Mistakes To Avoid in a US Visa Interview

1. Avoiding Eye Contact

Eye contact can make or break an interview. It is one of the most important techniques to master. Eye contact portrays confidence, trust, engaging, and professional. Having a good eye contact can be a bridge between you and your dream. You can verbally tell absolutely everything an officer wants to hear, but your eyes can tell completely a different story. Don’t overlook this extremely valuable tool.

2. Not being thorough with supporting documentation

Your supporting documents should validate the purpose of your travel and ties to your home country. It’s a key communication tool for assessing and evaluating your past experience and present standing. Documentation reflects your areas of weakness, as well as strengths, it backs up what you speak, the facts – who, what, where, when. Showing up for a visa interview with thorough documentation will help you feel more prepared and confident, it increases your chances for a positive outcome.

3. Not Researching the University

Very often applicants show up for a visa interview well dressed and prepared to answer about themselves, but goes blank when they hear questions like, what made you to choose this university? How this university benefits you? Arguably one of the most critical part of interview preparation is making sure you fully know about the university you are going to attend. Digging into a University’s past, present, and future is now easier than ever. Researching the university will have a tremendous benefit, it demonstrates to the officer the preparedness and your attention to details. Make sure to equip yourself with as much information as you possibly can.

4. Fail to rehearse

Rehearse, rehearse, rehearse – I can’t stress it enough. In the days prior to your interview, prepare a list of questions you expect to be asked, write down your responses, then, out loud, practice those extensively. Make rehearses as realistic as possible, have your friend ask the kind of questions you expect to face in a interview. Rehearsing doesn’t make you perfect, but it is guaranteed to make you better. With intense rehearsing, you will be able to polish your tone, adjust the length of your responses until someone says, “You’re visa is approved!”

5. Making a weak first impression

First impression do really matter the most, it tells a visa officer how serious you are about interview and career. Making a weak first impression restrict conversation with you, even at the very beginning. Your impression must reflect the kind of person you are, comfortable and confident, easy to communicate, neat and clean, and with bundle of enthusiasm. To gain trust on someone may probably take years but to make a strong first impression takes few seconds. Think like you will never get a second chance to make a good first impression. Take every chance, to present your best self, being professional and polished.