By Melanie Slaugh
There are a lot of different ways that we can cater towards the success of landing a new job. Dressing appropriately, being on time, and showing confidence in an interview are just a few different ways we can boost up an interview. While there are a number of ways we can easily spot where things went well, there are also a number of things that can get overlooked. Those seemingly small mistakes could be the defining factor in if you’re hired or passed over. Here are five of the most commonly ignored mistakes that can make or break your interview process:
1. Poor grammar or spelling
Editing your resume and ensuring that everything is spelled and punctuated correctly is one of the easiest tasks and also one of the most overlooked. It takes next to no time to proofread something you’ve written or check it with spellcheck, and yet people are still making these mistakes all the time. This can come across as sloppy and as though you don’t really care to potential employers.
2. Not monitoring your social media
While it may be fun to look back on all those crazy college memories, it’s better to save those to your hard drive and un-tag those Facebook pictures. And while you may think nothing of a status update, your potential boss may think otherwise. Realize that your social media accounts can be accessed by just about everyone and they need to reflect someone who is serious about moving forward, not someone that is unreliable and has no problem with questionable photos or statuses being blasted all over the internet.
3. Catering your cover letter to you, not them
Your cover letter needs to be written to show how you are going to help grow the company, not how the company is going to help grow you. While the motive behind applying may be to get your foot in the door and help you move forward, the company wants to hire someone who is going to be an asset to them.
4. Not asking questions about the company or position
You should arrive to an interview with a few intelligent questions to be asked about the company – after all, it isn’t just about you being a good fit for the company but also the company being a good fit for you. You don’t necessarily have to save them all for the end, but bring them up as they come naturally.
5. You show up early… too early
While it’s good to show up a few minutes early to an interview to ensure that you’re on time and that being punctual is important to you, showing up too early can have a negative effect by causing the interviewer to feel rushed to see you. A good rule of thumb is being no more than 10 minutes early.
Take the necessary time to ensure these seemingly small mistakes don’t become detrimental to your job efforts. Sometimes it’s the smallest mistakes that end up being the deciding factors in you getting the job or the next person getting the job.
Melanie Slaugh is enthusiastic about the growing prospects and opportunities of various industries and writing articles on various consumer goods and services as a freelance writer. She writes extensively for internet service providers and also topics related to internet providers in my area for presenting the consumers, the information they need to choose the right Internet package for them.
