Mistakes in the interview room are

commonplace. So, as part of your

interview preparation, it’s vital to

understand what the most common

interview mistakes are, in order to

avoid making them yourself.

Here are the six common interview

mistakes you need to be wary of.

6 COMMON INTERVIEW MISTAKES TO AVOID

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You can look up your route the night

before, leave early, and still turn up

late due to unexpected delays.

To avoid this, practice your route

beforehand and aim to get to the

interview location about 45 minutes

before the interview is scheduled to

start.

Make sure you’re sat in the

reception of the company building

at least 15 minutes before the

interview.

1. Arriving late

Once you arrive, you will come

across many of your potential new

colleagues; whether it’s in the

elevator on the way up, whilst

you’re sat in reception or walking

through the corridor on the way to

the interview room.

Don’t forget to at least smile at

everyone you walk past. Often, the

hiring manager will ask these

people for their first impression of

you. A positive answer can work in

your favour.

2. Ignoring everyone besides

the interviewer

When asked what you know about

the organisation, avoid simply

reciting the ‘about us’ section of the

company’s website. Instead, use

other sources during your research

such as social media updates, case

studies and press releases to build

your knowledge.

Talk about your findings in your own

words during the interview. This will

demonstrate that you have made a

conscious effort to understand the

business and are genuinely

interested in the opportunity.

3. Reciting the company

website

Have a structure in your mind for

your interview answers and use the

STAR technique when answering

competency based questions.

Practice answering some interview

questions using this framework.

Sticking to a loose structure for each

of your answers will stop you from

going off on a tangent during your

interview and help you keep the

attention of the interviewer.

4. Rambling on

During the interview, certain

questions can prompt candidates to

speak negatively about themselves

or their previous company, whether

it’s answering the question “why are

you looking to leave your current

employer?” or “Tell me about a time

you failed”

Research which tricky interview

questions you might be asked, and

practice phrasing your answers

positively.

5. Speaking negatively

One of the biggest gripes for a

hiring manager is a candidate who

doesn’t have anything to ask at the

end of the interview.

Before your interview, prepare

a number of questions to ask your

interviewer, but listen out for

answers to these during the

interview, and have some spare

questions up your sleeve.

6. Not asking questions at

the end of the interview

Hopefully this preparation will prevent

you from making a mistake during

your interview.

If you do make a mistake, don’t

panic. This doesn’t mean you have

ruined your chances, and at the very

least, you have learnt a valuable

lesson for next time.

Read more interview tips on our

careers blog, Viewpoint:

• How to interview confidently

against the competition

• How to use your EQ to ace that

interview

• Change your thinking and calm

your interview nerves

ABOUT HAYS

Hays is a leading global

professional recruiting group, the

expert at recruiting qualified,

professional and skilled people

worldwide.

With 10,000 staff operating from

250 offices in 33 countries across

20 specialisms, last year we placed

around 70,000 candidates into

permanent jobs, and around

240,000 people into temporary

assignments.

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