Don't Have a Rotten Interview: Top mistakes that you may have made to mess up an interview

Now, you have all seen the commercial where the hiring manager(Mr. Dumas) is sitting across to a prospective employee talking about his job experiences and referring to the hiring manager as Mr. Dumass as he goes on and on about how qualified he is for the position he is interviewing for. We all laugh about this, but think about when you interviewed for a job. Obviously on paper you were qualified enough to be brought in to the interview. So what kept you from getting the job? Here are some of the most common mistakes people make during an interview?

1. Dressing inappropriately. Believe it or not, the most common reason that hiring managers did not hire someone(51% of them that were interviewed) was that people were not dressed appropriately for the position that they were interviewing for.

2. Coming in a close second at 49 percent was bad mouthing a former boss. Whether you may think so or not it is a small world. You never know if the person that you are sitting across from you has some sort of connection with your former employer. Even more importantly, hiring manager just don't want to hear about this. They want to get the feeling that you are easy to get along with and will not bring in drama from high school.

3. Arrogance. Forty four percent of hiring managers said that their interviewee was too prideful and acted as if they were superior of others. Who wants someone like this working with them?

4. Coming in with over thirty percent vote; not giving enough information when answering a question. Hiring managers want to know about you, your experiences and your knowledge. If you don't give them this information, how are they going to know? Your resume is not meant to be the only source of information that your prospective employer needs to make a decision.

5.Not asking good questions. 33% or hiring managers said that the interviewee did not ask good questions. Interviewers want to see that you are interested in the job and you understand the nature of what needs to be done. When you don't ask good enough questions, you show a lack of interest and knowledge.

Now you know what not to do. What are some things that you should do?

1. Do your research. You should know what the company does, where they are headed and how they run things. If you don't know, how are you going to know if you want the job in the first place. I once spoke to a recruiter that told me that she had a top salesperson walk into an interview and he was asked what he knew about his competition. He said, "nothing," and I am telling you this story because it kept him from getting a job. Lesson learned. Do your research about the company that you are applying for and treat a job search as if it is a job.

2. TELL THE TRUTH! Don't lie during an interview. It will eventually catch up with you. Another way to answer a question that you don't know is to explain how you would go about and find an answer or think of a solution. This shows your creativity and problem solving skills.

3. Be professional. You are looking to get a job not drinking beer with the guys. Speak properly and do not use bad language and keep from getting too personal. No one wants to know about your baby's daddy serving jail time, and that is why you need a job.

4. Learn the most basic of interview questions and be prepared for them. "What is your biggest weakness?""Tell me about yourself?""Why do you want this job?" and the dreaded why did you leave your last job?(that is why you should try and not quit a job before having a backup) Make sure that you have a pretty good idea on how you would answer these questions. They come up in almost every interview.

5. Put on a smile. Or fake it if you have to.(this one is self explanatory)

You've done it! You have finished the crash course on interview mistakes. Now look below at some things we all hope you never do during an interview.

Funny Things Not to do During an Interview

Over-emphasize your ability to use a copier.

Ask if it's O.K. that you sit on the floor.

Allow that you would have little impact on the overhead budget, because you swiped all the supplies from your other job.

Although parking is free, insist that they validate something or you're not leaving.

Mention your resume would have been stronger, but you didn't feel like making anything else up.

Ask the secretary if she'll sit on your lap during interview.

Walk into interviewers office with a tape measure, measure office from a few angles, put away, declare; 'NOW we can begin.'

When making small talk and the Simpson trial comes up, shout, "You mean Homer and Marge are in some kind of trouble?", and run out of the room.

Sniff two of your fingers hold out toward interviewer, ask; 'smell these, these smell funny to you???'

Upon walking in to the office for first time ask reception to hold all your calls.