Originally published at: http://www.sitepoint.com/5-mistakes-job-candidates-make/
A few days ago I published an article titled 5 Mistakes Job Interviewers Make where I discussed interviewers can get it wrong and potentially miss a great candidate. Interviewers aren’t the only people who make mistakes during the interview process and often the candidate does or doesn’t do something that pushes the decision of the interviewer in the wrong direction.
In this article I’ll cover 5 mistakes that you, as the candidate of a job interview, should avoid in order to leave a good impression and give yourself the best chance of success.
1. Don’t Be Late
First thing first: don’t be late for the interview. I know this advice may sound trivial and something that you already know, but it still happens. You can never predict what might make you late. It could be public transport problems or flash flooding. But most of the time if you arrive late is because you didn’t plan properly.
Running late not only suggests poor time management skills, but shows a lack of respect for the company. Arriving late is an excellent way to give your interviewer a bad first impression and we all know how important first impressions are.
So, plan your journey as well as possible, even by checking the public transport website the night before if you have to. Jump on Google and figure out exactly where your interview is and make note of a couple of reference points so that you don’t get flustered if you get lost. Budget your time so that you make it to the interview at least 10-15 minutes early.
While it’s good to arrive early, don’t get there 3 hours early or you’ll come across as nervous and well, a bit weird.