Employers have revealed what mannerisms, presentation issues and behaviours annoy them the most when interviewing candidates for a job.
According to a new survey by CV-Library, an independent job board, almost 79 per cent of employers confess that they get angry because of a candidate’s actions during a job interview. This irritating behaviour has left less than one in every ten candidates (9.7 per cent) getting hired by their potential employer.
This survey reveals that the most annoying action that a candidate can do whilst trying to win a new job is to lie to their interviewer. Also, 68 per cent of employers believe lying is the worst action a candidate can make during an interview.
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Turning up late to a job interview is the second biggest mistake a candidate can make as 65.3 per cent of employers report getting annoyed by this.
Just under 50 per cent (45.1 per cent) think that candidates being arrogant is the biggest mistake whilst 14.6 per cent of employers disapprove of interviewees displaying sarcasm during a job interview.
A minority of interviewers also find that 4.7 per cent of candidates are overly shy.
Presentation also matters as just under a third (29.6 per cent) believe that being unhygienic is the biggest mistake a candidate can make whilst 15.5 per cent disagree, citing a candidate being underdressed as a worse offence.
Finally, the least offensive action is not shaking the interviewer’s hand with 4.7 per cent of employers identifying this as the biggest mistake.
Lee Biggins, founder and CEO of CV-Library, comments:
The cost of making a bad hire can have a hugely negative effect on your business, especially for start-ups and organisations with thin profit margins. And that’s why it’s so important to filter and find the very best candidates throughout your interview process.
Understandably, interview etiquette is important and should play a major part in evaluating a candidate. Of course, it’s only natural for a candidate to feel nervous or be a little rusty, but this doesn’t excuse taboos such as lying or turning up late without a justifiable excuse. If either of these happen during an interview, this should without doubt be a major red flag.
Interestingly, our latest job market data revealed that employers have hiked up pay dramatically to entice candidates who aren’t interested in applying for jobs right now. If this is the case for your company, make sure you keep an eye out for these interview blunders before offering a bumper salary to a new hire who could turn out to be a bad one!
This research, conducted by CV-Library, was compiled using survey results of over 300 UK employers.
Monica Sharma is an English Literature graduate from the University of Warwick. As Editor for HRreview, her particular interests in HR include issues concerning diversity, employment law and wellbeing in the workplace. Alongside this, she has written for student publications in both England and Canada. Monica has also presented her academic work concerning the relationship between legal systems, sexual harassment and racism at a university conference at the University of Western Ontario, Canada.
- Monica Sharma
- Monica Sharma
- Monica Sharma
- Monica Sharma
