As a recruitment consultant, the question I am often asked by candidates that register with me, having failed repeatedly at interview in the past, is: ‘What am I doing wrong?’

More often than not, the answer is ‘nothing’. It is like anything in life – you need to prepare well beforehand, plan what you want to say and try to expect the unexpected. But even then there is no guarantee that you will secure the post.


However, some candidates do things at interview that they would never do normally and often never realise that they are doing it. I once interviewed a candidate who spent the entire interview staring out of the office window, which was at 90 degrees to where I was sitting. At first, I thought something interesting must be going on outside, but he just could not engage someone in conversation and look at him at the same time.


I encountered a similar problem recently when a candidate went through the entire interview with his eyes closed. He did open his eyes occasionally, but then only briefly. I assume that this was to check that I was still there.


These problems are extreme, but if you are failing at interview on a regular basis, it may be worth arranging a mock interview with a recruitment consultant in order to see how you perform in a stressful situation.


Take it seriously – wear your best suit. A crop-top that shows off your belly stud may allow you to stand out in a crowd and the Homer Simpson socks may be your favourite/lucky pair, but they are not what you want to be remembered for in interview.


A killer at interview is the candidate who refuses to be drawn on their salary expectations. If an interviewer asks you what salary you are looking for, it is usually a good sign. But to respond with ‘well, what are you offering?’ and then when asked again to say (as one candidate told me only last month) ‘I will not be drawn on that’ is usually enough to unsettle the interviewer sufficiently to ensure that you are not taken to the next stage.


We all want the best salary we can get, but must have the confidence to be able to assess our own worth and respond accordingly with a ballpark figure. A good employer will not be looking to get you as cheaply as possible; he simply wants to know what sort of salary he would need to offer to get you on board. If you do think that he wants the cheapest person available, why are you still sitting there?


Mark Fussell is managing director of Mark Fussell Legal Recruitment in Birmingham