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It's no surprise that a strong interview is a determining factor in securing a new position. The more prepared you are, the more confident you will be - resulting in a better outcome.

To ensure you put your best foot forward we have outlined some common interview faux pas to avoid when facing the pressure of a job interview.

So, what are the top five things you should always do before or during an interview?

1. Do your homework

Preparation is the first essential step in the interview process, so don't let yourself down before it's even taken place. Researching the company you are meeting with will show your interest in the business and give you an upper hand. Look at their website and what's happening in the news to widen your research and see what the media is saying about the company. Don't limit your research to this alone - make sure you research the background of your interviewers, including their career history and specific achievements.

2. Make a good first impression

If you're going to a face-to-face interview, plan your trip there, do a trial run if it is at an unfamiliar location and arrive a few minutes early for the interview. Late arrival for a job interview is inexcusable. Bring your CV and ensure you know the dates and its specifics so you can confidently talk through your CV and give examples.

For a video interview, minimise technical issues by testing your video tool the day before your interview, on the day of your interview, ensure you are set up and ready to go at least 15 minutes before your scheduled time, in a quiet and comfortable place. You won't have the luxury of being able to offer a firm handshake or make eye contact with your interviewer, so the best alternative is for you to smile confidently and appear interested and engaged.

Looking the part is also important and you can rarely go wrong wearing a well-fitting suit. The amount of care you take in your presentation is a sign of your interest in the role and your seriousness in making a good impression.

3. Listen and respond accordingly

Too often the feedback from clients is that the candidate does not answer the question in a clear and direct manner. Don't run circles around the questions, listen and answer accordingly while using examples from your experience to back it up.

4. Prepare smart, open ended questions to ask the interviewer

Remember that an interview is a two-way street, asking questions will help illustrate your interest and motivation to succeed in the role and company, as well as get you noticed and separate you from other candidates. It will also determine if this really is the opportunity or business you want to join.

Communicating your experience and successes clearly will highlight any of your strengths that are relevant to the role.

5. Sell your strengths and expertise

Make sure that you communicate your strengths to the interviewer in a concise, factual and sincere manner.

Now you know what you should do, what are the top five things you should not do at an interview?

1. Don't speak poorly about your present or former employers

The interviewer will assume you will do this to them if you leave and question your professionalism. This is a big red flag to anyone interviewing a candidate.

2. Don't falsify information

Answer questions truthfully and as close to the point as possible. Explain and describe things about yourself that relate to the position on offer, and truly reflect your past experience. If you are being probed in an area that is not a strength, be honest and let your interviewer know you are willing to learn or work on and how you can up skill in this area. Follow that with strengths you have in another area that you could bring to the table.

3. Don't speak over the interviewer

It is important to be a good listener as well as a good talker. It shows that you are respectful and have strong interpersonal skills. If you are interviewing via a video platform remember that there will be a slight time delay, avoid rushing to answer a question in case your interviewer hasn't finished speaking.

4. Don't assume it isn't an interview

Regardless of what interview stage you are at or who you are meeting - it may be over a coffee, a few drinks or just labelled a final chat - it is still used as an opportunity to assess your suitability for the potential role.

5. Don't let any past rejections infringe on future ones

Finding a new job can be taxing, make sure you approach every interview as a new opportunity and learn from past interview mistakes. If you have several interviews lined up, try to leave some space between them to ensure you are at your best.

For further interview advice and some examples of competency based questions, please download our full interview guide.

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It's no surprise that a strong interview is a determining factor in securing a new position. The more prepared you are, the more confident you will be - resulting in a better outcome. To ensure you put your best foot forward we have outlined some common interview faux pas to avoid when facing the pressure of a job interview.

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The interview is your foot in the door with your next potential employer, but you only get one shot at impressing them. The following dos and don'ts will help you put your absolute best foot forward and get more job offers...

