Wednesday, April 9, 2008

Top Ten Ways to Blow a Job Interview

Career Center - by Carie Bishop

Job interviews give you a great opportunity to evaluate a potential employer. And they’ll take a close look at you. There are sure-fire methods for completely blowing all your chances for getting the job.

Here are the top-ten:

1. Arrive late. Employers see this as a red flag that a candidate will want to work a customized, convenient schedule. Translation: slacker.

2. Skip your homework. Forgetting the names of the people you’re to meet is a killer. It’s just as bad if you haven’t researched the company’s strengths or their key business objectives.

3. Talk down your previous employers. Your prospective employer is looking at your attitude as well as your capabilities. Negativity, criticism, blame. All will get you the door.

4. Skip conventional body language. Failure to make eye contact or making continuous eye contact can put your interviewer on edge. Slouching in your seat, twirling a pen, tapping out a drum beat on the desk are show stoppers.

5. Act blasé. If you have no enthusiasm for your successes, why should they?

6. Getting down to brass tacks about money. That ought to get you back into the parking lot in short order. Save questions about perks, benefits, and vacations for a later interview or for the HR staff.

7. Live for the moment. That’s a great philosophy, but employers want to know about your goals and your plans to achieve them.

8. Ask nothing about the position. That gives employers the sense that you’re thoroughly disinterested in anything but cash.

9. Ignore your resumé. Fuzzy about the dates you attended college? Can’t remember where you worked two jobs ago? Start fishing for your car keys.

10. Dress inappropriately. Of course businesses want you to overdress in silly coats or dresses. Show up in your latest mosh-pit gear to show them the way. Yeah.