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At Clarity Recruitment we invest in both the client and the candidate. This means taking the time to understand what the client is looking for, screening candidates properly and then helping those same candidates prepare for their interviews.
But when interview jitters rear their heads, people can do interesting things. Here is our list of the top five accounting interview blunders of 2014.
Fail 1: Bringing Someone to the Interview
Everyone feels like they need some kind of support on interview day, but bringing someone to the interview communicates a lack of confidence, so as much as you love your mother, it’s best to leave her at home.
Fail 2: Chewing Gum
Whether it’s a nervous habit, or an attempt to hide your love for garlicky pasta, chewing gum in an interview doesn’t help you project an image of professionalism. And neither, as one of our candidates did in a moment of nervousness, does blowing bubbles.
Fail 3: Cologne – Lots of it
Many businesses are now scent free, so leave your favorite cologne on the shelf.
Fail 4: Strange Choice of Words: Acronyms, Slang and Lingo, OMG!
If you don’t communicate clearly and professionally this can hurt your chances of being the candidate of choice. This means avoiding slang. Maybe you have mad-skillz (ok, we couldn’t resist), however, simple and professional language wins the day.
Fail 5: The Epic Tirade
We’ve all had a bad experience in the workplace and depending on how recent it is, the wound can be fresh. But a full-blown rant about how you were misunderstood by your old boss will not endear you to your future one. Practice deep breathing, write a gratitude list, do anything to let your harsh feelings for your past situation go. And if you can’t, then hide them.
While not dressing professionally can also be a mistake in the accounting interview process, the five blunders above are particularly good at sinking your job prospects’ ship. Our advice – avoid them like you would Aunt Becky’s Christmas fruit cake.
