I’ve been a recruiter for 30 years – six interview mistakes will cost you the job

The words ‘job interview’ can spike cortisol, kickstart nerves and trickle sweat down the brow in even the most seasoned professionals. 

It’s rare to come out of one feeling like you’ve completely aced it. ‘Maybe I spoke too fast, or my handshake was too weak’, we think, over-analysing the little things that could have cost us the role.  

But, according to recruitment and growth strategist Sarah Bishop, we should care less about these little details and more about the six key mistakes that interviewees often make – ones that will likely lead to a swift rejection. 

Never fear, however, as Sarah – who has been in recruitment for 30 years – also explains how best to overcome these errors. 

Not enough preparation

‘This is probably the most prevalent mistake, and still surprises me,’ 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, etc.

‘A general lack of preparation is one of the cardinal sins of job interviews’, Sarah continues. 

It’s not just the company you should research, though – it might be worth giving yourself a refresher on your own CV. According to Sarah: ‘Being unable to remember dates, responsibilities or achievements you’ve put on your CV immediately raises questions.’

Lack of communication

Take lateness, for example. Sarah emphasises that tardiness isn’t necessarily the problem – ‘being late isn’t always avoidable,’ she explains – but ‘failing to take the initiative and let somebody know absolutely is.’

Don’t hesitate to get on the phone and warn the HR department about those Tube delays.

But interviews aren’t always in person – and you shouldn’t hesitate to chase missing interview details, either. ‘This happens surprisingly often with online interviews,’ says Sarah.

‘Someone doesn’t receive the Teams/Zoom link, doesn’t say anything, then simply doesn’t turn up. When you call afterwards, they say, “I didn’t get the link.” They’ve basically demonstrated a complete lack of initiative before the interview has even started.’

Failing to read the room

Interview faux-pas can come in many forms, explains Sarah – from dressing ‘completely inappropriately’ (you don’t need to wear a suit, but you do need to understand the context of the job you’re applying for and make a subsequent effort) to ‘getting too comfortable too quickly.

‘Rapport is great, but there’s still a professional line’, she says. ‘One of my favourite examples was a candidate interviewing for a sales role many years ago.

He’d done brilliantly throughout the process, and they loved him. At the third and final interview, the managing director asked why they should give him the job.

‘He 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.’

Finally, you’d think saying ‘don’t swear in an interview’ is the epitome of stating the obvious, but according to Sarah, it happens.

‘I’m hardly a stranger to the odd expletive myself, but professionally I’ve always worked on the basis that you wait for some indication from the other person that it’s acceptable,’ she says. ‘An interview probably isn’t the moment to test the boundaries.’

Not thinking before you speak

For a start, you’ve got to pay proper attention to the question. ‘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,’ Sarah explains.

Less can be more – ‘A good answer can easily become a bad one when it turns into a five-minute monologue’ – and make sure to back up any claims you make with evidence.

‘“I’m a great communicator”, ‘I’m a brilliant team player”, “I’m commercially minded”, etc. doesn’t mean much unless you can demonstrate it with something you’ve actually done,’ she continues.

Avoid bad-mouthing previous employers (‘even when someone may have perfectly legitimate grievances, it rarely reflects well on the candidate’); and exaggerating or bulls***ing is never a good look. ‘It’s particularly dangerous when you’re talking to somebody who understands the subject far better than you realise,’ Sarah concludes.

Lack of questions

‘No, I think you’ve covered everything’ is another cardinal sin. According to Sarah, this statement ‘can make someone who interviewed perfectly well suddenly appear surprisingly uninterested’. Have some questions up your sleeve; or, better yet, use Sarah’s example of a 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?

‘”I’d much rather have the opportunity to address that now – either to give you an example that I haven’t explained properly, or for us both to be clear that perhaps I genuinely don’t have what you need.”’

‘I love 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,’ explains Sarah. 

Interviewing too well

Yes, you did read that right. 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.

‘You 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. Brilliant – except, six months later, either you or the employer realises it’s a terrible fit,’ Sarah clarifies. 

‘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.’

Do you have a story you’d like to share? Get in touch by emailing jess.austin@metro.co.uk. 

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