Seven Interview Mistakes That Get You Fired Before You're Hired.    Interviewers are always looking for reasons to disqualify or reject potential hires, before they even get much of the way through the interview. This article explains some of the most basic fatal errors you can make that will instantly place you on "the hit list" and send you packing.    393 words.

Seven Interview Mistakes That Get You Fired Before You're Hired

Bill Cole, MS, MA
Founder and CEO
William B. Cole Consultants
Silicon Valley, California

Interviewers are always looking for reasons to disqualify or reject potential hires, before they even get much of the way through the interview. These are some of the most basic fatal errors you can make that will instantly place you on "the hit list" and send you packing.

1. Don't Even THINK About Arriving Late: Many interviewer's minimum golden rule when interviewing people for a position is to immediately disqualify them if they are even a minute late. No reason or excuse accepted.

2. Don't Get Too Personal: Stay on topic, be professional, and disclose things that let the interviewer know who you are as a business person, but stay away from truly personal items.

3. Don't Ask About Salary Or Benefits Too Soon: Asking this too soon screams "I am self-absorbed and want what I want, now!" Have patience. The right time to discuss this will appear if the position seems like a good fit for both of you.

4. Don't Take Or Send A Cell Phone Call, Text Or Email In The Interview: This is incredibly basic, but people are outright rejected every day from their poor manners and lack of self-discipline. Remember, you should treat the interview room as an almost sacred place.

5. Don't Bad-Mouth Any Previous Employer Or Coworker: Interviewers know that if you talk badly about someone not present and able to defend themselves, that you are very likely to do that in their company. Be a team player and play smart office politics.

6. Don't Display A Negative Attitude, Toward Anything Or Anyone: Be very, very nice to everyone when you get anywhere near the company where you want to work. Even the most insignificant-seeming clerk or admin has ears and a mouth to pass along negative information about you.

7. Don't Let Your Guard Down, No Matter How Much The Interviewer Encourages You To Do So: Don't relax when the interviewer says, "This is off the record...", because it's not. Don't start using slang or informal language even if the interviewer does. The moral? You are always ON, in an interview. Keep up your guard, and remain professional.

Any false move in an interview can be your last one. Know what to say, what not to say, how to act, how not to act, and you'll feel far better once your walk into your interview.

This article is an excerpt from the Interview Success Guide, an indispensable tool you need to make your interview campaign a big success. This is a 216-page blueprint containing over 400 questions you could be asked in an interview, listed by category. There are over 1200 interview task reminders, questions and guidelines in checklist form so you leave nothing to chance. This guide gives you a step-by-step approach to mastering the interview process. Everything you need to do, from the moment you begin your job hunt to when you accept the position, is covered. We have thought of everything you could possibly need to know to conduct a comprehensive, smart job hunt campaign. Learn more about The Interview Success Guide.


To learn more about how interview coaching can help you improve your abilities in media situations, oral test and exam situations, and job interviews visit Bill Cole, MS, MA, the Mental Game Coach™, at: www.mentalgamecoach.com/Services/InterviewCoaching.html.

Copyright © 2011-2012 Bill Cole, MS, MA. All rights reserved.

Bill Cole, MS, MA, a leading authority on peak performance, mental toughness and coaching, is founder and CEO of William B. Cole Consultants, a consulting firm that helps organizations and professionals achieve more success in business, life and sports. He is also the Founder and President of the International Mental Game Coaching Association (www.mentalgamecoaching.com), an organization dedicated to advancing the research, development, professionalism and growth of mental game coaching worldwide. He is a multiple Hall-Of-Fame honoree as an athlete, coach and school alumnus, an award-winning scholar-athlete, published book author and articles author, and has coached at the highest levels of major-league pro sports, big-time college athletics and corporate America. For a free, extensive article archive, or for questions and comments visit him at www.MentalGameCoach.com.

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