AVOIDING SILLY INTERVIEW MISTAKES - Preparation.

When most candidates receive an invite to attend an interview, their main focus immediately shifts to one thing and one thing alone – answering the interview questions.  Sometimes the preparation to do well at the interview session overshadows everything else including the need to be on top of their personal hygiene and appearance.

What they fail to understand is that a terrible body odour or foul breath will almost certainly have a negative effect on the candidate and could even deny the candidate an employment opportunity.

Don’t fall into this trap.

Take extra care to ensure that your personal hygiene/ appearance is part of your overall preparation.

When picking what to wear, stay away from LOUD colours. Keep your style simple and conservative. Remember it’s a job interview not a fashion show.  For men, a clean shave is advised. A white shirt and dark coloured suit would suffice. If you have to wear a beard please keep it low and well trimmed.

Please guard against the excessive use of perfumes. This might act as an irritant.

All these might sound kind of elementary but time and time and again we see candidates make these silly mistakes. I remember being on a panel of interviewers when a young lady walked in dressed like she was heading for a Friday night out.

Another area I would like to draw your attention to is time keeping. I cannot overemphasize the need to arrive at the interview on time.  The interview date is not the day to try a new route.  From the moment you get the invite to the interview take a good look at the date and map out how to get to the venue. If possible do a trial run. Be sure you know where the venue is. Do not ASSUME and don’t bank on asking your cousin. If you know the location then you can properly plan on how much time to allocate to travelling to the venue. I have heard candidates blame the traffic or give some other excuse for turning up late. I am sorry to say no matter how plausible your story sounds, you are not likely to be taken seriously.

If for any reason you know you will not be able to get to the venue on time, call the human resources department to inform them of that you are running late. Don’t wait until you get to the interview. You can be sure it would have been very late by then.

There are a lot of other silly little mistakes that job seekers make regarding interviews but we will limit them to these few for now.

HOW TO STAY POSITIVE WHILE LOOKING FOR A JOB

Don’t let the media and the news put you down. No matter how bad they say it is companies are always looking to hire the best available staff. If you have the right skills and passion, there will be a job waiting for right around the corner.

How To Stay Positive While Looking For A Job

By Red Star Resume. 

The key is to remain upbeat. Here are 10 tips to help you stay positive while looking for a job.

1. Keep A Routine

Don’t get into the bad habits of waking up late, sleeping in the afternoons or procrastinating around the house.

Get up at your normal time, eat properly and get some exercise (walking is free)!

2. Volunteer

You can do this at a church, hospital, homeless shelter or non-profit organization will open your eyes to people who are less off than you and give you a sense of contribution.

There is no greater reward than helping people who are less fortunate than us.

3. Stay Up To Date With What’s Happening In Your Industry

Don’t let yourself fall behind just because you’re not working. The best approach is to learn more about your particular industry.

This way you will be ahead of your competition when it comes time to interview.

4. Explore Potential New Careers

It’s never too late to try to learn a foreign language or a new piece of computer software.

I remember working with a senior archaeologist of 10 years experience who came to me wanting a change in his life direction.

After six months of learning Spanish and then travelling through Spain for another six months, the senior archaeologist is now a junior English/Spanish translator!

5. Positive Thinking

Do not focus on the negatives – you need to be able to bounce back. Concentrate on the skills and knowledge you have. Sitting around saying “what if” all the time is only going to further depress you.

6. Support Group

You may feel as though you’re the only person in your situation without a job, but guess what – you’re not. Reach out to people for support. There are many groups that provide excellent assistance in the areas of resume writing, interviewing, and job hunting.

Aside from the secular groups, there are also many faith groups ready to offer you a supporting hand. Don’t feel ashamed or embarrassed to ask for help. Let people help you change your life.

7. Avoid Negative People

Negative thinking is of no value to you. You need to be around positive people and people who can have a positive impact on your life.

8. Network

Maintain contacts and stay in touch with people. Make sure you network with positive people!! Again, avoid negativity. Negative thinking does nothing to help your situation.

Last but not least…

9. Manage Your Expectations

Not every job you apply for will be a success. Don’t be put off by this. Instead, concentrate on the positives and look at what you achieve each day.

For example, you could have applied to three great jobs, connected with two people who are great resources, or found a course or book that will help improve your skills.

10 Don’t give up!

Jobs don’t find you, you find them!