Never do these things before a job interview

You are looking forward to a relaxing weekend on a Friday evening when you get a call from a recruiter about a job interview on Monday. You start stressing because there is so much to do before your job interview. You need to pick the perfect outfit, practice your answers, prepare the necessary papers, and plan your commute. That’s a lot of p’s for one weekend. Here’s what not to do on Saturday and Sunday while you prep yourself for a successful job interview:

Waste the little time you have

Time is golden. If you are having a job interview in a few days, you can’t keep your preparations for the last minute. The earlier you start preparing, the more confident you will feel on the actual day. Get the best use out of the time you have and get as many things done as possible.

Forget to prepare your own questions

When the interviewer asks if you have any questions for them, you should not answer, “Nops, all good,” and walk out the door. Having questions about the job and the company for your interviewer shows them that you are really interested in the employer. When preparing for your interview, allocate some time to come up with a set of questions of your own for the interviewer.

Picking out the wrong outfit

You should get your interview outfit ready the day before the event. Ensure that you select something professional and appropriate for the occasion. Bright and baggy clothes should be avoided when selecting your outfit. Also, avoid picking anything that hasn’t been properly cleaned. Stay away from chunky jewelry and distracting footwear. Ensure that your shoes are well-cleaned and polished.

Staying up too late

If you are facing a technical interview the next day, it will be tempting to stay up late and go through your notes or different scenarios. While there might be a few hard behavioral questions to answer during your interview, staying up the night will not make you feel any better in the morning. Instead, plan to get 8 hours of good sleep the night before your interview. Being well-rested will help you be more put-together on the interview day.

Stress eating

Many job seekers make the mistake of drowning their interview stress in junk food the day before an interview. While having three different pizzas the day before your interview may seem a great idea to relax at the time, you will not be feeling so happy the following day if you fall sick. Go for nutritious light meals and snacks that will give you the energy to be fresh for your interview.

Not planning the journey

If you are unfamiliar with the route to get to the interview venue, you should plan your journey in advance. You don’t want to leave home on the interview day and then find out that the commute takes an hour longer than what you planned for. Plan to be there at the venue at least 10 minutes earlier than the starting time of your interview. If you leave more of a window, you can even freshen yourself up in the powder room before you walk through the doors.