Smart Phones and Foolish Interview Mistakes

Almost everyone has a smart phone. Don’t let it be your number one interview mistake. This means you can be in constant touch with everyone and everything just by looking at your phone.  It’s tempting to do that all the time. In fact some people are truly addicted to their phone and can’t put it down or take their eyes off of it, even during an interview.

Taking your phone with you into an interview is fine. Turn it off. Turn the ringer off.  Turn the vibrating feature off.  The last thing you want in the middle of an interview is for your phone to ring in any way, shape or form.  What you think of as a cute ring tone, could be perceived as wildly offensive to someone else.  I’ve seen phones vibrate so violently that they literally walk across the desk.

I’ve noticed an increase in the number of people who cannot go without looking at their phone for any length of time. I’ve seen candidates lay the phone on the desk or table during an interview and glance at it while they are being interviewed. And by glance at it, I mean stare at it. If you have better eye contact with your phone than with the person conducting the interview, you’re not going to get the job offer.

Are you obsessed with your phone?

At what point does your phone become an obsession? If you can’t shut it off and walk away from it for the 20 – 60 minutes you will be in an interview, there may be a problem.  Even if you do not see this as a problem, I can assure you the hiring manager will be asking how you will ever be able to hold down a full time job.  If your attention must be on your phone, will you make a good employee?  Will you be working and focusing on your work or will a part of your brain forever be dedicated to checking your phone?

While this may seem exaggerated, there actually are people who are addicted to their cell phone. Practice for your interview by shutting your phone off before you find that you can’t let go of it.