Looking great on resume alone does not land you jobs. Interviewing is the most overlooked aspect of a job search strategy. There are hundreds of candidates that look impressive on paper, but when it comes to making a lasting impression they prove to be complete disasters. With the job market getting tougher and tougher, it is essential for candidates to polish their interview skills to perfection and avoid mistakes they can make. Given below are 10 worst interview mistakes that you need to avoid to make your job interview a success and land jobs successfully.

1. Poor handshake
A handshake may just be a three-second affair, but it is one of the most important part of making a great first impression on the hiring manager or the interviewer. An ineffective handshake is one of the most embarrassing interview mistakes you can make. It is almost impossible to build a rapport after you have already had a poor handshake with the interviewer. If it is a ‘Limp Hand' handshake, it shows your disinterest. If it is the ‘Tips of the Fingers' type, it signals a lack of ability to engage. And you can make you seem like an overly aggressive salesman if you make the ‘Arms Pump' handshake.

2. Being too talkative
There is a limit to even talking. Most of the employers just hate candidates who are over-talkative. To avoid mistakes, you need to fine-tune your interviewing skills with role play. When the interviewer asks you a question, provide answers in a direct manner. Avoid nervous talking or taking too much time to reply to direct questions.

3. Talking negative about your previous employers or managers
Even if you have reasonable complaints against your past employers, you should not talk negative about them. It is one of the most common mistakes candidates can make and talk them out of a new job. In any case, you should never make the interviewer feel your disrespect towards your past boss or employer. Even when you are asked to talk about your previous employer, try to take a positive spin on your experiences.

4. Turning up too early or too late
Hardly do many jobseekers know that they leave a poor impression even by showing up too early for the interview. Do not make it seem like you are desperately want the job and have much time on your hands. Therefore, it is always advisable to turn up for the interview on time, rather than being 10-15 minutes early.

5. Behaving rudely with the receptionist
Many times interviewers may also ask the receptionist for an opinion of you. Apart from that it is the receptionist who paves your way to the hiring manager or the interviewer. And since the receptionist is the first person you meet at the interviewing venue, you need to give it all a positive start. Therefore, do not behave rudely with the receptionist. In fact, whoever you meet at the venue, be polite and friendly to them.

6. Asking about employee benefits, holidays and salary
It is really ridiculous and disgusting to ask during the first interview about benefits, vacation time and salary. It is one of the worst mistakes you can make. It is wise to hold these questions back till you are confirmed that you have won over the employer.

7. Not doing a pre-interview research
One of the most important points to turn your job interview into complete success is to do some research about the organization in advance. With pre-interview research, you can prepare yourself with some really well thought and intelligent questions to ask the interviewer. This research will also show to the employer your interest in the organization. So, be well prepared.

8. Using verbal ticks
Nothing shows your nervousness more than when you start using verbal ticks like ‘umm', ‘you know' and ‘like'. Be calm and confident while you face the interviewer. Before, responding to the interviewer's question, you can gather your thoughts. But do not make the mistake of using verbal ticks while answering questions.

9. Having too much or too less eye contact
While sitting before the interviewing and talking to them, you should remember not to make too much or too less eye contact. By making too less eye contact, you send the signal of being untruthful and disinterested. And if you make too much of it, you will wear out the interviewer. Therefore, you need to strike the correct balance to be successful.

10. Failure to match communication styles
One of the worst mistakes you can make during an interview is failing to match the communication style of the hiring manager, the employer or the interviewer. If the employer is talking all business, can you afford to be humorous while conversing? Give a direct answer to a direct question. Let the interviewer set the tone of conversation and try to match up to their communication style.

Getting interviewed for a job, meeting with new employers and impressing them may prove to be a nerve wracking ordeal for many people. You may also feel very uncomfortable while trying to sell yourself to your targeted employers. The good news for candidates is that interviewing is a skill which can be learned and mastered with plenty of practice. If you are equipped with the interviewing techniques and tips and know how to present yourself in an effective manner, you can really enhance your chances of landing jobs.

Interview as many times as you can
So, you have targeted employers and companies where you wish to be employed. You are also ready with a perfectly written resume. Now, when you begin searching for jobs , you come across openings, some which match your requirements while others do not fit in with what you are looking for. And then you start to apply for only those jobs that exactly fit in with your requirements. But one of the most important things to remember here is that you do not limit your job search criteria. Creating too many filters for your search will only limit the possibilities and opportunities.

Interviewing as many times as possible will not only fine-tune your interviewing skills, but it will also expand and strengthen your professional network, will refine your job search and it may also result in bringing you some unexpected job opportunities.

Come up with a compelling story for job interviews
Everyone is different. So, do not make the mistake of believing that you have an average and boring life like most of the people out there. Your personal story can be much better than you think. Think about how your life has evolved, how you have learned things, how you have fought failures and how you have achieved. Come up with a compelling story that sets you apart from other candidates applying for jobs . Before you sit before the interviewer to tell the story, practise telling it more and more.

Tailor your personal story to the job you are applying
After you have developed a compelling story to tell to the interviewer or the employer, the next important step is to ensure that the story is tailored to the specific job requirement. Figure out whether your stories have relevancy to the job interview. Your personal story may include things like crisis handling in life, leadership skills, overcoming failures in your career, achievements and accomplishments. Include chapters in the story according to the demand and tailor is to your specific job requirement and opportunity.

Be well prepared
Some of the job interviews may only last a few minutes while others may include many formal meetings. It can either be a one-on-one interview or a panel interview. So, also practice and prepare yourself for panel interviews . Comfortability is an important factor that makes an interview successful. And it comes from more and more practice. Do your homework and practice interviewing techniques with one of your close friends you can trust. Check your body language, verbal presentation and extra movements as you have practicing sessions.

Be ready to handle likely questions
During a job interview, employers often turn to behavioral interviewing and begin asking probing questions. While being interviewed, you may be asked to describe a situation where you were unable to achieve the stated goal and how you handled the situation. You may also be asked to describe a situation where you took initiatives to bring about the changes in the system you wanted, most importantly stating how you recognized the problem. Similarly, you can prepare in advance a list of likely interview questions and be ready with appropriate answers.

Have a set of intelligent questions to ask the interviewer
Only being an effective responder is not enough to have a successful interview for landing jobs. To increase your chances of getting the job, you also need to show your interest and enthusiasm in the employer. One of the most important techniques is, therefore, to be prepared with a set of intelligent questions in advance. By asking some great questions from the interviewer, you do not only display your interest in serving the employer, but you also assert yourself.

If you work well on these techniques and tips and practice more and more, you will definitely have a successful interview session with the employer and will enhance your chances of landing the job manifolds.