Interview deal breakers

As a Recruitment company we have seen it all. You will be surprised of some interview stories we have. We will of course include some funny stories from our own experience. There are many things that can be an immediate deal breaker during an interview, but there are a few things that top the “not to do” list.

Interview deal breakers or better said, ways how not to get the job. If you are about to interview, we would advice to keep reading.

Coming unprepared

Going to an interview without having done any research about the company you are interviewing at, the role itself or the people you are interviewing with is quite a deal breaker. You’ll be one step behind from the moment you walk in. While you should be a step ahead and have done your research.

Arriving late and no shows

Not being prepared is bad, but being late or even worse not showing up at all is a pretty big deal breaker. Being late to an interview with no explanation or without emailing or calling ahead to say you are running late will make the best candidates not get the job. It’s just a very bad start of the interview. And as we all know; first impressions are key. It just doesn’t look good and might set the record for you being late on a daily basis.

If you are running late at least apologize for the inconvenience, call to let them know you are late and maybe try to re-schedule.

Eating and chewing

It happens an awful lot that you quickly take some chewing gum before the interview but then forget to take it out.  Avoid chewing or eating anything during the interview. If you get offered a coffee, tea or water during the interview that is of course no problem.

Keep it polite

Using swear words is of course a no-go. Even if the environment feels very relaxed and informal, always stay away from using the f-bomb and other swearing words. Also keep in mind to not start bad-mouthing your old company. You might have nothing good to say about your previous company but it’s important to not talk about this during the interview.

Filler words

It’s very common to use many filler words when answering questions. Interviewing can be stressful and when feeling nervous you quickly start to use words like “um”. It’s better to take a pause and not say anything at all than saying “um” all the time. Also avoid ending sentences with “like”.

Not asking questions

We tell candidates to always ask some questions at the end of the interview. We also heard many times the questions “why ask questions, if I don’t have any?”. It’s important to ask questions because it shows interest. Prepare around 3 to 5 questions before the interview, even if you are not that fussed to actually get the answer. We actually had candidates being rejected for jobs because they didn’t ask any questions during the interview.

No excuses for this one, really. After all, we did write an article about questions to ask during an inteview

Not dressed appropriately

You would think that dressing smart for an interview speaks for itself. Wrong! It really doesn’t. Wearing your best suit doesn’t mean wearing your best tracksuit… yes this really happened.

We always speak to candidates about what to wear but surprisingly we have seen very interesting outfits come across. We thought the tracksuit topped it, but we have seen very tight white skinny jeans, skype interviews in PJ’s and picking up a skype interview call in the shower… well that is basically not dressed at all.

Getting to personal

Building report with the recruiter or hiring manager during the interview is important. You want to show why you are the right candidate for the job and this is not just about technical skills. Sharing some information about your hobbies and personal life is not a problem, but know where the limit is. Don’t get to personal and in-depth. The interviewer doesn’t need to know about you going through heartbreak, divorce etc. This is basically too much information.

Also, avoid flirting or touching your interviewer. A little touch on the leg after you made a funny joke can make a perfectly fine interview awkward very quickly.

Now you know what not to do, we also wrote a blog about what you should do. Read how to attend an interview here

Do you have a funny interview story? Share it with us in the comments