The one thing I constantly run into with cover letters that instantly puts an applicant out of the running:

Don’t say you have excellent written communication skills or attention to detail if you’re not going to proofread your cover letter (or have someone else look it over for you–a second pair of eyes is always a good thing)!

Most of us know we have to follow some basic rules in Job Interviews but sometimes those “key recommendations” are forgotten because we’re a little nervous wondering what will happen…So is always important to remember these tips!

I will give you other pieces tips:
I personally wouldn’t employ anybody who wasn’t on time for the interview or somebody that would make me jokes (I think a job interview isn’t the time or place to be a comedian…)

Regardsss
Carmen TG

It may seem superficial, but every little bit helps, and it’s better to not provide distractions that you don’t want the search committee to have. Having an interesting conversation piece accessory may be useful too (a lapel pin/brooch, favorite scarf, or for men, attractive but interesting tie), especially if the item has a story to it (a gift from a colleague? purchased at a particular conference or during a trip?). It helps the search committee to keep all of the candidates sorted in their brains (oh, yes, the one with the lovely music-themed scarf/tie…) with GOOD impressions, not BAD (oh, s/he fidgeted a LOT during that session and seemed uncomfortable…).

$.02, for what it’s worth.

On the other hand, I think that gestures are very important. Lots of companies use psychological services with specific training for reading corporal language. Don’t cross your arms or legs, because that shows that you are nervous and you are adopting a defensive position.

Other thing that you should take in care is your position. You should sit down with your back in a straight position, and your hands should be as still as possible. It is important to look into your speaker’s eyes too.

To sum up, you have to show respect, attention, confidence and interest.

Thank you for your help

I would include in your list:
- Never lie. It’s preferable a shorter CV than a false CV.
- Be ordered with cover letter and other materials.
- Look after your orthography. It’s painful to read a CV with spelling mistakes.
- Include a good photograph of you.
- Include the current date at the resume. It’s a way to check the validation of a CV.

Maybe that some suggestions are also too obvious, but as you said “apparently there are still people out there making these kinds of mistakes”.

I’d like to add something to the comment of meela. In fact, I once had a problem with the standard questions in my first job interview. The interviewer asked me about 3 qualities and 3 weak points and the problem was that I thought of it only few minutes before the interview and I kept in mind only 3 qualities and 1 weak point, so it seemed like I was a pretentious person.

So, I invite you to prepare these questions because they are very recurrent.

I was once on a panel and a very promising candidate failed to get the job because he didn’t take advantage of this feature of the interview process.

I can see how it feels like you are cheating somehow but you need every aid you can get, even if you are brilliant.

Here’s something that came up on the listserv today, initial results from a survey of people who do hiring, done by Arlene Schmuland:

“The results so far are intriguing. Here’s some quick samples: nearly 80% of you advertise your open positions on the A&A listserv and nearly 80% of you want applicants to differentiate between paid and volunteer experience on their resumes. The first I expected (well, actually I expected a little higher) and the second is not something I’ve seen in a lot of our incoming applications so that probably fits in the category of something our applicants need to hear from us.”