Employers don’t interview unqualified job candidates, so if they’ve scheduled an interview with you, they already think you’re qualified.

That’s great, right?

Yes, but… they also think that about the other candidates they’re interviewing.

To stand out, pay special attention to your attire and attitude. If you dress well and show up on time (which means 5-10 minutes early), no one will notice. But if you don’t, they’ll definitely notice—and not in a good way.

Here are 20 interview no-no’s to remember:

1. No being late
2. No jeans
3. No wrinkles
4. No holes
5. No stains
6. No fragrance
7. No flirting
8. No gum chewing
9. No smoking
10. No cell phone
11. No iPod
12. No coffee
13. No garlic
14. No swearing
15. No pen borrowing (bring your own!)
16. No boss-bashing
17. No rambling on and on
18. No over-sharing of personal details
19. No inappropriate remarks
20. No salary demands (yet).

Remember, it can be impossible to recover from a bad first impression! 

Fortunately, these 20 bloopers are pretty simple to avoid. When there's a job at stake that pays tens of thousands of dollars per year, a little extra time and effort to be well prepared and professional is worth it.

RELATED LINKS
Job Interview Basics: Prepare Well to Present Well
First Impressions Mean Everything in Your Job Search
5 Bits of Bad Job Search Advice

Ready To Jump Start Your Job Search?