Preparing for a Job Interview? Avoid These

If you are currently in search of job opportunities, receiving an invitation for a job interview will be one of the things you will be anticipating the most in your job hunt. Indeed, a job interview will most likely be your door to making your way to the next steps in the hiring process.

How you perform during a job interview will serve as a key point for consideration for recruiters when deciding whether you are a good candidate and qualified for the position. Even your body language and the way you conduct yourself in an interview will be factored in.

That is why, after being called for an interview, especially for the first round of interviews, people will be busy preparing themselves for it, whether picking the best clothes to wear, doing their research on the company thoroughly, or learning some tips for answering interview questions.

There is nothing wrong with preparing for a job interview, and it can even be your recipe for a successful interview. However, in addition to these preparations, you will want to make sure that you pay attention to these next important things,

which relate to how you behave during the interview and what questions you should refrain from asking at this stage. To not end up doing something you will regret later, here are several don’ts you need to watch out for in your interview.

5 Things to Avoid During a Job Interview

Be Late

Time is money. The adage of yore still holds true to this day, and that is what you should always embrace, especially in the workplace, where a code of conduct is prevalent.

For your interview, you must therefore be there on time. In fact, arriving 20 or 30 minutes before the scheduled time is even better. If you do, recruiters will see you as determined and willing to obey the rules.

If you do not, and in particular if you make them wait for too long, you will not only waste their time. Arriving late might be seen as “waving the white flag”, that is you will have surrendered even before going to the battlefield. And that will surely be a red flag in recruiters’ eyes.

Be Overconfident

You can go and talk about your strengths and achievements in a job interview, and that is what an interview is for. However, you need to keep it in check. When you do that, avoid making yourself seem boastful and never receive an acknowledgment.

Instead of bragging about your past achievements at length, it is better to say that you give your past coworkers credit for helping you achieve what you have achieved. This is one way to present yourself to recruiters as someone who are not only able to thrive individually, but also tend to be appreciative of someone else’s contributions.

Ask About Salary

This is where interviewees usually make mistakes. Since salary is a sensitive subject, you should refrain from asking questions about it before you are given a salary offer and before a salary negotiation session.

If your focus from the very beginning has been on compensation, recruiters will consider you as a materialistic candidate with no intention to improve yourself and move forward in your career.

Ask About Something You Should Already Know

After receiving the invitation, you will most likely be preparing for the interview, and one of the things you normally do is look for more information about the company you are applying to.

If you have received all the information you need for the interview, never ask the interviewer questions you already know the answers to, i.e., questions you can answer by doing a simple search on Google or visiting the company’s website. So, asking about the company’s history or the job responsibilities is the last thing you want to do.

If you do, recruiters will think that you did not prepare for the interview enough to still ask questions you supposedly can answer yourself.

Be Passive

Granted, you should be more careful when asking questions during the interview, but that does not mean that you should take on a more passive role. If you make it to the end of the interview without breaking a sweat, do not forget to ask the interviewer to give you more information you should know about the company.

Why? Because they will see you as a proactive person who is interested in joining the company.

Those are some things you need to avoid for a job interview. Your door to the next stage, interviews are where you should excel to increase your chance of getting hired.

After learning all these tips, it is time to find the right job opportunities at established companies like PT Serasi Autoraya.

Doing business as SERA, the company was founded on March 22, 1990, and has ever since become the leader in Indonesia’s transportation and logistics industry. Every year, this Astra Group’s company welcomes new members to fill various positions at the company.

SERA continuously provides opportunities for individuals qualified for positions at the company as well as at the subsidiaries.