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Thursday 27 October 2016 12:29 pm

Here are eight mistakes you really don’t want to make in an interview

By: Rebecca Smith

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Ever wondered if you're not getting a job because you dropped a clanger in an interview? Or if the recruitment process in general never seems to go all that smoothly for you?

Fear not; CV-Library has polled 1,200 workers across the UK to rake over their painful past mistakes so you can avoid following in their footsteps.

While four in 10 of those surveyed said they'd made a huge mistake, at least only eight per cent found that it got so bad they had to ditch the interview part way through.

Read more: 13 interview questions that measure candidates' emotional intelligence

Here are the eight biggest mistakes people make in interviews:

  1. Arriving unprepared
  2. Oversharing information
  3. Arriving late
  4. Confusing job roles and employers
  5. Talking badly about a previous employer
  6. Calling the interviewer the wrong name
  7. Lying about experience
  8. Using a swear word

On the plus side, CV-Library's managing director Lee Biggins, says: "It's clear from our research that interview shockers are commonplace across the UK so don't beat yourself up about it. Remember, you wouldn’t have been asked in for an interview if the company wasn’t interested in you and your CV, so believe in yourself and try not to let your nerves get the better of you."

Read more: The worst body language mistakes you can make in an interview

And what can you do to try and calm the nerves? Biggins says the obvious answer, but still the best, is to practise, whether it be with friends or family.

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