Trying to persuade an interview board to hire you is a nerve-wracking experience for the majority of people. One error and the whole experience can feel like a total nightmare. What a lot of people forget is that everyone makes mistakes. We’re only human after all. Here at Rezoomo.com, we have put together the most common mistakes that occur in interviews and how to overcome them.
Your mobile phone rings
This happens to the best of us. If your phone rings in the middle of your job interview its best deal with it as quickly as possible. This is important so you can get the conversation going again as if nothing happened. Mention that you thought you had it switched to silent before you came in and apologise. By doing this they will realise this isn’t normal behaviour by you. Make sure to get the point across that it’s inappropriate to take calls in important meetings.
You forget a word
You’re in mid-sentence then all of a sudden you can’t remember the word you want to say. If you are unsure about the word don’t try and make it up. Instead, take a breath and say “Apologies, I’m after going completely blank on the name of that marketing tool which is bizarre because I use it most weeks. However, it helped me monitor our SEO which helped us reach our sales goals”.
You Let a Swear Word Slip Out
Sometimes you can get very uptight in an interview and you let a swear word slip out. This will not go down too well with any jobs panel. Don’t panic though and try and spin it into a positive thing by saying “Sorry, I get very excited about that particular project that sometimes I let my emotions get the better of me.”
You can’t think of an answer
You can do as much preparation as you want for an interview but there is always a curve ball nearly always thrown. In this situation, it would be best take your time answering the question. Don’t be afraid to say “that’s a great question let me think about it”. Or “Do you mind If I take a second to think that through?”.
Give yourself a bit of time to compose yourself and get your thoughts together. This shows that you are taking the process very seriously and are trying your best to perform well. Don’t forget that an interview is not a timed test.
You Bad-Mouth Your Previous Employer
You more than likely didn’t mean to bad mouth your previous employer, but it happens. You could be asked a question like “Can you tell me about the time you led by example at work?” All of a sudden you have managed to go from answering this question really well to having a pop off your old manager for never being on time for meetings. If you manage to realise this in time that you have bad mouthed your previous employer, you need to acknowledge it and put a positive spin on it. For example. “I just realised that was very critical of me and that is not how I wanted to come across. There were many great things about working at that organisation and I learned plenty that will help me prosper in my potential new role”.
To summarise, remind yourself that the interviewers are only human at the end of the day. They might hold a high role in the company. However, they too would have come across plenty of awkward moments. So they are more than likely going to have an understanding of what you are going through and will give you an opportunity to express yourself. Try and set smaller goals for the interview. For example like making sure to get your points across concisely or try and make sure you have good body language. Focus on telling them that you’re a good fit for the position instead of trying to come across as “perfect”.
