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You spend weeks practicing for a job interview, brushing up on your skills and doing your best to present a positive image. But, then after the interview, you hear nothing. Even worse, the recruiter doesn’t even respond to your requests for an update.

What’s happening here? While you could chalk it up to a hiring manager who is simply too busy to get back to you, what if something else occurred – and you unintentionally offended the job interviewer? Here are some ways you can stop offending the person on the other side of the desk, and instead impress them so they offer you a job.

Think about others – always bring enough job materials to the interview.

If you show up at the job interview and you haven’t thought to bring a couple extra copies of your resume, your business card, or other presentation materials, you could easily offend someone. This is especially true in the case of a group interview where several people may be meeting with you. People can view this as a lack of preparation and that you aren’t prepared for every situation. It might not be fair, but job candidates don’t have a lot of leverage in this situation.

Ask specifically about the interviewer on a personal level.

Be very careful about being too cold or impersonal during interviews. It can come off as rude to most people. Instead, take an interest in the interviewer by noting the family photos around their office, anything that signals you have something in common. Smile and pay a compliment to the interviewer to quickly build rapport as soon as possible. Yes, job interviews are a serious situation but it’s not a time to become impersonal. Show your personality and relate to the people who are interviewing you. They are going to have to work with you in the future, so they want to like you.

Don’t make comments about the office environment, the people, or the interviewer’s hairstyle.

One thing to avoid is making too many comments about the office environment or the other people at the workplace. Saying things like “Wow, people seem busy here.” can make the interviewer think that you are more interested in other things than engaging in the job interview conversation. Also, watch out for commenting on the hair style or outfit of the interviewer – that is too personal and may be taken the wrong way.

Before the interview, take the time to practice with a friend to avoid any verbal or non-verbal actions you may be doing you are not aware of. Things like eye-rolling, looking at your watch a lot, crossing your arms a lot, or not using enough eye contact while talking can all offend others. An honest and critical opinion from someone you trust will go farther than a courtesy “You’re doing great” assessment.

Work with a Top Staffing Agency in Chicago

When you are ready to take the next step in your career, contact the great team of recruiters at Davis Staffing. As a top temp staffing agency in Chicago, we listen to your needs, evaluate your skills and interests, and then match you with the perfect opportunity.