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40 Ways to Strike Out in an Interview

Article by: Jon Harvill CPC
Article appeared in the December 2007 NAPM Georgia newsletter


  1. Failure to make interview as scheduled.
  2. Late for interview/or too early.
  3. Poor personal appearance/improper attire.
  4. Limp, dead-fish handshake.
  5. Sloppy application blank - Incomplete/writes, "See Resume".
  6. Poorly prepared resume.
  7. Lack of interest or enthusiasm/passive - indifferent.
  8. Lack of tact.
  9. Lack of courtesy: ill mannered.
  10. Lack of maturity.
  11. Lack of vitality.
  12. Lack of planning for career: no purpose and goals.
  13. Lack of confidence and poise: Nervous, ill at ease.
  14. Failure to look at interviewer when conversing (i.e.: lack of eye to eye contact, looking down/looking around.)
  15. Failure to talk/ask questions about the position or company.
  16. Indifferent response to questions.
  17. Inability to express self clearly: poor voice, diction, grammar.
  18. Failure to pursue the "offer".
  19. Over emphasis on money.
  20. Emphasis on negative things.
  21. Wrong questions asked - benefits vs. opportunity.
  22. Inflated past or present salary.
  23. Falsified background: omission in employment history.
  24. Makes excuses: evasive; hedges on unfavorable factors on record.
  25. Failure to participate in interview.
  26. Condemnation of past employers.
  27. Indecision.
  28. Lazy.
  29. Cynical.
  30. Poor vocabulary.
  31. Intolerant: strong prejudices.
  32. Overbearing, over aggressive, conceited with superiority or "know it all" complex.
  33. Lack of interest in company or in industry.
  34. Merely shopping around.
  35. Narrow interests.
  36. Unwilling to start at the bottom/expect too much too soon.
  37. Wants job for short time.
  38. Inability to take criticism.
  39. High pressure type.
  40. Failure to express appreciation for interviewer's time.

I prefer to state things from a positive perspective but this list just does not come across the same when it is stated that way.

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