My Biggest Interview Mistakes (and How to Avoid Them)

I can't help it-in the moment, an interview just seems like a game-changing situation: This meeting could be a defining moment that determines the rest of my life. How's that for pressure?

With that kind of outlook, it's not too surprising that I've made some pretty big interviewingblunders along my job-hunting journey. So, to make sure you don't follow in my footsteps, here are four of the biggest interview mistakes I've made-and what you can learn from them to avoid similar situations.

I Didn't Do My Research

One of the most intimidating interviews I've been through happened the day after I'd attended a college career fair. The fair had gone well; I'd stopped by this employer's booth and chatted with the recruiter for just a few short minutes before she asked me if I wanted to sign up for a formal interview spot the next day. (Score!)

With such a quick turnaround, I focused my attention on preparing answers for a standard set of interview questions. And while I'd gleaned a little information about the company at the fair, in no way did I have a thorough understanding of it. Turned out, that was my downfall. Immediately after shaking my hand, the interviewer got down to business-drilling me about my knowledge of the company: "So, you did you do your research? Who's our CEO? How many cities do we have offices in?"

I laughed nervously, assuming he was joking. (He wasn't.) As I fumbled through my answers ("I don't remember" and "Um, 23?" respectively), I cursed the time I spent scripting answers the night before, rather than researching.