- You should never speak negatively about previous employers; this gives the impression you gossip and complain and this is not the kind of person they wish to hire.
- You should never say “I don’t know”, this gives the impression that you aren’t capable of thinking on your feet as there are lots of answers better than “I don’t know”.
- You should never ask what it is that a company actually does, interviewers like it when a prospective employee has done their research on the company. This is naturally expected as if a person is applying for a job you would like to think they know what the company actually does.
- Use of casual language is definitely a no-go when it comes to interviews, a person needs to act professionally and converse in the same way otherwise you appear unprofessional and unsuitable for the job.
- Asking about holidays is something which should never be said in an interview, it doesn’t look good if a person hasn’t even got the job yet and is already discussing their time off. It looks like you’re already prepared not to work before you have even potentially started the job.
- You should never say you didn’t get along with people in your previous job, this immediately is a red flag to an employer as nobody wants to hire somebody that can’t get along with others and has poor social skills.
- You should never tell the interviewer you are nervous; this makes you look like you’re lacking in confidence. Nobody wants to employ somebody who will need constant reassurance.
- Don’t highlight any of your negative qualities, if an employer hears 10 positive qualities and 1 negative, chances are they won’t remember the 10 positive ones but will remember the negative one.
- Don’t mention your personal life, if you already mention your personal life in an interview the chances are you’re an oversharer and this isn’t the best thing to come across as in an interview.
- If asked a question about yourself don’t respond by saying “it’s on your CV/Resume“, they already know this but want to hear you explain it yourself.
- “My biggest weakness is I am a perfectionist”, this phrase is overused and tired, they’ve probably heard it a thousand times before and it looks like you’re just hiding you actual weaknesses.
- Don’t say pointless words such as “like” and “um” repetitively, it looks like you’re not very articulate, nervous and unimaginative.
- Don’t brag, of course an employer wants to hear your positive qualities, but coming across as big headed is never a good idea, employers want a confident but grounded person.
- Swearing is an absolute no-go in an interview, it comes across as disrespectful, like you don’t care about the interview and as though you aren’t understanding the formalities of an interview process.
- Making jokes is something you should not do in an interview; the conditions of an interview are set out formally and making jokes makes it seem as though you don’t care for this interview or job position much.
