1. Not preparing
This is probably the No. 1 mistake most job candidates make:
They show up for the interview without thoroughly preparing in the days before.
Preparation doesn't mean a quick skim of the job description and a glance at
the employer's website; it means at least several hours spent thinking through
likely questions and practicing your answers to them, as well as thinking back
on specific examples you can pull from your past to illustrate how you've
excelled in previous jobs.
2. Not researching your
interviewer
A quick glance on LinkedIn might give you advance warning
that your interviewer used to work with that old boss who hated you, meaning
you won't be caught off guard if asked about it in the interview. Or simply
reading your interviewer's bio on the company website might tip you off that
she has a background in the software you used to work with and you might get a
lot of questions on that.
3. Being late
You might think that you're playing it safe by leaving for
your interview a few minutes earlier than you need to. But hit a traffic
accident and that buffer will fly out the window, which means you could end up
arriving late. When you're heading out to an interview, it's smart to give
yourself a huge buffer--meaning an hour or so--because it's nearly impossible
to recover from being late for an interview. You can always kill the extra time
in your car or a nearby coffee shop if you arrive early.
4. Wearing the wrong
outfit
In most industries, you should wear a suit to a job interview.
(IT is sometimes, but not always, an exception.) It doesn't matter if your
interviewers are more casually dressed themselves; wearing a suit, as the
candidate, is still an expected convention typically. But aside from picking
out the right clothes, you also need to make sure that you look polished and
groomed--that your clothes fit you well, that your hair is neat and in place,
that your makeup is professional and not heavy-handed. It's also key that you
feel comfortable in whatever you're wearing; you don't want to be constantly
adjusting your neckline or fidgeting with your cuffs.
5. Not being ready to
talk about salary
Job seekers are often more uncomfortable with conversations
about salary than anything else, and as a result, they often don't prepare for
how they'll handle questions about it. This is a huge disservice to yourself.
If salary does come up and you try to wing it, you're likely to end up with
less money in your offer than if you were prepared. So don't leave it to
employers to manage salary discussions for you; do your research and thinking
ahead of time so that you can field salary questions confidently.