Reasons Why Candidates Fail Interviews

You meet all sorts of people at interviews. All walks of life. Some candidates are great, some are good and many are poor at performing at interviews. More often that not candidates fail.

Sometimes it’s the basic things that candidates don’t get right. Sometimes it’s the small things that matter. The things that we don’t realise we do. These can have a significant impact on how others see or judge us. Whatever it is, it can mean the difference between success and failure. That might sound ridiculous, but it’s surprising what candidates do or don’t do in interviews.

I’ve pulled together a 40 reasons why candidates fail at interviews. Many of these are from my own experience (number 40 is my favourite and shocked me). Others are from interviewers who’ve said to me, ‘You’ll never guess what that interviewee just did?’

Enjoy reading the list. Laugh at some of them. But please make sure you avoid them and don’t add to the list. Don’t fail at interview

1. Poor preparation
   2 . Displaying a negative attitude or generally being negative
   3 . No enthusiasm for the company or the role
   Being dishonest
   4 . Vague or uninteresting interview answers
   5 . Arriving late
   6 . Arriving too early
2. Being rude to the receptionist
   8 . Smelling like a cigarette
   9 . Dressed inappropriately
   10 . Wearing sunglasses
   11 . Keeping a scarf on during the interview
   12 . Wearing too much perfume or aftershave
   13 . Shaking hands too weakly or too strong
   14 . Complaining that you were kept waiting for the interview
   15 . Sitting in a too relaxed or aggressive manner
   16 . Chewing gum, a pen or playing with your hair
   17 . Forgetting or mispronouncing the name of the interviewer
   18 . Forgetting what is written on your CV/Resume
   19 . Being unprepared for the standard interview questions
   20 . Lying about your skills, experience, knowledge and qualifications
   21 . Being rude or uncomplimentary about your previous company or boss
   22 . Sharing too much personal information
   23 . Failing to explain how your skills match the job in question
   24 . Interrupting the interviewer
   25 . Asking too many questions or irrelevant questions
   26 . Not asking good questions
   27 . Yawning
   28 . Not making eye contact or making too much
   29 . Getting angry or defensive
   30 . Using phrases like “you know”
   31 . Laughing at inappropriate moments
   32 . Sounding desperate or overeager
   33 . Checking the time
   34 . Asking about the salary too early
   35 . Having poor manners
   36 . Being overconfident
   37 . Not building rapport
   38 . Not listening to the interviewer’s questions
   39 . Inappropriate photos or comments on social media
   40 . Keeping a tissue for cleaning your glasses in your face

Is there anything bizarre that’s happened to you or you’ve done in an interview?