Six Things You Should Never Do in a Job Interview

Land that job without the hiccups.

This post is presented in partnership with Monash Business School.

When it comes to finding a job after high school or uni, loads of people tell you all the things you need to be doing for your CV, cover letter, and interview process, but not a lot of people tell you the things you shouldn’t be doing.

To save you the embarrassment of a dodgy job interview, we’ve partnered with Monash Business School to give you our list of the top six things you should never do during a job interview.

1. Rock up unprepared.

First up, a big no-no people do is rock up to job interviews without even researching the company, role or even job description. Reading through the job advert is not enough.

You’ve gotta look through the company’s website, follow their social media and other media channels. Learn about what they do, what their values are, and why you might want to work for them—‘cos it’ll probably get asked.

Social channels are a great way to learn what's important to a company, and how to land a job there. Plus, referring to interesting and relevant things you noticed on a company's social media channels during the interview shows research skills and initiative.

When a job is advertised on SEEK or Indeed, the employer usually attaches a document with all the job info, including requirements of the role, expectations from applicants, and requirements to apply.

If you miss all of that or don’t address it when asked in the interview, you’ll look super unprepared, and things could get awkward.

You also want to check the privacy settings of all your social platforms before you apply for any jobs. Ask yourself if you would want this content shared with the employer or your job application documents. If the answer is no, time to lock down your profile.

2. Dress inappropriately.

We all know that a job interview is when you’re meant to look your most profesh, but it counts for more than you think. Yes, even for online interviews.

Showing up to a job interview in jeans or a hoodie or not remembering to brush your hair before logging on to a zoom call are huge mistakes. 

The aim of an interview is for an employer to get their first impression of you and how you might fit into the workplace and culture.

So, if their first impression of you is that you put little effort into your appearance or appear rushed, it’s not a good look on your end.

3. Showing up late.

We get it, sometimes buses are late, traffic is busy, or you can’t find a parking spot. The annoying thing is, even if these things make you late to a job interview, it’s not a good look.

Most employers don’t want to hear reasons as to why you’re late, and if you’re running behind the first time they meet you, it can give off the impression that you’re not very punctual.

Because rocking up late isn’t always your fault, to avoid it messing with your interview, do your best to leave your house early, giving yourself at least 10 minutes of leeway.

The same goes for online interviews. Make sure you're done up and prepared before you enter the zoom call, then enter the virtual waiting room a few minutes early to avoid looking late.

4. Lying on your resume.

No matter how hard it is to find a job, the absolute last thing you can do on a job application is lie on your resume or cover letter.

If you make up a whole lot of waffle on your resume and then get asked about your experience in the interview, it suddenly becomes glaringly obvious that you’ve lied.

This is the worst because not only does it show that you actually don’t have the right experience or skills for a role, but also makes you look dishonest, which is not a trait employers are looking for.

If you have examples of professional experience that you want to showcase but can't fit on your resume, try including a portfolio or social media handles that showcase this work.

5. Being unprofessional.

This one might seem like an obvious mistake but it’s important to be conscious of your behaviours in an interview, ‘cos it’s all about your first impression.

This includes swearing, expressing poor body language, not making eye contact, rambling or being unclear in any answers you give to questions, getting way too personal, fidgeting or slouching and resting your feet up.

The same goes for communicating with the potential employer. Stick to emails, professional phone calls and LinkedIn, it's not a good look to try and message them on Facebook.

Remember LinkedIn is an online space for your 'professional self'. Keep anything you post within the bounds of your career and education or professional development.

If you come across as unprofessional, an employer may assume that you might perform your role in an unprofessional way, and therefore choose not to hire you.

Even if you're attending a virtual interview, you still wanna keep on your professional persona 'cos it's not a good look when you treat the call like a Facetime with your mates.

Do your best to practice answering questions, shaking hands, sitting up straight and even making eye contact, any effort will make a difference.

6. Forgetting to ask questions.

Finally, at the end of every job interview, you should always ask the employer any additional questions about the role as it makes you look confident, curious and keen about the workplace.

Great examples include questions about the culture, clarification about the day to day role, or if the employer wants any further clarification about you or your resume. And of course, it is always best to ask about salary expectations, because you should always know where you stand.

Forgetting to ask questions can make you look unprepared or uninterested in the role.

Plus, if you don't get the interview result you were after, or the experience didn't meet your expectations, don't talk disparagingly about the company or its staff online. Once you've posted it's out there for good (millions of deleted Insta and Twitter posts still circulate years after they have been deleted).

Now that you know what not to do, you can go forward and land that dream job.

If you want to find a rewarding career in the business world and become a pro at interviewing, check out the courses available on the Monash Business School website.

Header Image: Christina @ wocintechchat.com via Unsplash