Interviewing for a job can be nerve-wracking, but, when you leave feeling confident that you did a good job, the hope of getting a job offer is expected. It’s too bad it doesn’t always happen that way, though — and it might be because you’re not doing as well while interviewing as you think.
Sure, there’s nothing better than getting a job offer, but when you remain unemployed, it can be confusing, discouraging, disappointing and even depressing — but it doesn’t have to be. It’s safe to say that every interview is going to be a different experience and challenge, but if you can’t seem to land a position anywhere, you might be making one of these critical mistakes while interviewing that are hurting your chances of landing a gig.
You’re Giving Off Desperate Vibes For The Wrong Job
Job-hunting is stressful, and if the search seems to be going on and on and on, you may find yourself interviewing for a job that, in all reality, just isn’t the best fit for you. Showing up to the interview not knowing much about the company, not having solid questions prepared, being overly enthusiastic to a fault and asking how often pay raises are given are red flags to a recruiter that your heart isn’t really in it. No one is going to hire someone who cares more about getting money in their pocket than truly investing time and energy to help grow a company.
While Interviewing, You’re Not Really Putting Your Best Foot Forward
Interviews are weird because you’re essentially sitting in front of someone and giving a sales pitch of yourself. If can be an uncomfortable situation, but this is the time to brag a little bit about yourself and focus on the accomplishments you’ve earned during your career. Unfortunately, if you’re not highlighting all your achievements, relevant activities and skills while interviewing, it can throw a wrench in the works, and stop you from moving on to “next steps.” Your resume is only the springboard to landing the job. It’s up to you to campaign for that new position and make yourself stand out as best you can. This doesn’t mean deciding to take a fashion risk that day, it means being confident to relax and just be yourself.
You’re Unprepared For Key Interview Questions
You may be able to charm the pants off of someone, but if you don’t have strong, confident answers to important job interview questions, your stumble and mumble could be your one-way ticket out the door. There are staple questions every interviewer asks, so do your homework, and be prepared to answer things like, “What is your best and worst quality?” “What attracted you to the role?” and other general, “Lets see how serious you are about this job” questions. If you talk in circles, say, “um” a lot and end up giving a longwinded answer that doesn’t address the interviewers question, you shouldn’t be too surprised when you don’t get an offer.
Your Social Media Is Shining An Unfavorable Light On You
As we all know, social media is a bunch of things: fun, interesting, a time suck and, unfortunately, has great potential to crush your dreams of full-time employment. These days, there are countless stories of “almost” offers that were revoked at the last minute because of uncouth social media posts. Sure, your personal and professional lives aren’t the same, but if you’re not making your accounts private while you’re on the job hunt, that one, raging night out that was posted to your story could leave you in the unemployment pool, floundering for another opportunity. After all, employers are checking social media more frequently now to get a quick idea of whom they’re interviewing.
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