This week on ATS Career Radio we invited Kim Boulahanis in from Health Integrated to help us talk about common interviewing mistakes.  While we covered enough to write a book, I thought I'd share a few highlights:

Don't bring guests, spouses, significant others, kids, uncles, cousins or pets to your interview!   They should stay in the car or out of sight.   Just today, we had a candidate come in escorted by her father.   Not only is this weird but it can make it uncomfortable for both the candidate and the interviewer.  Like going to the bathroom, interviewing is one of those things better done on your own.

Always wear a suit.  Not matter what position you are interviewing for, a suit is almost always impressive.  This goes for guys and ladies.  Think conservative, not only with the outfit, but with your make-up, hair, perfume and jewelry.  No basketball-sized earrings or face jewelry please.

Leave the cell phone in the car.   I know I covered this in another post but yesterday I had a candidate who brought her cell phone into the interview and it rang not once, not twice but NINE times!   She answered it twice!   This is simply unacceptable.  Don't even run the risk of the "vibration" interrupting the interview.  It is not worth it.  Leave it in the car with your guests.

We talked about so many different things including tips on what to bring with you to the interview, how to prepare and we talked about other pitfalls to avoid.  Give ATS Career Radio a listen at www.atscareerradio.com. 

Any other common interviewing mistakes to avoid?  I'd love to hear them at billf@atstampa.com .

This morning at my daughter's school I was greeted with a giant, computer printed sign taped to the door saying "please finish your cell phone conversation before entering the school." As I walked to her classroom, these signs were posted all down the hallway. After I dropped her off, I pulled into the McDonald's drive thru to get a coffee and noticed a HUGE, ENORMOUS sign saying "please do not use your cell phone in the drive thru." Come to think of it, there were three of them!

One would think its common sense not to be walking our children down the hall of their school while talking on a cell phone. If the school is forced to post signs everywhere asking people to refrain, apparently it's not.

This made me think I should post my own sign to candidates who may go on an interview in the near future to remind them NOT to take their cell phone with them into the interview.   There is nothing more inconsiderate and annoying to an interviewer than to have a cellphone ring in the middle of an interview.  It's almost as bad to have  a phone "vibrate" through an interview as well.  My suggestion is to leave your phone in the car or turn it off.  

Truth is this goes for those doing the interviewing as well as candidates although I don't recommend you walk into your job interview with a sign saying "please turn off your cell phone during my interview."   Some things are better left up to common sense.