A person can regularly engage in self-sabotage and not recognize the self-inflicted damage they are causing. When it comes to the job search, after continually interviewing with several companies and not receiving any offers, it may be time to take a step back and assess the situation. While most people find fault with the company for requiring too much from an applicant, it is also possible that the job hunter needs to take a good hard look at how they come across in the interview process.
You can turn things around by self-reflecting, being honest with yourself, acknowledging your weak points, working to improve upon them and being open to feedback and constructive criticism.
You Need To Start Out Right
Before you go into an interview, you need to be prepared. It’s important to research the organization, familiarizing yourself with the leadership team, the interviewers on the itinerary, the company’s products, services, mission statement and corporate culture. If you fail to do this, when the interviewer asks, “What do you know about our company?” and you don’t have a good answer, it shows your lack of preparedness, due diligence and interest in working there.
Put yourself in the interviewer’s shoes. Would you rather hire someone knowledgeable, engaged, motivated, excited, friendly and likable or someone who comes across as disinterested, apathetic and has low energy?
Similarly, would you hire a person with poor communication skills who arrives late to the interview and doesn’t provide a copy of their updated résumé and whose LinkedIn profile is bare bones? These are some warning signs that a candidate is not nearly doing their best to win the interview and job offer.
It’s also a turnoff when a job seeker is rude and condescending to the security guards when they enter the building and dismissive of the receptionist and other workers, but change their tune to affable once they meet the interviewer and high-level executives. Others notice these improprieties and relay the instances to management, bringing their behavior and attitude into question.
What You Need To Do To Change For The Better
Start by accepting the possibility that the problem lies with you. Then, take action. Find some people you trust and respect and ask them to roleplay an interview with you. After the mock interview, ask for their feedback and don’t push back if you disagree. Actively listen to their critiques and tips for improvement. Additionally, many online tools offer the ability to do virtual interviews, and you can then rate how you performed.
By enlisting others to get involved, they can help pinpoint trouble spots and share advice and guidance on improving. Try to find a mentor, career coach or recruiter who can add their expertise in sharing what you are doing right and what needs to be corrected.
How To Turn Off Interviewers
You could be failing your interviews if you cannot make small talk, are dismissive of the interviewer and can’t clearly articulate your background, what you are looking to do next and why you want to work for the specific company. Interviewers will hold it against you if you are unable to sit still, constantly check your watch, fail to make eye contact or have poor lighting, lousy internet connection and a disheveled background in a video call.
Ensure that you dress appropriately for the job at hand. For instance, you are not getting the job if you are interviewing with a top-tier investment bank and wearing a hoodie with ripped jeans. If you forget essential parts of the job description, the hiring professional will have no use for farthing the hiring process with you.
You need to be respectful of other people’s time. Avoid canceling an interview with only a day or hour’s notice. Show up early to your meeting, whether onsite or on video, to ensure you are ready. Avoid abruptly ending an interview by stating, “I forgot to tell you that I have a hard stop at 1:00 p.m., so I need to leave in five minutes.”
If you don’t ask any questions, the hiring manager feels you don’t care about the opportunity. When you ask questions that are easily found on the firm’s website through a simple Google search, it’s irritating to the interviewer.
One of the easiest ways to kill your interview is by spending the bulk of the conversation trash-talking your former boss and co-workers. Any experienced manager will know that if you talk badly about your past employers, you’ll speak poorly about them to the next company. That attitude causes an immediate distrust and reluctance to continue the interview process, as the candidate is a big red flag.
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