A recruitment and growth strategist with three decades of experience has identified six key mistakes that interviewees often make – mistakes that will likely lead to a swift rejection. Sarah Bishop, who has worked in recruitment for 30 years, also explains how best to overcome these errors.
Not enough preparation
According to Bishop, a general lack of preparation is one of the cardinal sins of job interviews. She says people turn up knowing next to nothing about the business they're interviewing with, despite how easy it is now to spend 15 minutes on Google, LinkedIn, the company website, recent news, and so on.
It's not just the company you should research, though – it might be worth giving yourself a refresher on your own CV. Bishop notes that being unable to remember dates, responsibilities or achievements you've put on your CV immediately raises questions.
Lack of communication
Bishop emphasises that being late isn't always avoidable, but failing to take the initiative and let somebody know absolutely is. She advises getting on the phone to warn the HR department about delays.
This also applies to online interviews. Bishop says it happens surprisingly often that someone doesn't receive the Teams or Zoom link, doesn't say anything, then simply doesn't turn up. When you call afterwards, they say they didn't get the link – demonstrating a complete lack of initiative before the interview has even started.
Failing to read the room
Interview faux-pas can come in many forms, from dressing completely inappropriately to getting too comfortable too quickly. Bishop notes that rapport is great, but there's still a professional line. She recalls a candidate interviewing for a sales role who, at the final interview, laced his fingers behind his head, leaned back so far he was practically tipping the chair and announced: "Because I'm f***ing A." Unsurprisingly, that one didn't quite land as intended.
Bishop also advises against swearing in an interview. She says she's hardly a stranger to the odd expletive herself, but professionally she's always worked on the basis that you wait for some indication from the other person that it's acceptable. An interview probably isn't the moment to test the boundaries.
Not thinking before you speak
Bishop explains that people become so determined to deliver the answer they've prepared that they answer the question they expected, rather than the one they were actually asked. She also notes that a good answer can easily become a bad one when it turns into a five-minute monologue.
She advises backing up any claims with evidence, as statements like "I'm a great communicator" or "I'm a brilliant team player" don't mean much unless you can demonstrate them with something you've actually done. Avoid bad-mouthing previous employers, as it rarely reflects well on the candidate, and exaggerating or bullshitting is never a good look – particularly dangerous when you're talking to somebody who understands the subject far better than you realise.
Lack of questions
Saying "No, I think you've covered everything" is another cardinal sin, according to Bishop, as it can make someone who interviewed perfectly well suddenly appear surprisingly uninterested. She suggests having questions up your sleeve, or using her gold-standard interview query: "Is there anything you've heard today that leaves you unsure whether I'm right for the role, or any area where you don't feel I've demonstrated enough evidence that I'm as strong as you need me to be?"
Bishop loves that question because it gives you the opportunity to uncover an objection while you're still in the room and can do something about it.
Interviewing too well
There is such a thing as an interview mistake that can actually get you the job – telling people exactly what you think they want to hear – but it won't do you any favours in the end. Bishop clarifies that you might work out the sort of person they're looking for, create that persona for an hour, give all the "right" answers and get offered the job. But six months later, either you or the employer realises it's a terrible fit.
Being authentic doesn't mean turning up completely unfiltered – you obviously still need to present yourself professionally – but there's a real danger in being so focused on getting the offer that you forget the whole point is to work out whether you and the employer are actually right for each other.
