Habits: we’ve all got them. Some are good, some are bad, some are neither. Some are bound to a specific culture, some are everywhere alike. But in a situation as stressful as a job interview, you better know which ones to avoid! So that’s why we’ve made you a list of 9 habits to avoid during your next Belgian job interview:

1. Skipping breakfast:
As we say in Belgium: “Een goed begin is het halve werk” (roughly translated: a good start is half the job) and that also counts for the beginning of your day! If skipping breakfast is a habit of yours, make sure you avoid it on the day of your interview. When you don’t eat breakfast, it can be hard to focus and you can feel irritated, two things you can surely miss during a job interview.

2. Not doing your homework:
This one is a logical one. The interviewer will be able to tell if you have or haven’t done any research. It’s important to know what the company does if you want to work there. If you did your homework, it will be clear that you’ve chosen to apply for the vacancy after you’ve considered the facts. And not out of desperation.

3. Being late:
This is a bad habit in a lot of occasions. Of Course it doesn’t look very professional if you arrive too late at your job interview and this isn’t the first impression that you want to make. Arrive 15 minutes earlier to make sure that you’re on time. But also don’t arrive way too early. This can be frustrating to the interviewer because you shake up his/her schedule.

4. Smoking/drinking:
Don’t smoke or drink before you go to a job interview. The interviewer will smell it on you. Alcohol can make you less nervous but also dulls your senses. Which means that you can look less intelligent.

5. Body language:
Not only your choice of words can be important during an interview, but also your body language plays a big role. Failing to make eye contact, bad posture or never smiling is bad. Nervous habits can be a dealbreaker as well.
We all know how stressful a job interview can be. Even the interviewer knows that. Just show how happy you are that you’ve gotten the opportunity to present yourself.

6. Being shy:
Situations like this can be quite difficult for shy people. You are having a conversation with someone of a company where you want to work and you have to tell them a lot of things about yourself. Being shy can look like insecurity. Take your time to answer the question. This shows your interest and power.

7. Swearing:
Again, this is quite obvious. It’s possible that you’re really excited, but don’t start blurring out cursing words left and right. It shows that you can’t be calm or thoughtful in a situation.

8. Share too much:
You want to impress the company with your skills and talents so it sounds quite logical that you share enough information about yourself. But by sharing too much, you can easily overwhelm any recruiter making it hard for them to focus on what really matters.
Keep the information relevant, listen to your interviewer and ask questions.  

9. Negativity:
If you have doubts about your abilities, your interviewer can pick up on that and see it as negativity. Don’t tell them about the fact that you hated your last job and why it was such a bad company. A job interview is not the place to let go of all your anger.
Walk into the interview with a mix of confidence with a smile and some enthusiasm.

 

Now you know which habits to avoid, but not what to wear? Than you can take a look at Talentree’s guide to finding a perfect outfit for your Belgian job interview.

Good luck!

 

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