THESE ARE
THE BIGGEST MISTAKES PEOPLE MAKE DURING INTERVIEWS
BODY LANGUAGE FAUX PAS DERAILED CANDIDATES'
CHANCES OF GETTING THE JOB AS MUCH AS WHAT THE PERSON SAID.
According to a new poll, half of employers say
they can size up a candidate within the first five minutes of an interview and
determine whether they’d be a good fit for the job.
What
happens during those first five minutes doesn’t have much to do with what the
job seeker says. Indeed, as many interviews start with pleasantries or small
talk, it’s often something the candidate does rather than says that’s a deal
breaker. That said, there are plenty of ways for a job seeker to stick his foot
in his mouth during the interview.
What to
watch out for if you’re among the thousands of workers looking to change jobs in 2016?
A brand new Harris Poll on
behalf of CareerBuilder surveyed
2,595 hiring and human resource managers, the majority of whom work in the
private sector, reveal the biggest job interview faux pas candidates have made,
and how their body language blew any chance they had to move forward in the
interview process.
Let’s
start with the overt mistakes. Survey respondents listed five factors that
immediately nixed the candidate from their talent pool.
White Lies.
Sixty-nine
percent said that if they caught a job seeker lying about something, it was a
deal breaker. Honesty can encompass everything from where you went to school or
whether you’ve been fired, to the more subtle, such as a disingenuous response
to the question; "What is your greatest weakness?"
For the
latter, Russell Reynolds, Jr., author of Heads: Business Lessons from
an Executive Search Pioneer, recommends eschewing the
tried-but-not-quite-true, "I’m very hard on myself," and offering a
response that shows self-reflection. "Be confident in the fact that this
weakness does not make you any less of a great candidate, and show that you are
working on this weakness and tell the recruiter how," he suggests.
Texting, Arrogance, And Swearing.
The
majority (68%) of hiring managers found that when a candidate interrupts the
interview to take a call or text, it was irritating enough to be a major strike
against them, while 60% reported that candidates appearing arrogant or entitled
was enough to disqualify them. Half of hiring managers surveyed said that
inappropriate attire and swearing were equal deal breakers.
Wearing The Wrong Thing.
Keeping
tabs on your tongue if you frequently deploy the F-bomb should be a given going
into an interview, but clothing is a bit trickier. Traditional advice to dress
for the job you want doesn’t necessarily translate to some company cultures.
That’s not carte blanche to don a hoodie and sandals, either. It is important
to offer visual cues that you do have it together, and one way to do that is
the way you dress. Not only will it send subliminal vibes to your prospective
associate, but science says certain
clothing can also boost your confidence.
"Preparing
for an interview takes a lot more than Googling answers to common interview
questions," said Rosemary Haefner, chief human resources officer for
CareerBuilder, in a statement. "Candidates have to make a great first
impression appearance-wise, have a solid understanding of the target company,
know exactly how to convey that they’re the perfect fit for the job, and
control their body language."
Body
language can signal confidence or spell disaster if a candidate isn’t aware of
how their physical presence is being received. And experience isn’t enough to
save you if you’re not paying attention to visual cues.
Hiring
managers polled in the survey found 10 body language traits that derailed
candidates’ chances of getting the job. Most (67%) agreed that failure to make
eye contact was the biggest problem, and not smiling was cited by 39% as
problematic. Other questionable physical behaviors they cited include:
·
Playing with something on the table
·
Having bad posture
·
Fidgeting too much in their seats
·
Crossing their arms over their chests
·
Playing with their hair or touching their
faces
·
Having a weak handshake
·
Using too many hand gestures
·
Having a handshake that was too strong
It’s
easy to picture a nervous candidate fidgeting and failing to look their
interviewer in the eye, but the survey respondents did recall some truly out of
the ordinary things that people did while they were being interviewed. Among
the weirdest:
·
Candidate took a family photo off of
interviewer’s desk and put it into her purse.
·
Candidate started screaming that the interview
was taking too long.
·
Candidate said her main job was being a
psychic/medium and tried to read interviewer’s palm, despite interviewer’s
attempts to decline the offer.
·
When asked what his/her ideal job was,
candidate said, "Painter of birdhouses." (Company was hiring for a
data entry clerk.)
·
Candidate sang her responses to questions.
·
Candidate put lotion on his/her feet during
the interview.
·
Candidate started feeling interviewer’s chest
to find a heartbeat so they could "connect heart to heart."
·
Candidate had a pet bird in his/her shirt.
·
Candidate took phone interview in the
bathroom—and flushed.
Studies
show that interviews don’t necessarily prompt the best hiring decisions. One indicates that
it’s because the interviewer is often trying to make sense of anything the
interviewee says, and tangential information can weaken the value of quality
information.
Until
we find a better substitute, CareerBuilder’s Haefner advises researching the
company before the interview to learn about its services, customers, and
competitors. "That will give you an edge in understanding and addressing
the company's needs," she says.
In
addition to doing the homework, do some role playing. The CareerBuilder survey
found the following questions to be among the most commonly asked:
·
Tell me about yourself.
·
Why do you want this job?
·
Why did you leave your last job?
·
What is your greatest strength and greatest
weakness?
·
Describe a difficult work situation and how
you overcame it.
Keep in
mind that an interview with a prospective employer is no place to bash the
previous one, no matter what the circumstance was that caused you to leave.
"Know why you’ve made the decision to move on from your past employers,
and communicate that to your interviewer should he or she ask," said Jason
Niad, managing director at Execu|Search, a recruitment firm headquartered in
New York, in a recent interview with Fast
Company.
Talking
through this particular part of the interview can be tough, and it’s normal to
cross arms and look at the floor. Keep the body language in check and maintain
an upbeat voice. After all, "Working in multiple jobs in multiple
companies can be a great way to develop a wide range of both technical and soft
skills," said Niad.
BY LYDIA DISHMAN
http://www.fastcompany.com/3055458/work-smart/these-are-the-biggest-mistakes-people-make-during-interviews?utm_source=mailchimp&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=fast-company-daily-newsletter&position=3&partner=newsletter&campaign_date=01142016
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