5 Mistakes To Avoid When Interviewing For Your First Job

A lot of people think they need to have the perfect answers to interview questions.

They assume questions about their experience, skill set, or plans for the future require a thoroughly rehearsed answer.

But I’ll let you in on a secret.

It’s not about having the right answer — it’s about how you answer. You’re better off focusing on authenticity over perfection.

And you can’t force authenticity.

You can’t create answers that sound authentic if there’s nothing backing them up.

Interviewers will pick up on forced answers, because they’ve heard it all before. I’ve helped countless college students prepare for interviews, and I’ve noticed some common errors they tend to make.

Here are 5 of those mistakes and what you can do to avoid them.

1. Not Knowing Your Story

Authenticity starts with a powerful story.

Most people don’t stop to think about their personal story, much less spend time practicing it.

As a candidate, your job is to craft an authentic personal story that shares why you’re passionate about this position and industry.

Use your story to explain why you’re a good fit for your chosen career path. Your story should be based on life experiences — and can even draw from your childhood.

Your story helps you tremendously during interviews, because it serves as a baseline for every answer.

Don’t think about how to answer every possible combination of questions. Just go back to your core story and build your answer from there.

2. Focusing On Mistakes

Many students feel like they’re under a lot of pressure during an interview.

They think one mistake will crush their chances of landing the job.

Take a deep breath. Making a mistake isn’t the end of the world. Many times the interviewer won’t even notice, and if they do, they probably won’t care as much as you think.

Even if you make a mistake that’s obvious to everyone in the room, you can still recover. Just say, “Let me backup. Let me start over.” Then, forget about it.

And you can always slow things down. Take a pause.

Many students don’t realize there’s nothing wrong with taking 5–10 seconds to think about their answer. No one will mind the pause if you give them a thoughtful answer afterwards.

It’s better to take the time you need than to throw out a questionable answer as quickly as possible.

3. Trying To Give The “Right” Answer

In general, you shouldn’t think about how to answer questions correctly.

You should think about how to give your own genuine answers that convey authenticity and enthusiasm.

Of course, if you’re asked to solve a problem or answer a specific question in a technical interview, then yes, it matters more if you get the right answer. But in many cases, it’s more important to show your thought process and explain it out loud.

Walk through your logic and your reasoning. Ask questions if you need to clarify something with the interviewer.

If you take the time to verbalize your process, even a wrong answer won’t be a deal-breaker if the interviewer sees your logic is sound.

4. Not Practicing

If you want to get better at something, you practice.

You wouldn’t sit down for a piano recital without ever having touched a key, so why would you walk into an interview without practicing?

This is where having a good career coach or advisor can be really helpful. You want to work with someone who’s in the field you’re interested in so your mock interviews are as realistic as possible.

The only way to be truly prepared for an interview is by practicing for it over and over.

5. Lacking Enthusiasm

Another mistake many people make is showing up to the interview without enthusiasm and passion.

Some students do practice interviews with companies they have no intention of joining. Don’t do that. You’re wasting everyone’s time, including your own. Instead, take that time and spend it practicing for an interview you’re actually interested in.

Communicate your enthusiasm to the interviewer by being engaged and asking questions.

Every interview is a learning opportunity, so always reach out and ask for feedback afterwards. The trick here is to word your request correctly. If you ask why you didn’t get the job, there’s a good chance you’ll get a cookie cutter response about how competitive the field was, and how it just wasn’t a good fit.

Instead ask, “What could I have done better?”

You’re more likely to get an honest response that helps you prepare for the next interview and keeps you from making the same mistakes.

Matt Wilkerson is the Co-Founder and CEO of Paragon One, a career advisory network that has helped hundreds of students and recent graduates land competitive jobs and internships.

For business and career advice, follow him on Twitter and Quora.