Lets be honest, interviews can be something of a minefield. They are an opportunity for you to sell yourself and your suitability for a role, though one poorly chosen word or question can have disastrous consequences for your chances of landing the job. Arriving on time and positive body language can all help to get the interview started on a positive footing. However, when it comes to talking about yourself and the role on offer, there are a number of topics you should avoid entirely.

If you are preparing for an upcoming interview, here are five things you should definitely NOT mention:

1. Can You Tell Me About Your Company? We may sound like a broken record, but we cannot emphasise enough the importance of doing your research BEFORE the interview. Arriving to an interview with no knowledge of what the company does and the industry they operate in will give the interviewer the impression that you are unprepared and uninterested in the role.
   
2. I Am Going to Need the Following Time Off: Your interview is neither the time nor the place to start making demands before you've even been offered the role. This is something you can incorporate into your negotiations once you have been offered a position.
   
3. How Long Will the Interview Last: This question is likely to give an interviewer the impression you are in a rush to get out of the door or that you have somewhere else that you would rather be. If you have other commitments, such as picking up children, make this clear when arranging your interview and ask if the time you have agreed will allow enough time.
   
4. Will I Be Required To Work Overtime: Asking whether overtime is compulsory will give the impression that you are not prepared to do it. If the subject has not already been raised in the interview or job description, consider a more positive way of asking such as "will there be an opportunity for overtime?"
   
5. No I don't Have Any Questions: An interview is as much an opportunity for you to find out more about the company as it is for the interviewer to grill you. It therefore pays to take the time to prepare a list of questions for your interview. A good interview should take the form of a conversation, so it pays not to withhold all of your questions until you are asked at the end. 

You can find more advice on how to nail your interview by reading our Candidate Resources.