20 Dos And Dont's For Job Interviews

What to Wear

Do: Research the company, check out the website, Facebook page, Twitter feed, and other social media before the interview. How does the company present itself, its workplace culture, and its employees? If the dress code appears to be business casual, then break out your slacks and dress shirt. If it's more formal, then dress the part in traditional business attire from head to foot.

Don't: Dress down. It's better to be slightly more formal than required than to come to the interview dressed too casually, as this gives the appearance that you are not serious about the position. If you're unsure at all, dress better than you think is necessary.

What to Say (without words)

Do: Project confident body language. Sit up straight, lean slightly forward, and look your interviewer in the eye. Smile and engage with each interviewer and nod slightly as he or she speaks.

Don't: Try not to slouch or cross your arms as questions are asked. Don't fidget. Try to project body language that is positive and indicates interest. The best way to show confidence is by sitting in an "open stance". That's why you shouldn't cross your arms or do anything that makes you seem hesitant or closed-off.

How to Act

Do: Stay poised and relaxed. Interviews are designed to see how you react to challenge. That's why so many interviewers try to throw in that one unexpected question. When it comes, be relaxed, flexible, and as engaging as possible. Keep a smile on your face even if you don't have a ready answer. This will show your interviewer that you don't get rattled, even when you don't have all the answers. If you need time to think, say, "that's a great question, let me think for a second. I want to give you a good answer here." No hiring manager is going to fault you for doing that once or twice.

Don't: Don't show signs of panic and don't lose your cool if things take an unexpected turn or you face a tough question. Also don't rush while answering. You don't want to blurt something out that you can't take back, so stay calm.

When to Hold Back

Do: Let the interviewer feel in control. Let them take the lead and follow the general direction that they're guiding the conversation in. Chances are they have certain things they need to find out from you in order to know if this job is a good fit. And the more you help them gather this info, the better they'll feel about you as a candidate (even if you're missing one or two pieces of experience).

Don't: This doesn't mean you should be completely passive and let it be a one-sided conversation. Don't be afraid to ask the interviewer to clarify something, ask questions midway through the interview, or even go back to a topic you previously discussed if you think of something extra you want to share. So while you don't want to dominate the conversation (remember, the interviewer has topics and questions they *need* to cover), do ask follow up questions and turn the interview into a dialogue, not just a one way question-and-answer session.

What to Highlight

Do: Go into your interview prepared to highlight the abilities and the aspects of your background that you believe make you a good fit for the position. Take notes on the position and the company, as well as relevant aspects of your qualifications that make you a strong candidate. Taking the time to research the company and job will help you remember what you want to say, and will allow you to weave your knowledge into the answers to their questions.

Don't: The worst mistake you can make is to skip the pre-interview research stage of preparation. Let's repeat this-the worst mistake you can make is to skip the pre-interview research stage of preparation.

How to Listen

Do: Even though your best strategy is to outline the key points you want to make in the interview ahead of time, you also want to demonstrate that you are a good listener and can stay focused and on topic. Listen to each question as it is asked; you may even want to take notes. Then, calmly and confidently, answer the question in a way that highlights your best attributes.

Don't: Resist the temptation to segue too quickly from the topic of your interviewer's question into your resume. Make sure you tailor your answers in a way that answers the question, stays on topic, and highlights the way your background addresses that topic. If they bring it up then you can bet it's a focus for them, so make sure you demonstrate that it's a focus for you as well.

How to Leverage Your Past

Do: Bring up past successes where appropriate, but make sure that you are constantly showing how these past accomplishments will bring value to your next employer.

Don't: It's tempting to ramble on about your successes in a former job, but do not focus on the specifics of a past role to the point where it dominates the conversation. Remember that even if you loved that former position and learned a great deal from it, your next employer is only interested in how that experience will translate into your new role and benefit them.

How to Compensate for Weaknesses

Do: Be honest about elements of your experience or employment record that may not be ideal for the position. If you have gaps in your resume, experienced a layoff or dismissal, or if you are missing key experiences or skills in the job description, be truthful, and then leverage the conversation back to your strengths.

