Campus Recruitment – HR Interview – Reasons for failure in Interviews

Campus Recruitment – HR Interview – Reasons for failure in Interviews

REASONS FOR FAILURE IN INTERVIEWS

First Impressions – an interview may fail at the very first minutes:
A person draws the impression about another in the first 30 seconds of the meeting.
It takes an interviewer less than 10 minutes to decide whether the candidate is hired or not. The rest of the time is spent in ensuring whether that judgment was right. It is hence, very important to make a good first impression.

For example, let’s look at the very first bad impressions people usually make:

• Being late: Rushing in at the last minute or arriving late to the interview.
• Appearance: A sloppy outfit, uncombed hair, excess make up etc. are signals that you don’t care much about the interview.
• Speaking rudely or loudly with the people at the reception and your peers.
• Not greeting the interviewer or introducing yourself.
•  Not maintaining basic etiquette like walking into the room without knocking or sitting before being asked to.
•  Taking calls on your cell phone, frequently checking your phone etc.
• Looking at your watch or getting distracted.
•  Yawning or indicating that you are tired.
• Not asking questions and giving monosyllabic answers.
•  Being overconfident and talking mighty high about you.
• Talking ill about your faculty.

The employer will arrive immediately at a conclusion that this candidate is not prepared or serious about the job-they may even perceive that he/she will create problems if hired. No excuses will be tolerated. In those 10 minutes, remember to project a positive impact in the mind of the interviewer.

Other reasons for interview failures:

•  Basic questions: faltering when asking basic questions like “when can you start?”
• Not knowing about the job or being uncertain about the roles and responsibilities.
• Not being able to articulate yourself well. Being unable to explain your skills.
• Not knowing what the company does.
• Giving vague or incomplete answers. Example, If the question to you is “What is your best skill”, do not say “Skills are very important. They have to be learnt well.
• Nowadays, there are many institutes for learning skills” (No connection to the question).
• Not getting a copy or resume or other testimonials.
• Not remembering the reference’s name or designation when asked for.
•  Being over friendly or getting personal.
• Job shopping or attending the interview when you are not serious about it.
• Being extremely humble. This expresses your lack of self-confidence and absence of self-dignity. E.g. bowing your head for every answer, hunching your back, folding your hands etc.

All of these things are major red flags to the Interviewer – any time a red flag is thrown, you might fail in the interview. If a question is asked, think before you answer. Not preparing for any of the above points can result in an interview failure.
Remember, an interview is a life changing process. If you ace it, you are in for opportunities to have a remarkable career. If you go unprepared, you may regret. So prepare well and give in your best shot!