The Top 10 Job Interview Mistakes

by Ritika Trikha

A staffing firm in Oklahoma City, Express Employment Professionals, surveyed 300 hiring managers about the biggest interview blunders they’ve seen – and some of the results are hard to believe.
We figured you’d get a kick out of these resume mistakes job seekers have made. Check out the list and, please… don’t make these mistakes:

1. Lying About Experience: 65 percent

It’s no surprise this was the most common interview mistake. Fibbing about your skills is all too common. Remember former Yahoo CEO Scott Thompson? He was fired after folks figured out that he never got his degree in computer science.

25-year-old Adam Wheeler lied about going to Harvard, which landed him jail time for violating probation. The same goes for interviews. Lying is the fastest way to a train wreck!

2. Answering a Phone Call: 61 percent

Play it safe and leave your phone in the car. This is going to help avoid no. 6 and 7, below.

Note: if it’s a foreseeable emergency (like your wife is past her due date), make a disclaimer before the interview starts.

3. Arriving Late: 59 percent

A standard rule of thumb is to arrive about 10 minutes early. That way you have time to power pose in the bathroom, breathe and give yourself some positive affirmations to appear more confident.

4. Badmouthing a Current or Former Boss or Co-worker: 51 percent

The most common instance to trip up on this one is when you’re asked “Why did you leave your last job?” or “What did you enjoy least about your job?

Basically, any question that asks you to talk about your last job is also a test to see how tactful and diplomatic you are. Don’t fall in the trap.

Mistakes 5-10 and the complete SavvyIntern article