Don't: Never lie about past employment missteps or pretend to have skills that you do not have. A good interviewer will see through an attempt to mislead. And even if your lie does get you to the next stage in the hiring process, you're likely to be disqualified later in the vetting process.

How to Talk about Past Employers

Do: Give diplomatic responses about all past employers, even if your tenure at a former job ended badly. Try to find something positive you can say about every past work experience on your resume and then pivot to the skills you have gained along the way that will benefit your next employer.

Don't: You will not win points with your next potential boss by speaking badly of a past one. Even if your past employer is a competitor of the company where you want to work, don't criticize a past employer. You will be seen as petty, or even worse, as a risky hire.

What to Ask

Do: Come prepared with questions based on your research of the company. In addition to checking out the company's website and social media presence, do some industry research and find out some of the innovations or developments your potential employer has gotten noticed for lately. Asking questions indicates your interest in the company, especially when your questions demonstrate knowledge of the industry sector and the company.

Don't: Most interviews end with an opportunity for the candidate to ask about anything that has not previously been covered. But don't wait until the very end of the interview or for the interviewer to ask if you have any questions to ask about the aspects of the job you want to learn more about. Instead, ask questions as the conversation develops and show initiative and confidence. The more you can make the interview into a conversation, the better rapport you'll create with the hiring manager.

How to Wrap Up and Exit

Do: Believe it or not, how you end the interview is just as important as how you begin. In fact, both are crucial, because these are two things that interviewers always remember. So to wrap up your job interview (and our list of interview dos and don'ts), make sure you give a firm handshake, look the interviewer in the eye, and say, "Thanks so much for your time. It was a pleasure meeting you and learning about the role, and I'm looking forward to hearing about the next steps."

You can also ask for a business card so you can call or email the interviewer if they don't provide feedback in a reasonable time-frame. Also, consider asking what time-frame to expect, so you can plan ahead.

Don't: Make sure you don't rush the ending or leave without thanking them and making eye contact. The last impression matters, and even if you're feeling tense/nervous, or worried that the interview didn't go well, now isn't the time to stress. Focus on what you can control in the moment, which is to leave a good final impression. Also, avoid asking, "Do you have any concerns that would prevent you from offering me the position?" (Or any similar questions).

They just met you and need time to think, and even if they have a big concern, they're not likely to tell you at that moment! It's not a comfortable question to ask, just like the employer wouldn't ask you, "So, are there any reasons you wouldn't accept this job?" I've seen people recommend you ask the question above, but I don't think it's ever a good idea, and it's one of the biggest interview don'ts. Avoid this, and you'll leave a much better impression.
About this guest author: Since 2005, LiveCareer's team of career coaches, certified resume writers, and savvy technologists have been developing career tools that have helped over 10 million users build stronger resumes, write persuasive cover letters, and develop better interview skills. Land the job you want faster using our free samples, templates, writing guides, and easy-to-use resume-builder software.

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The interview is your foot in the door with your next potential employer, but you only get one shot at impressing them. The following dos and don'ts will help you put your absolute best foot forward and get more job offers...

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Always use a good voice tone. Make sure people understand what you are saying. Don't mumble.

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Prepare answers for some typical questions

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try to use formal English to show respect at the interviewer

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Say what u think is right

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Look professional

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Is important have confidence in yourself at the moment to answer technical questions

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Don't give short awswers to the interviewer questions

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Prepare a space for your interview. Make sure a good internet connexion, good lighting and reduce ambient noise.

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Try to review the achievements than you had about the previous jobs

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Be honest with your previous experience.

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Have prepared projects to show in the interview

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It is important to maintain a balance between your strengths and weaknesses. When you talk about your weaknesses don't forget to say what are you doing to solve them.

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Is important show that you dish have the job

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Turn off notifications and put in silence your phone.

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Research about the company, her clients, products and about the job.

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Talk honestly about your strengths and weaknesses from previous feedback of your coworkers