includes.
The best idea is to be honest about what you are skilled in and then relate those strengths to the current job offer.
#4. Asking Too Many Questions at the Wrong Time
Asking lots of wrong questions at the wrong time is yet another reason for putting off employers or hiring managers. While the interview has just started, you should never talk about money or the job position you will be offered. This tells the employer that you are not one of those candidates who will roll up their sleeves when more effort is required in the job.
Instead you should wait for the right time or seek permission before you want to ask any questions. Plus, you should not ask questions that leave a bad impression on the interviewer about your character or candidacy.
