Top 10 Ways to Ruin an Interview

Every single person the world over will have his or her own compendium of excuses when it comes to why exactly they failed to bag the job following an interview, though suffice to say it is always somebody or something else’s fault. Not true of course as the only person ever standing in the way of untold success is you yourself, though it is surprisingly simply to blow and interview in its entirety by making what could be described as minor slip ups.
With the in mind, the following brings together 10 of the best/worst ways to blow a whole interview, in most cases without even knowing it

10) Too early or late

Most will of course know that arriving to an interview too late is never a good idea to say the very least, for obvious reasons that require no explanation. On the other hand, trying to show eagerness by arriving incredibly early can in fact have an equally detrimental effect on your chances. Indeed, not only will it likely be interpreted that you have no realistic ability of keeping to a sensible timeframe, but it is also never a good idea to let your potential employer believe you have far too much free time on your hands…even if you do! 

9 Career path clashes

We are all told to be ambitious and talk confidently about where we would like to see ourselves in the future, though if this happens to be in a bigger, better place above and beyond the realms of this particular post, it may be best to hold back a little. No employer wants to feel they are a stepping stone in your much more grandiose plan, therefore be careful not to flag up clashes of interest.

8 Cracking jokes

Actually, this is something that can either make or break an interview as the ideally suited joke that really hits the nail on the head could make all the difference in the world. Sadly, this is the case in about one out of every thousands attempts with the rest breeding the most awkward and hideous aftermath most could possibly imagine. As such, unless you really want to roll the dice and hope you don’t fall in with the other 99.9%, keep your jokes to yourself. 

7 Sucking up

There is something of a fine line between respect and proverbial brown-nosing at a rather sickening level, which far too many will find themselves crossing without realizing it. As a rule of thumb, avoid compliments to anything other than your basic first impressions of the business as a whole. Indeed, even if you do find the interviewer’s tie a quite stunning example of a renaissance mosaic interpretation, you will only creep him out by telling him this. 


6 Insulting old bosses

This is a hugely overused tactic in millions of cases every day and can land you in more trouble that it is possibly worth. Of course, on the surface it seems entirely reasonable and perhaps even beneficial to call your old boss every name under the sun and criticize their running of the business as a whole, thus showing your motivation to move on to bigger and better things, right? Wrong, as all this shows is a lack of loyalty and respect that will instantly discourage your new boss from taking you on, as how can they possibly know that you won’t speak the same way about them simply for kudos? 

5 Acting like God’s gift

Of course you think you are the ideally suited person for the job and indeed you want the interviewer to believe there are none better, but crossing the line into showing off and arrogance will pretty much bring about nothing other than a swift end to the interview, not to mention your chances. Nerves and concern are attractive traits as they show thought and care – arrogance displays a potentially careless attitude that no company the world over would find appealing. 

4 Dressing for the beach

Despite the fact that the business in question markets Hawaiian shirt or perhaps the latest line in flip-flops, this does not mean that you should turn up for the interview looking like you’ve just strolled in randomly from the streets. True, in many cases you don’t have to go overboard, but the number of times candidates blow their chances before even saying a word by turning up in shorts is staggering, not to mention rather tragic. 

3 Dressing for a funeral

On the flipside to the above example, depending on the particular position in question you may find that taking your appearance far too seriously can count you out of the running to an equal extent. If all you own is the funeral suit you picked up a decade or two ago from a charity shop, consider upgrading to something a little more appropriate, even casual if the situation calls for it.

2 Rehearsing answers

Always guaranteed to see so many interviewers the world over cringe as if hearing fingernails dragging down a blackboard, rehearsing answers down to the letter is simply the worst possible way of expecting a good result when posed important questions. Think about it…if you’ve found all of your answers on the good-old internet then it stands to reason that so will millions of others before you. Showing this level of predictability and lack of creativity will see the application in the trash before it even had a chance to get off the ground. 

1 Stupid closing questions

The interview has been productive, pleasantries exchanged and expectations are high, so there really is nothing to worry about in the very final moments, right? Wrong, as the questions you choose to ask the interviewer have every potential to blow all positive impressions made so far. For example, ‘I won’t have to work overtime will I?’ or ‘what if I need an extended vacation?’ or ‘Well it doesn’t seem nearly as bad a job as I expected!’ will likely make this the first and last encounter you have with this particular company, undoing every effort made up until this moment and labeling you for life as a bona-fide fool.