Preparing for a job interview is extremely stressful - there's simply no denying it. The 30 minutes of intense questions and answers will decide the direction your life will take for you, so it's imperative to make it count. At our online travel jobs website, we try to prepare our visitors for their job interviews by giving an insight into whats expected. Nonetheless, having worked in recruitment for over 10 years I have seen the same job interview mistakes occurring time and time again. The good news is that all of them are fixable with a little research and some practice when preparing for a job interview.

In preparing for a job interview, be sure you dont fall into the following 10 traps:

1)Poor presentation or dressing in the wrong way for the tone of the job interview.

Why it may ruin your job interview:

If you dont give the impression that you care about your appearance then you will be judged accordingly after all, if you dont make the effort when preparing for a job interview, why would you pull your weight for their company if appointed?

How it can be corrected:

Take some time to appear well groomed and professional looking. Although some offices are increasingly less formal with clothes, you dont want to assume it applies to interviewees too, so phone up in advance and enquire about the dress code. If this is impossible, its best to err on the side of caution and appear overdressed rather than under, for the reason explained above.

2) Nervous job interview body language

Why it may ruin your job interview

If you find yourself fidgeting, slouching or refusing to hold the interviewers eye contact in the interview, you will come across as lacking in confidence, and no employer will be impressed by someone so timid and awkward around people.

How it can be corrected:

Some nerves are expected and acceptable in a job interview, so dont make yourself more nervous worrying about this one. On the other hand, appearing more confident than a rival candidate with similar ability can give you the edge, so try to seem assertive. Greet your interviewer with a firm handshake, maintain eye contact and stand straight.

3) Not listening at the job interview

Why it may ruin your job interview:

Some people who are worried about their job interview performance actually manage to shoot themselves in the foot by planning too carefully! If you attempt to counter your nerves by planning your responses to potential questions while the interviewer talks you may miss out some valuable information about the work, the questions and any tasks you are to be set.

How it can be corrected:

Just relax, listen and show the interviewer you are hearing their points. Match their style and pace, and they will be aware you are following their lead.

4) Verbal overkill!

Why it may ruin your job interview:

The point of the interview is to find out about you, your aims and your attitude, but if you overdo it, theyll have their answer! This is often a problem with under prepared candidates, who make up for their lack of succinct answers by rambling.

How it can be corrected:

Carefully preparing for a job interview is essential match the job specifications to your own abilities and be sure to only share relevant information with the interview panel. Listen to yourself talking, and if you feel yourself slipping off the question, then sharply bring yourself back around.

5) Appearing over confident in your job interview

Why it may ruin your job interview:

If theres one thing worse than a timid interview candidate, its one whos overconfident to the point of arrogance. Nothing can get an interviewers back up than a candidates brashness, and its all too common for this to result in no job offer at the end of the process.

How it can be corrected:

This one is usually the result of reserved candidates going too far the other way, but if its a personality issue its quite hard to correct because you may not know youre coming across as brash! While its important not to play down your achievements, try and be slightly modest about them without ever make them seem easy for just anyone to accomplish.

6) Not maintaining formality in the job interview

Why it may ruin your job interview:

No matter what the tone of the interview, the dynamic remains the same: the interviewer is in control, and you need to be polite and respectful at all times, maintaining the decorum of the situation. Different interviews have varying levels of formality, but even if the interviewer is being casual and informal, dont assume you can relax and behave how you would with your friends it makes you seem a less serious candidate unaware of the situation.

How it can be corrected:

Try to match the tone your interviewer adopts, but dont step beyond it. If its a stuffy environment with no room for humour, then dont crack a joke. On the other hand, if they are being deliberately informal to help you relax; show you appreciate the effort by dropping the formality a notch.

7) Answering questions without thinking

How it may ruin your job interview:

If you jump straight in to answer a question without thinking your answer through, youll end up rambling and, unless youre very good at blagging, youre unlikely to impress the interviewer this way.

How it can be corrected:

Its understandable that you dont want to leave an awkward pause, but most interviewers would rather you take time out to think of an appropriate time you showed the required skills than for you to list any old thing because youre under pressure. Ask if its okay for you to take a moment to think dont take too long, but ensure there will be no pointless ramble.

8) Failing to keep your job interview language formal

How it may ruin your job interview:

This one seems obvious, but if you dont keep your language formal and appropriate you may end up causing offence and ensuring that you dont make the impression of an on-the-ball employee.

How it can be corrected:

Dont try and temper this to the degree that you sound forced and insincere, but ensure that there is no slang in your speech, and steer clear of any references to age, politics or religion.

9) Any Questions? No.

How it may ruin your job interview:

It may seem like an innocent question to give you something to say at the end of the interview, but often the Do you have any questions about the job enquiry is designed to test your enthusiasm for the role. Unless theyve been remarkably detailed in their talking, theres bound to be something to ask and if you dont and your competitor does, guess who seems more excited about the role!

How it can be corrected:

Listen carefully to everything said in the interview, and if a point appears that youd like more information about, make a mental note to bring it up later. If theyve been incredibly thorough and theres nothing to say, you can either ask about when youll hear the outcome of the job interview, or turn it into a compliment of how thorough theyve been!

10) Candidate seems unnervingly desperate (Employ me, pleeeeease!)

How it may ruin your job interview:

This really is quite understandable, especially if it is your dream job or youre currently unemployed, but unfortunately appearing incredibly needy is a major turn off for employers. It undermines your confidence and makes you seem desperate.

How it can be corrected:

Try to dampen your desperation appear keen and enthusiastic, but not unnervingly so. Remain cool and calm and let your performance and skills do the talking. Also, make sure you dont follow up your job interview with endless pestering emails and phone calls it can really undermine the impression you gave the employers.

Gail Kenny is the managing director of Puregenie http://www.puregenie.com an online recruitment agency for the travel industry. The site caters exclusively to talented individuals with skills and experience to succeed in the online environment, and businesses looking to increase their online presence. Although the site is mainly travel focussed, it also displays vacancies in the hospitality and leisure industries.