Provided below are the 10 most common reasons for recruiters to reject applicants during the interview. I have also added some thoughts on how to avoid these common pitfalls.

1. Unfamiliar with CV.

Amazingly, some applicants are surprised by a question that the interviewer asks regarding information on their CV. An applicant may have forgotten that a particular statement was on their CV. This is very embarrassing and not very impressive.

Corrective action: Know your CV thoroughly and be able to defend every statement made on it.

2. Poor academic record.

It’s too late to change your grades now. Be prepared for questions on your grades and have a well-thought out response. One-half of engineers, lawyers, teachers and accountants graduated in the bottom half of their classes. The GPA is not a true measure of what you learned nor is it an indicator of how intelligent you are.

Corrective action: Throughout the entire interview, demonstrate your knowledge so you appear “smarter” than your GPA might indicate. But don’t overdo it. Remember to be yourself.

3. Insufficient knowledge of industry.

Employers vary here on what to expect. In financial services, this is extremely important. In most other industries, the importance diminishes. It is always important to remember that you want to impress the interviewer more than the other applicants.

Corrective action: Research the company, the industry, competitors, and industry trends. Keep in mind, it is important to know the future of the industry regarding its growth, international competition and profitability, just to name a few factors. Information on the industry is very easy to find on the Internet. Invest 2-3 hours and you will appear much more impressive and confident in the interview.

4. Lack of leadership skills.

Employers do differ on the requirement for leadership depending on the job that is being filled. One thing is for certain— previous leadership always makes the applicant more valuable.

Corrective action: Explain in the interview how you demonstrated leadership in a job, club, organization, volunteer organization, class project or study team. Employers want to hire future leaders, so most will look for past leadership.

5. Lack of career focus.

This interview misstep results from the applicant’s inability to demonstrate how the open position is of interest, or more importantly, how this job fits into their career plan for the next 10 years. In other words, there is a lack of career planning.

Corrective action: The applicant needs to do more research on the position and the related career paths. Discussions with alumni or others who do this job will be helpful in making the decision to pursue this line of work and will make you more informed. The Internet again is a source of information on specific careers........ See remaining 5 at: http://blog.cvwizards.com.ng/?p=333

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