Here's What You're Doing Wrong in Interviews

Andrea Barger
Andrea (she/her) is our head of PR at Snagajob, where she’s focused on telling the world how we help hourly workers and employers. Her first hourly job was as a lifeguard.

Charles asked us on our blog:

“I have been unemployed since September of this year and have been on 10 interviews since starting to use Snagajob. Somewhere between the resume, interview and follow up I am missing or doing something wrong and I just can't figure it out.”

Great question Charles! If you’re making it to interviews, the good news is you’ve probably got the application process down – applying to the right jobs, submitting and following up on job applications to make a great impression on the hiring manager.

That said, there may be something in your interviews that’s holding you back.

Interview basics

The first thing you should do is take a look back at your interviews and be sure you arrived on time and were dressed appropriately. While this seems small, these details are importantand an employer will probably remember you if you show up in a dirty sweatshirt and ripped jeans.

Interview questions

If all of that looks good, think about how you answered the actual interview questions themselves. It’s important to practice how you answer these questions, as there’s definitely a wrong way and a right way to answer questions. Not sure if you’ve been answering acceptably? Check out all of our videos where we break down some of the most common job interview questions down for you.

Interview practice

While interviews can be pretty scary, the more you do, the better prepared you will be. We highly recommend doing mock interviews with friends and family members. Maybe you don’t realize it, but you might constantly bite your nails during interviews. Or your handshake needs some work. Or maybe you subconsciously look really bored as you listen. It’s better to have someone you trust tell you these things instead of an employer!

I know that interviewing over and over can get pretty frustrating, but your best bet is look back to see why you may not be getting hired and then get back in the game. We believe in you.