10 Things NOT To Do In a Job Interview

1. DON'T Be Late!

There is no excuses to be late on your interview. You are giving a bad picture of yourself if you are late from a job interview - how can they know that you would be on time if you got the job, that's what they are thinking. be 10-30 minutes too early, wait in the lobby or near by, but make sure you are not late for one second.

2. DON'T Stress It Too Much

A Job Interview can be a stressful event, you are getting in front of possibly more experienced people, in plural and you are by yourself there. These people are going affect to your future about this recruiting process, will you get on the next round or even be hired!

A little bit stress if fine, but too much stress will affect you negatively, you could shake, sweat, stutter and feel like you are in a hurry. Some amount of stress if fine and experienced recruiter will see through that and undestand that this can be more stressful situation than meetings with the team.

Chill. Remember that they are people too, take your time, don't rush your answers, think about it as a situation where you are just about to get to know each other. If you are not sure will you handle the situation, train with your friends or hire a mentor.

3. DON'T Ask Boolean Questions

When you have questions, don't ask boolean questions. Questions where the answer can be yes or no are bad, because it feels like you don't actually know how to google and how to ask proper questions.

Ask for example how the company helps to train and maintain their employees competence, or how the interviewer thinks their company differs from the competitors as a workplace and by what they are offering for clients. It doesn't hurt to ask something they don't know the answer right away, because then you might give a feeling that you are a professional who cares about where he is going to be working.

4. DON'T Lie About Anything

First of all, don't lie in your resume nor CV. Don't say that you are expert on something that you are not - it will bite you in the ass sooner or later, always. Don't fake your experience or former employers and roles either.

When they are asking questiongs during the interview, for example the different kind of techs, don't tell them you know the tech if you don't. Honesty is highly valued, and often tested during the interview - and remember, interviewers are not stupid, they will see through you.

It's better to say if you don't know the answer, but you can still be verbose and tell if you know at least something about it or something similar tech you are familiar with.

5. DON'T Give Short Answers - be verbose

Yes. No. I don't know. Maybe. Try yourself to get some kind of image of someone answering to your questions this way. Many times it's not about the actual answer that matters, it's more about how you handle the situation, what is your thought process and if you don't know what you could actually do in an imaginary situation. Actually you can even ask from the interviewer the answer and most likely they will give it to you.

It's about conversation and being able to express yourself.

6. DON'T Speak Ill of a Former Employer

You might be asked about why you are leaving the current employer - and let me warn you here, this is a danger zone. If you are not getting along with the people in the current company, or they are not paying salaries on time or what so ever negative reason, don't talk bad about your former employer, nor don't spread rumors. It's unprofessional and gives a feeling that you might do same thing about your new employer.

You Can Be Diplomatic Though

What you can do, is to be diplomatic about it. "Our goals in the long run didn't meet", "I thought it a time to try something different", "I came into a conclusion that I need something that is not available for me in the current position" and so on.

7. DON'T Overshare

In the meanwhile when honesty and openess are highly appreciated and might make you to stand out from other applicants, oversharing is not good.

Oversharing can have negative impact in many levels. One is that you might share your future plans too much and you get misunderstood and they might think that you are not going to stay long if they end up hiring you. On the otherhand oversharing might scare them - what if this applicant does same with our clients. Also oversharing can be taken as a one form of being unprofessional.

8. DON'T Be Despered

While it might be tempting to tell that this is the only position and company you applied, try to avoid that. Don't give a feeling that this is your only choice and a lot of depends on getting this job. This is not actually unprofessional necessarily, but it's more a psychological thing that makes people think twice if you are a good choice after all.

9. DON'T BE ARROGANT

When questions are shooted on your way, don't be arrogant, rude or dismissive. Be polite, answer the questions, ask them to be more spesific if needed, but don't roll your eyes on them nor their questions. It does not give a good image of you as a teammate and employee.

10. DON'T Say That You Don't Have Any Questions

In the end of the interview you are most likely asked if you have anything to ask from them. Always, I mean, Always DO. It shows that you care and that you are actually interested about this company and workplace. Asking questions is also a way to show that there is some kind of comparison and thinking happening on your end, that they have to convice you too and not just the other way around.