It’s important when we learn from our own mistakes and just as important to learn from other people’s mistakes.

Sometimes the mistakes we make are embarrassing. We try to not let them mistakes be discovered.  However, when other people’s mistakes are embarrassing, we want to know about them so that we can A) learn from them, B) giggle at them.  Here are interviewing mistakes that may be considered embarrassing.

Instead of telling you the embarrassing mistakes others made, let me tell you some things you should never do:

• Never tell the interviewer that you are not sure this job is worth even starting your car
• Don’t ask to take a sip of the interviewers coffee
• Do not refer to yourself in the third person during the interview
• Don’t take your shoes off during the interview
• Don’t forget the company name, or worse yet, ask the interviewer to tell you the name of the company
• Don’t wear your boy scout uniform to an interview and not offer some form of explanation
• Don’t put the interviewer on hold to take another call and then come back to the call declaring your excitement for a Friday night date.
• Don’t bring an “Interview for Dummies” book to the interview
• Don’t brag about your promptness as a strength after showing up 10 minutes late for the interview
• Don’t continue on to the interview after passing another car, flipping the other driver off and cursing at him, only to discover that driver is your interviewer.

A few other mistakes, maybe less embarrassing include:
(According to a CareerBuilder survey these mistakes happen very often – Percent occurrence included)

• Don’t answer your cell phone or respond to a text message during an interview (77%)
• Don’t appear disinterested during the interview (75%)
• Don’t go to an interview dressed completely inappropriate (72%)
• Don’t appear arrogant during an interview (72%)
• Don’t talk negatively about your current or past employers (67%)
• Don’t chew gum during an interview (63%)

Let’s all learn from other people’s interviewing mistakes.  In time these percentages should decline. Let’s hope.