Nip interview bloopers in the bud

Sonya Khanna

Business Editor

The thought of conducting a job interview can an anxiety-inducing fear, evoking dribbles of sweat down your face.

Prepping for an interview may be a thorough procedure for some, involving a series of cheap viagra repetitive tasks depicting a seemingly mechanical process: research the company, conduct a mock interview, dress the part; wash, rinse, repeat. Applicants may exhaust countless resources to effectively primp for the recruiting process without any inkling of the displeasing interviewing faux pas that occur more often than not.

Monster.ca recently compiled a list of the most common interviewing peeves provided by experienced interviewers. Here’s a breakdown of all things deemed intolerable in interviews.

Tardiness:  Picture this familiar scenario: you dress to impress and encompass yourself in an aura of sheer professionalism. In your mind you have mentally checked off every important prep task, the only thing that stands between you and the job of your dreams are your godforsaken pre-interview jitters.

But what if you misplaced the directions? This common mistake can have disastrous implications that are easily avoidable if effective research and preparation is conducting before the interview.

“I once interviewed a job candidate who phoned me up ten minutes before the scheduled interview to tell me that they were lost,” says Manulife Financial employee Jennifer Ye. “They ended up going to the wrong building, in the complete opposite direction to where our office is located. I understand that extenuating circumstances will arise and we are understanding of that, but candidates should do their research and ask these questions beforehand. You should figure out directions before your interview, not ten minutes before.”

With the ease of access to the internet as well as the help of smartphones and GPS, direction blunders are easily preventable; however, if these options are not readily available there are always the tried and true option involving the old school method of using maps. Ensure that you leave enough time to account for traveling issues that may arise and arrive at least ten minutes before your interview.

Lack of Eye Contact: Eye contact is an important factor as it validates to the interviewer that you are attentive and interested in the proceedings. If you allow your eyes to wander it can be very off-putting to the interviewer and send across the notion that you are disinterested. Your eyes are extremely powerful tools, if you are uncomfortable with staring into someone’s eyes, Monster.ca suggests looking at the “third eye” just above and between the person’s two eyes.

Communication: Too much or too little, what is the happy medium? Try to stay focused and answer the specified questions. Don’t divert too far from the question at hand and attempt to wrap up answering questions in a concise manner within one to two minutes; lack of focus may result in losing the interviewer.

“When I was younger I was very intimidated by the interviewing process and I would clam up and get really flustered when I would be asked any questions,” says McMaster graduate Reva Pellerin. “Over time I learned how to make my answers more concise and relevant the question being asked and I improved on how I could relate it back to situations that I have encountered. My advice to people is to ask clarifying questions to reiterate what is being asked, this will ensure you have a good starting point and from there make sure you effectively relate it back to relevant experiences.”

Asking the interviewer follow-up questions depicts candidates as confident and also shows that they are adequately absorbing information that is being provided, not merely regurgitating textbook answers that may seem appropriate.

Body Language: Body language in another crucial aspect of the interviewing process that evokes understanding of the personality of the interviewee; it may also delve into the current state of mind of the applicant. Refrain from fidgeting distractingly whilst conducting your interview.

Constant movement is a source of distraction that suggests a lack of attention and nervousness. To appear confident and well prepared sit upright with your arms uncrossed as not to appear stand-offish. The list of dos and don’ts is endless, yet necessary.

Although hand gestures suggest confidence, overly expressive hand movements may be a source of annoyance for some interviewers. Always vocalize responses to the interviewer rather than simply expressing your emotions by responding through head movements.

Odour: Body odour, smelly breath and drenching yourself in cologne are all major interview blunders. We have all endured one or all of these at some point in our lives, or maybe on a daily basis, but proudly showcasing these wonders while conversing with an employer is frowned upon.

Brush your pearly whites prior to conducting an interview and soak your mouth in mouthwash. Tone down the unnecessary scents because although you may feel like you smell like a Greek God, I’m sure your interviewer could do without being exposed to your mysterious bodily scent.

Slang: Quite simply put, just don’t use it. Leave the ignorantly, purposefully misspelled youth lingo at home. Prospective employers surely do not have any desire to hear or see how marvellously you can distort the English language. If you use the word “sick” in its alternate slang meaning (example: “it’s so sick that I got this job interview,”), you’re probably headed in the wrong direction.

When you are conducting an interviewing you are exposing prospective employers to all aspects of you aside from the factual information plastered on your resume. It is an opportunity for you to highlight features of yourself that you feel will give you leverage in the recruiting process.

Take care in acknowledging all realms of interviewing prepping aside from merely memorizing effective responses and you will shine.