Pitfalls job seekers, employers should avoid in interviews

Abstract

Imagine waking up on a Thursday morning. You hear your phone alarm blaring in the background grabbing your attention and pulling you ever so dramatically out of your peaceful slumber and into the reality of the waking world in a new day.

As you shut off your alarm, you notice that you received an email earlier that morning from a company that months before you applied online for a new job position. You anxiously tap to open the email and peep into your phone screen still groggy hoping for good news rather than a regret message signalling rejection for the post.

Success! The firm valued your application and assigned you an interview time for the following week. Euphoria ensues. The whole remainder of your day you walk with an extra spring in your step and joy in your heart because you are now closer to possibly attaining your dream job.

Such scenarios repeat themselves thousands of times per week across Kenya as supply and demand ebbs and flows in our labour market. The hard to secure interview stands as a cherished right of passage in our career progression.