Somehow, your résumé has been fished out of the ocean of applications recruiters drown in whenevr a new job opportunity is posted. You’ve scheduled your interview and finally the big day has arrived. Now it’s the time to sell yourself. Now is the time to shine. Now is definitely not the time to screw things up.
Too many interviews go down in flames thanks to poor preparation, poor conduct and even poor grooming. So here’s a rundown of the top five things you shouldn’t do at a job interview.

1. Don’t dress like a slob. It might seem obvious, but a lot of people show up to interviews dressed poorly. A job interview can almost be like a beauty pageant, or at least a speed date. You have minimal time to make a maximum impression and appearance counts. Resist the temptation to have a coffee or a snack beforehand. Food and drink have a sixth sense for targeting your best clothes on your most important day. You don’t want a prospective boss staring at the pattern of your new and interesting shirt stain.
    
2. Don’t be late. This happens more than you might think, according to Barbara Kofman of Career Trails. “I was in HR for 20 years and the one constant was that if you’re late, you’re dead,” says Kofman.
    
3. Don’t ask how much the job pays. All too often, salary is the first question applicants blurt out. Chances are it will be their last. “It is absolutely not your job to bring up salary,” explains Kofman, adding that the interviewer will bring it up if they want to. Asking about salary can make you appear grasping, and it can turn off a prospective employer. Worse yet, bringing it up can make it look like you didn’t do your homework on the normal range of salaries for the prospective job. Greedy and ill-prepared is a bad combo. You can ask about pay if and when an offer is made.
    
4. Don’t use slang, swear or slur your words. There’s friendly, and then there’s too friendly. You don’t want to come off as cold and uptight, but you do want to appear professional. A warm smile is much more helpful than a “Duuuude!”
    
5. Don’t talk in negatives. Don’t slag your former employers, it makes you seem bitter, and bitterness is unappealing. It can make your new boss wonder how long it will be before you start saying the same things about him or her. Try to reframe any negative answers in positive terms. Instead of saying “I don’t know,” Kofman recommends saying “I don’t have any direct experience in that, but here’s how I would learn and apply myself.” Using positive language helps create an image of you as a worker that would be a positive, constructive addition to a company. The idea that you’re willing to put in effort, makes a company more likely to hire you to put that effort in.

And remember, practice makes perfect, so get out there and practice!