Why you're not getting hired in IT: 9 silly mistakes during interviews

We surveyed HR specialists from Central Asia and found out which mistakes most often deter employers. Find out what not to do during an interview — and how to fix it.

Nasiba Romatova, IT Recruiter at "Bank Companion", LinkedIn

An interview is not an exam, but a dialogue. And as in any dialogue, it is important not only what you say, but also how you present yourself.

1. Not preparing for an online interview.
An online interview begins long before the call. Check in advance: is the microphone working, is the headset noisy, is the camera on, will it be quiet. Make sure no one distracts you.

Seems like a minor detail? In reality, this is stress for all participants and lost 10-15 minutes that could have been spent getting to know you.

2. Giving one-word answers.
– Did you participate in a project?
– Yes.
– What difficulties did you encounter?
– Well, there were…

Such answers are not saving time, but a signal that the candidate is not engaged. It is better to tell a case suitable for the question. What task were you solving? What did you try? What did you come to? Even if you didn’t have exact experience, model the situation and describe your approach.

3. Not asking questions to the employer.
“No, everything is clear” — sounds like a lack of interest from the candidate.

Prepare a number of questions in advance. For example:
— what are your expectations from a new employee?
— what are the goals of the team in the near future?
— how is the onboarding process structured?

Questions = your interest + awareness.

Asemgul Akhmetova, Recruitment Lead at DataArt Kazakhstan, LinkedIn

We regularly conduct interviews with candidates in the IT sector — for participation in international projects and work in cross-functional teams. In most cases, meetings are held online, and it is especially important to be able to present yourself properly in such a format. We share the three most common mistakes that we notice during interviews.

Camera off. No matter what the vacancy or product is, behind all this there are always people. In an online format, it is especially important to establish a live connection — even through a screen. An enabled camera helps the interviewer catch your openness, engagement, sincere emotions. This is a simple but powerful way to show that you are really interested and are ready for a dialogue.

Lack of preparation. It might seem — a banality. Minimum respect for the interview is to spend a few minutes and get acquainted with the company: what it does, what its principles are, how it positions itself in the market. If the company’s values are not close to you — perhaps it is worth saving time for both yourself and the interviewer.

Attempting to cheat. In our era of widespread use of AI tools, it has become more difficult to objectively assess the level of the candidate.

Unfortunately, there are situations when candidates use AI during the interview, and then deny it, looking the interviewer in the eye. Even if this does not affect the technical result, the aftertaste remains — because at the start, not only skills are important, but also honesty, especially in teamwork.

And finally, the most important thing — stay yourself. Do not be afraid to be a living person, speak honestly, relax and believe in yourself, do not be afraid to ask questions — at the end of the interview there is always a moment: “Do you have any questions?”. If the answer is “no”, this is a missed opportunity. A good candidate is interested in how the team, product, and processes are structured.

An interview is not an exam, but a meeting of two sides who are looking to see if they will converge in one direction. And let this meeting be sincere.

Madina Mirzoyeva, IT Recruiter at Beeline Uzbekistan, LinkedIn

1. Overestimating your skills and excessive self-confidence.
The candidate claims that he is a specialist at the middle level, but during the interview demonstrates knowledge at the junior level. Most often, this is due to a lack of preparation. To avoid this, it is worth studying the requirements of the vacancy, getting acquainted with the stack used, and refreshing theoretical knowledge before the interview.

2. Attempting to “get out of it” if you don’t know the answer.
Instead of honestly admitting ignorance, the candidate tries to say anything just not to say “I don’t know”. It is much better to show readiness to admit gaps and a desire to figure it out — this inspires more trust and speaks of maturity.

3. Socially desirable answers.
Phrases like “always met deadlines” or “never make mistakes” sound unrealistic. Interviewers are not looking for perfect candidates. Honesty, the ability to recognize your weaknesses and work on them are much more important. An experienced recruiter will easily feel when you are trying to seem “correct” rather than real.

And the most important thing — stay yourself. The interview is an opportunity for both sides to understand how well they suit each other. If you play a role, it is easy to create a false impression, and then be disappointed — both you and the employer. A real match is possible only with mutual openness and honesty.

Elina Usmanova, Head of Recruitment at Click, LinkedIn

1. Do not lie about your experience.
Glossing over experience is easily identified by clarifying questions and reference checks. This undermines trust and calls your professional reputation into question. It is better to honestly admit if you haven’t done something and show readiness to quickly figure it out.

2. Do not give a negative review of your former employer.
Criticism of former colleagues or companies looks unprofessional and creates a risk that you will behave the same way in the future. Instead, it is better to talk about motivation for growth, desire for new tasks, or change of values.

3. Do not disclose confidential information about your past or current place of work.
This violates basic norms of business ethics. The employer may doubt your reliability: if you easily share internal data now, then you will probably do the same in a new company.