Top 10 Ways to lose the job of your dreams:

10. Showing up late for your interview. (With all the GPS tools available, you shouldn’t get lost, but if your flight is delayed, your road blocked by a presidential cavalcade, pick up the phone and let your interviewer know BEFORE you arrive)

9. Coming unprepared (This is so obvious, it seems silly to mention, but we do it for a reason. Do not be one of the hordes of candidates that show up without doing their homework on the company and people you will meet)

8. Keep your cell phone on and glance periodically at your Blackberry (hello! Focus, people. There is no one more important than the person across from you at the moment. Be Present)

7. Talk more about time off than time on (although work life balance has been all the rage in recent years, it is not appropriate in initial interviews to talk about vacations, flex hours etc…)

6. Stare at the floor or the desk or anywhere but in the eyes of your interviewers

5. Bash your past or present employers (amazing how many people still do this)

4. Mention the term “law suit” anywhere in the interview process

3. Share too much personal information too fast (if your life resembles a soap opera or a Beauty contest for that matter, leave it out of the interview room. Transparency isn’t always a good thing)

2. Nod a lot in agreement and say, “No, I think you’ve covered everything” (if you don’t ask solid questions in the interview, don’t expect them to ask you when you can start)

1. Talk more than you listen (this is by the way, the #1 way to not be invited back—Listen, Focus, Share succinctly and ask good questions).

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