Job interview turn-offs and turn-ons: How to get that dream job – and what you should avoid
If you've ever used bad language in a job interview, or gone in and asked if it was OK to eat fast food while being grilled for your dream job, you appear to have made it to legend status.
These two incidents are among five of the most memorable things to happen during recent rounds of recruitment, according to a new survey of 600 employers.
Others include one candidate who brought her best friend to the interview with her, one who answered only in rhymes and one who came in “wearing a fishing hat full of bait hooks”.
The survey, carried out by job site Reed, also identified that there was one thing above all else that employers looking to hire someone new want from their prospective candidates.
Apparently, a decisive 91 per cent of recruiters want potential employees to come with pre-prepared questions about the role.
It shouldn't come as a massive surprise that the way to get hired is to show enthusiasm for the role you're being interviewed for, but apparently job-seekers are not doing it enough.
Reed says people shouldn't “blag it on the day”, instead you should “research the company and prepare questions about the role, the team and how you can ensure you would be successful in the role”.
An obvious lack of preparation is one of the worst turn-offs, recruiters said, second only to arriving late. The third biggest faux pas is chewing gum during the interview.
But if you're doing that, presumably you are the sort of person who doesn't really care.