You’re feeling good today because you were invited to an interview. You feel even better because you know that you have the perfect skills and experience; plus, you’ve already prepared a list of questions and answers. However, once you get to the interview, you did some small thing that irritated the interviewer. You can prevent this from happening by learning about the following common interviewer pet peeves.
1. Smells: Too Much Is Never Good
You don’t want to smell bad in an interview, but you also don’t want to smell too good. We have no way of knowing what scents the other person likes or dislikes. The best way to avoid getting on the nerves of an interviewer because of perfume or cologne is to use a very subtle scent or not use one any all.
2. Communication: Too Little
Always remember that an interview is a conversation; it’s not a lecture where only one person talks. Both parties have to speak their minds to get a better idea of each other. It can be annoying for an interviewer when an applicant does very little talking. You have to do your fair share of talking if you want to be seriously considered for the position.
3. Communication: Too Much
You have to find the right balance in the amount of time you talk in the interview. You don’t want to talk too much or too little, so focus on getting to the point in order to get the idea across. You don’t have to recite a speech for the interviewer to understand your point.
4. Lack of Confidence
There are times when applicants are intimidated by the situation and they don’t have the necessary confidence to show that they’re really up to par. For an interviewer to feel comfortable about hiring you, you have to show confidence.
5. Averting Your Eyes
Your nonverbal communication is as important as your verbal communication. Lack of eye contact, slouching, and other signs of poor nonverbal communication should always be avoided.
6. Slang and Street Talk
When you go to an interview, people advise you to be yourself. However, if you “be yourself” to the point of using slang or informal language, you might find yourself out the door quicker than you expected. Therefore, always keep professionalism in mind when you go to an interview.
7. Deception
There are people who are so used to lying that even when applying for a job, they tend to lie about details. Lying or deceiving is a major turnoff for any employer, no matter how small it may seem.
Sometimes it’s not your answers that cause you to fail at an interview. It might simply be something you’re doing that’s irritating the interviewer. Take action today so that the interviewer pet peeves won’t impede your job search anymore.
