4 Common interview mistakes to avoid

So, you’ve made it through the application process and have an interview on the books – congratulations, you’re halfway there! But when’s the last time you thought about your interview strategy? Make sure you’re not making these common mistakes that could keep you from getting the job.

Showing up late – or early. You know that it never looks good to show up late to an interview (or your shift once you get the job!), so make sure you plan how you’re going to get to your interview in advance. Look up the location, and decide if you’re going to walk, bike, take public transit, or drive. Then make sure you’ve thought about other variables, like if you bike or drive, where you will park your bike or car; or if you take public transit, what the schedule is like for the day of your interview.
Believe it or not, arriving too early can also be an issue, if it causes your interviewer to have to rearrange things to try and meet with you early. If you’re more than 10 minutes early to your interview, try taking a walk around the block and relax.
Speaking poorly about your current job. Whether it’s answer a question like “why do you want to leave your current job” or just coming up in conversation, it doesn’t reflect well on you to say anything too negative about your current job. You can say it’s time for a change without dissing your job, company, or coworkers. Employers don’t want to think about what you might be saying about them one day!
Lying about your experience. Lying is never a good idea in an interview. You don’t want to end up in a job that you’re not prepared for! And worse, if an interviewer checks your references and figures out that you overstated your experience, they probably won’t offer you the job.
Not presenting yourself well. This applies to your appearance and how you carry yourself in your interview. You definitely want to let your personality shine – that’s part of what will make you stand out – but you don’t want to leave a negative impression. That means making sure you have on clean clothes similar to what you might wear on the job, and no cussing while you answer interview questions.

If you’re ready to master your interview, we’ve got plenty of tips to help you and make sure you’re ready to wow your interviewer and get the job. No need to be nervous if you’re prepared!