No-gos in an interview:
Watch out for these interview blunders!

Arrived too late? Lacking self-confidence? Or lacking knowledge about your dream company? An interview isn’t an easy undertaking. Because this is mainly where the decision is made on whether or not you’ll fill the vacant position in the future – provided that you still want it afterwards.

With good preparation, you can prevent no-gos during your interview with your potential employer.

The 6 most common mistakes in an interview

Be it nervousness, the wrong outfit or simply the wrong questions: There are many interview no-gos – and there isn’t much which hasn’t gone wrong on previous occasions during an interview.

We’ll tell you which mistakes you should absolutely avoid in an interview, and how to put your personality and your technical expertise in the best light.

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  2. No-gos in an interview: Lateness

    The academic fifteen minutes – not a trivial offence in an interview. Of course, you can always be caught in traffic due to unexpected roadworks, or a close relative might have an accident just a few hours before the interview, of course: But it doesn't usually prevent you from informing your potential employer about your delay in good time.
    This also applies to an online interview, of course. Check your Internet connection and familiarise with the software you will be using. After all, you want to give the impression that you are tech-savvy in 2022.
    The following principle applies: Be honest. And give yourself plenty of time to get to the interview. After all, you also want to be treated with the required respect.
    And one more tip: Don't arrive too early, either. Five minutes is acceptable. If you’ve arrived 15 or even 30 minutes early, kill time in another way and go for a little walk around the building before the interview.

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Conclusion: Avoid mistakes in your interview like you would a test

An interview feels like a test to the majority of applicants. After all, at the end of the day, this is your career you’re talking about. You don’t want to make a mistake, you have to fulfil every requirement and you must also present yourself in the best light. Concentrate on showing your strengths and back them up them with facts.

At the same time you should be honest about your weaknesses. Putting your own abilities in the best possible light without reflecting on them doesn’t seem very human and tends to sideline you. Consider this: You should pay less attention to weaknesses which could stand in the way of you getting the job. During the interview, focus on how you can acquire or have acquired additional skills and that you are working on your personal development in a purposeful way.

You can reliably avoid interview no-gos with good preparation. If you believe experienced career advisers, many recruiters and interviewers put value on good posture and self-confident body language.

However, applicants can often find it challenging to cease nervous habits and ingrained behaviours. After all, a situation such as this is a mental challenge, which is why we all make little mistakes during an interview.

But tips will help you to avoid the interview no-gos which have been mentioned. You’ll succeed in doing this with the right preparation. Our final tip: Stay true to yourself, answer honestly in the interview and stay confident!

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