A Million ways to not get a job ! (Part 3- The Interview)

There are many helpful articles written on how to get a job that list down all the things that a job seeker would have to do to get responses and ultimately perhaps land a job. However, there are far more things that job seekers do that will guarantee that they will never get even a reply, let alone a job, no matter how long they go at it. I thought it would be instructional to list some of these down. Do note that these are based on actual situations that I come across every single day. For the sake of convenience, I have listed them under the following major activities.

CV Preparation

The Approach

The Interview

Offer acceptance & beyond

Now that all the hard work has been done and one has received the all important interview email, here are 10 ways to completely blow the opportunity beyond salvage.

1. When an interview is scheduled, asking for a different date because Tuesdays is gym day and one does not want to miss out on it
2. Not turning up for the interview ! Remember the 3 "S"s of an interview, shower, shave and show up ?
3. Going late and not bothering to even phone in. The client calls the recruiter who frantically calls the candidate only to find that the candidate is somewhere close to the venue but is not sure how long he/she is going to take to reach.
4. Street clothes, no matter how trendy are not acceptable unless you are applying for the position of a municipal dog catcher.
5. Not doing any research on the company and position applied for and worse still, trying to wing it or (gasp !) improvise
6. Forgetting what is on the CV, especially the dates of the assignments and contradicting everything that is already committed to, on the CV.
7. Annoying nervous behavior, constantly shifting position, looking distinctly uncomfortable, inability to make eye contact and not listening intently to the interviewer, interrupting the other person, being argumentative or being too patronizing will all help in chucking the interview.
8. When asked about short term and long term goals, long winded and fantastical explanations will surely lead to a quick exit (see illustration above)
9. Not able to provide logical explanations for issues such as gaps in employment, reasons for leaving previous gigs, job hopping, lack of stability, lateral movements without any growth, shifting between job types will raise doubts in the minds of the interviewers.
10. When asked for the expectation from salary, quoting a ridiculous figure that is not at all proportionate to either the market rate or one that is commensurate with one's own experience and skills. Being bold and asking for an ambitious salary is one thing but to go overboard and making a mockery of the negotiation process is another thing altogether.

Next week: Offer Acceptance & Beyond