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Avoid These 10 Tech Interview Errors
Job seekers for tech positions are prone to a number of common interview blunders. To avoid them, it helps to know what they are.
Here are 10 of the most common tech interview mistakes:
1. Not Attending to Their Appearance. Techies sometimes dress from the waist up, instead of considering the head-to-toe look. Gone are the days of dressing too conservatively for a tech job. Be sure to dress for the part.
2. Showing Too Much Arrogance. Many techies come across as arrogant in interviews while expressing their talent. Confidence is desirable, not arrogance because it suggests they can’t be team players.
3. Overemphasizing Skills. Certifications and other credentials matter, as does your technical know-how, but remember that you're there to serve an organization’s needs. You want to come across as more than an amalgamation of your skills.
4. Not Communicating. Interviewers often favor open-ended questions, but techies sometimes respond with too-brief answers, failing to elaborate or convey their communication skills. Instead, view each question as the opening to a conversation and a chance to discuss the value they bring to a company.
5. Being Unprepared. Passing knowledge about a company won’t cut it anymore. Instead, be sure to have some in-depth research about the firm and its industry.
6. Lack of Interest. Candidates sometimes display a lack of interest by not asking about the company’s industry, competitors or any types of business problems it’s facing. So when asked if you have questions, take advantage and never say no, lest you come across as disinterested or unprepared.
7. Acting Too Eager for Perks. Questions about parking spaces, sick days, free soft drinks, and other benefits and perks should be reserved for a human resources rep, preferably after a job offer.
8. Acting Too Casual. Interviews can be formal affairs. The interviewer, not the candidate, should set the tone. Then follow his or her lead.
9. Being Too Negative. Some techies smarting from tough times may mistake an interviewer’s friendly demeanor as an invitation to confide. So always stay positive.
10. Failing to Close. Rather than emphasizing how much they’d love to join the company or asking what the next step in the process will be, techies may let the interview fade instead of closing and selling themselves. Don’t fall into this category.
– Allan Hoffman
Source: Monster.com
About the Author: Hoffman is a Monster tech jobs expert.
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