How to lose a job in 10 minutes

In Part 3 of our finance and business savvy series, the experts at Finance.co.uk expose common mistakes often made at interview that lose you your dream job in a matter of minutes – without you realising it.

By reading on you’ll learn how to increase your chances of passing that interview, by knowing what not to say.

1. What’s my name?
It may seem obvious, yet many are unaware of their interviewer’s name. Such a mistake portrays a lack of attention to detail and / or sloppiness. Memorise the interviewer’s name and use it throughout the interview. This helps build rapport and shows ‘want’ in securing the role.

2. What do you know about us…
Utilise digital tools to familiarise yourself with companies. Determine who they work with and their key achievements. This will also help you establish where you may fit in within the workforce and what you can do in your role. If an interviewer asks what you know about the company, and the answer is clearly ‘not much’, it is a sure-fire way to lose the opportunity.

3. It’s not what you say, it’s the way you say it
It is vital you stay upbeat and positive throughout the interview even if you feel the interview may not be going as well as you’d hoped. Often, it’s not what you say but the way you say it that is noticed. Skills and knowledge can be taught, and interviewers are often trying to establish whether you will fit within the team. The likeability factor can go a long way and will be crucial in you winning a role.

4. Don’t be too social!
With social media everyone can be an investigator. So before seeking job opportunities, scrutinize your social media accounts and determine whether the settings need altering, or if the content and images are ‘workplace appropriate’.

5. I can predict the future
Up to 90% of interview questions are predictable. Ensure you rehearse common questions and have at least 3 variations of answers for each question.

Finance.co.uk is an online portal offering comprehensive financial management advice on a wide range of topics to include loans, credit cards, debt advice and current news from worldwide financial markets.

(Lifestyle brand manager Emily Gilbey provided the foundation copy for this piece, with further contributions by the author.)

In next week’s feature – ‘How not to get a pay rise’.