When you get a job interview, your main focus is to transform this opportunity into a job. To demonstrate how best you are suited for the job, you often do things, knowingly or unknowingly, that ultimately ruin your prospects instead of doing anything good. Its always better to be on the alert against such common things, if you really want to click the job. Here are tips on 5 things that you must avoid in any interview for job:

1. Misrepresentation: You must not divert facts or state them in a manner that does not uphold the truth. Whether it is about your background, your past experience, reasons for your quitting previous job etc, always state the actual facts. Trust is very important in anything we do. If they know that you are misrepresenting facts, their trust on you would be lost forever.

2. Getting Personal: Dont try to be very personal with the interviewer. Unless you are specifically asked, do not address the interviewer by his name. Its better to call him by his surname, prefixing Mr. or Ms. As may be applicable. Even if you happen to know an interviewer personally, as a college friend or a neighbor, maintain a professional distance, unless he or she opens up.

3. Outlandish Dress: Whatever may be the profile of the organization where you are attending the interview, avoid outlandish dress like jeans, t-shirts, sneakers, tight-fits etc. Go in your best formals. A conservative style is not harmful; at least, better than going overdressed or underdressed.

4. Boastful Statements: Do not make you understood as a jack-of-all-trades, but master of nothing. If you have innumerable skills, tell only those that are relevant to the job. Even if you have an impeccable track record of performance, place it humbly. Avoid taking challenges; instead go for a try-my-best-for success attitude.

5. Dropping References: Everybody dislikes dropping of references at random. I know the Minister; I know the Secretary-people often get disinterested in persons who unnecessarily claim to identify themselves with such high echelons. Tell them, when specifically asked, about the people you know. If they are quite high in position, tell the interviewers how you came to know them. This gives credibility to your statement.

Attention to these little things keeps you sufficiently ahead in the race for the job.

Vikesh Ghelani
http://www.interview-wizard.com