13 Mistakes to Avoid Making in Your First Job Interview

After applying for several jobs, you’ve finally got your first job interview invite. Most of us prepare for the interview by researching the company and updating our resumes. While preparing to ace the interview, many forget that it’s also essential to consider some mistakes many of us make during the interview.

Since it’s your first interview in the corporate world, you are bound to make mistakes. This article explores the mistakes you will likely make during your first job interview and how to avoid them.

1. Being Unprepared

After getting your first job interview invite, you must prepare yourself. You can do this by browsing several websites and reading the interview questions and answers, and try adapting the responses to the job you are interviewing for.

After preparing, you can ask a friend to quiz you and check if you have your answers in order. Alternatively, you can work with a professional who will guide you in presenting your answers skillfully.

2. Inappropriate Dressing Code

You must also research the company’s dress code and prepare the clothes you will wear for the interview. It would be unprofessional to wear jeans to an office job or be too official if you are interviewing for a fashion stylist or designer. So choose your attire based on the industry, the role, and the company dressing code.

3. Lateness

Lateness speaks a lot about your ability to manage time; every employer wants punctual employees. So, ensure you get to the interview at least 15 minutes before the scheduled time.

At the same time, please do not arrive too early as it could disrupt the hiring manager. If you get to the venue early, you can linger outside and only enter when it’s 10 or 15 minutes to the interview.

4. Checking Your Phone

It would be best if you displayed the proper interview etiquette, and checking your phone during the interview process shows disrespect to the hiring manager. It would be best to keep your phone silent before entering the interview venue to avoid distractions.

5. Lying on the Resume

Some people overcompensate for their lack of experience by lying on their resume, which could be disastrous if your potential employer finds out about it. Ensure that everything you write on your resume is truthful and accurate, as many employers usually do a background check before hiring.

It would be sad if you lost a job that you did exceptionally well during the interview because of lying about your past job experience or skills.

6. Not Knowing Information about the Company

Researching about the company you are interviewing for is the first thing you should do when preparing for your job interview. Research the role you applied for and how it impacts the company. And come up with ways with which you can help the company advance by making use of your skills and expertise.

7. Not Asking Questions

At the end of every interview, the interview panel will ask if you have any questions for them. It would be unwise not to ask a question or two as it communicates disinterest in the company. When preparing for your interview, check on what you’d like to learn about the company or the role.

8. Talkative

While it’s good to answer your interview questions exhaustively, try to stay on point and don’t take over the conversation as it seems you are showing off. The hiring manager or panel should have a mutually responsive conversation with the interviewee during an interview.

Therefore, if there are silence gaps after your answer, don’t try to fill them by talking continuously and out of context, as you might end up botching your interview. You can ask a question or wait for them to guide your conversation.

9. Focusing Mainly on the Salary

Yes, you want to get paid what you deserve. However, please do not put all the focus on the salary as it might portray you as someone only interested in the rewards rather than the job experience.

Yes, research the salary in your job bracket, but wait until the salary is brought in and then negotiate accordingly.

10. Not Communicating Your Absence in Advance

Life is full of surprises, and you might have prepared and even left your home early for the interview, but in between, things happen, and you are late. It would be prudent to communicate to the company your mishap ahead of time and ask for your interview to be pushed forward. This shows your respect for their time and an understanding hiring manager will take in your plight.

11. Talking Casually

It would be best to give interviewers respect. Greet them formally and maintain eye contact. This communicates your good manners. Only adopt a casual stance if your interviewer tells you to do so.

12. Unhygienic

Hygiene is a crucial part of the hiring process. Having messy hair or creasy clothes is unrealistic and will botch your interview. So when attending an interview, ensure you are neat, your hair combed, and your clothes are not creased. This gives your interviewers an excellent first impression.

13. Follow-Up

Many people forget to follow up after the interview or keep bombarding the hiring manager with questions about when they would get the hiring letter. Instead, you should send the hiring manager an email expressing your thanks for the interview and a follow-up after the duration in which you were to get a reply passes.

Final Thoughts

How you prepare, dress up, and answer questions during your first job interview will either be a success or failure. So, conduct your research about the company, dress code, and mock-up interviews with your friend to better prepare for the interview. Above all, avoid the above mistakes in your first job interview.