Your resume has gotten you through the first obstacle in a job search: landing an interview. Your performance during the interview determines the next step in the process. Below are some common mistakes to avoid during the interview process that will ensure you come across as a poised professional to your potential future employer.
Tardiness
Arriving late to an interview will put a bad taste in the hiring manager's mouth. First impressions are everything, and this is a make-it-or-break-it circumstance for the vast majority of hiring managers. Always be prepared. Use Google Maps to identify the best route and leave at least a half-hour earlier than the suggested interview time. Taken into account for highway rush hour traffic or if you're going through towns, getting stuck behind a school bus. If you need to wait in your car for a few minutes, no biggie. It will give you extra time to prepare yourself rather than stress out about being late or just making it by the skin of your teeth.
Resume
We live in a day of technology and assuming the hiring manager has your resume already is a bad idea. You never know what their day is like or how many candidates they need to interview. Rather than watch them shuffle through a stack of candidates, or search through their computer, promptly providing your resume will be a good look on you for your preparedness.
Pay & Benefits
Of course, you will get to this at some point throughout the interview process, but steer clear of this on the first “meet and greet”. You and the hiring manager are both simply trying to gauge whether or not this would be fit for both of you. If you were contacted by a recruiter you can tell them what your salary requirements are in your next position and they can tell you if you are in their clients’ ballpark or not. You can also do a quick internet search and see what the general pay range is for your geographical area and experience level. Instead, ask thoughtful questions regarding the position or company itself.
Don’t lie
Naturally, you want to prove that you are the best candidate for the position. But whatever you do, don’t lie. Hiring managers may use your resume as a talking point. If you lie about something on your resume and asked to talk about it during the interview, you’ll find yourself going down a slippery slope. The more truthful you are, the easier it is the go over your background and career achievements.
On the other hand, some candidates may have solid experience but their qualifications, such as a certain level of education, might not be there. They can breeze through interviews and even receive a tentative job offer, but if something comes back iffy on your background check or if something doesn’t check out with your references, the employer can rescind the offer.
