25 Ways to Sabotage Your Job Search: The Interview

Guest Post by Kristyn L. Graham 

The interview

11. Showing up late

Nobody likes to be kept waiting, especially hiring managers evaluating whether or not you would make a good employee. 

12. Dressing for the wrong job

Your interview attire should match the dress code of the company, or be one step up. If the office dress code is business casual, wearing jeans and a T-shirt won't work in your favor. On the other hand, if you're told dress is casual, you'll stick out if you show up wearing a double-breasted suit. 

13. Not asking questions

When the interview comes to a close, the hiring manager will undoubtedly ask if you have any questions for him or her. Not asking anything is the equivalent of saying, "I don't care all that much about the job." 

14. Badmouthing a former boss

When you talk to hiring managers about a previous employer, you're also talking about them. The way you talk about a previous employer is how interviewers think you'll talk about them in the future, so keep it civil.  

15. Not paying attention

Another way to show you don't care much about the job is to get distracted. Answering your phone, sending texts or digging through your bag tells the interviewer that your focus is anywhere except on the interview. 

16. Not researching the position

Your chief objective in an interview is convincing the hiring manager you're the best candidate for the job. How can you prove your qualifications if you don't have an idea of what skills you're expected to have and what your responsibilities will be? 

17. Not researching the company

Employers want to know that your motivation for work is more than a paycheck. If you demonstrate that you know something about the company's history, its goals and its culture, you prove you want to be a part of the company. 

18. Forgetting common etiquette

Don't cuss, chew gum, burp, take off your shoes, forget to shower or do anything else that's not appropriate in a business setting. Don't give the interviewer a reason not to hire you. 

19. Forgetting you're being interviewed from the moment you walk in

Just because you're not sitting down at a desk across from the hiring manager, don't think you're not being evaluated. For example, employers will often ask their receptionists if you were nice them. Even if your interview involves lunch or dinner, you're trying to get a job, not show off your ability to down tequila shots.

20. Bringing up salary too soon

A rule of thumb is that you should never bring up pay; let the hiring manager do it. Of course employers are aware that you want to know about the salary, so they will bring it up when the time is right. Appearing too concerned with money suggests you aren't passionate about the position or the company.

Invest in Yourself

Whether you are one of the recent downsized employees who have lost a job due to this ongoing recession or if you are someone who is experiencing some level of frustration in their current job and is considering a career transition, the time is now to begin investing in yourself and your future. 

After spending a month or so feeling sorry for myself after the company that I once worked for radically restructured the organization, costing several middle managers their jobs including my own, I soon realized that the new home and new car that I had recently purchased were simply not going to pay for themselves and if I wanted to get out of that mess, it would take a lot of faith and a new direction.

Although I needed some time to regroup, I eventually was blessed to accept three different employment opportunities, although not all at the same time. The first two were in education and the other was in retail. However, it was during my experience in education that something clicked, and I became inspired to go back to school and obtain my doctorate to prepare for my next career as a college professor. 

For me, the timing and the situation presented itself and I took advantage of the opportunity. For you, it may not be a doctorate, but it can be something that can alter the rest of your life. All that you have to do now is determine what is it that brings you enough joy and fulfillment that you can use to make a difference, make an impact, and not only change your life, but possibly even impact someone else’s in the process.

Consider your current situation. If you are currently unemployed, then you probably have a little time on your hands. Take advantage of this time, and use it wisely to invest in yourself. Invest in the possibility that you have a purpose, you have a destiny and perhaps at this moment you have been given an opportunity to rediscover what makes you tick and what is it that would bring satisfaction back to your life. Don’t look at unemployment as the worst thing that could happen, consider it an opportunity to redirect your life towards the career that you always wanted by providing you with the time to prepare for it. 

When we invest in ourselves we can invest in the possibility of a lifetime career, one that you can’t be downsized from, one that you won’t hate going to, and one that reflects your authentic self, one that represents who you could be in a new business venture. Perhaps starting a new business is worth considering.  Now I realize that starting a new business may not be for everyone, but whatever the future holds for you, take advantage of this time to discover it.
 

Trust me when I say, I realize that not knowing where your next paycheck will come from is scary, I’ve been there and done that. But with faith and a new perspective it can make all the difference in the rest of your life.