Common Interview Pitfalls

Lack of Integrity

• Lack of eye contact
• Vague and evasive answers
• Lack of tact and diplomacy
• Lies about past achievements
• Lies about career history
• Exaggeration about present remuneration
• Making claims to unearned glory
• Making contradicting claims
• Low moral standards

Poor Attitude
• Unprepared for the meeting
• Lack of interest or enthusiasm for the job
• Failure to ask questions about the job and/or the company
• Overemphasis on remuneration rather than showing interest in the position
• Arrogant -  “I am the best”, “I know it all’ conceited attitudes
• Unrealistic and not down to earth
• Argumentative, aggressive, unfriendly, unapproachable
• Adopting a casual and informal attitude
• Getting too comfortable and carried away

Poor Professional Ethics
• Late for the interview
• Bad mouthing of past employers
• Divulging trade secrets of previous employers
• Showing disrespect for the interviewers

Poor Presentation
• Limp handshake
• Lack of confidence
• Poor grooming and personal hygiene
• Poor sitting posture

Poor Communication
• Inability to express ideas clearly – serious grammatical errors
• Talking too little
• Talking too much
• Long winded – failure to come straight to the point