Attending an interview could be nervous for most people no matter how intelligent or well prepared you are.
One may never know where the interviewers will chose to land their blows. Most times, candidates get the questions right, dress well and behave well but make little mistakes that employers never forgive.
Learn from other people’s experience so you don’t throw away your precious chance before you have it.
Greg Giangrande (The Executive Vice President & Chief Human Resources Officer at Time Inc.) said this is all too common for many a hasty job seekers.
He made the revelation in his chat with the New York Post and gave his definitive list of interview blunders that could cost you the job.
Inflexible when scheduling the interview time or date:
Recruiters most times start the interview from the very first time they called your phone to schedule your first interview. You are expected to show some kind of flexibility during the discussion. That implies you should be ready to attend at the convenience of your employer or risk putting the interviewer off.
Giangrande explained: “It’s really annoying if [they’re] not gracious and accommodating. [They] need to be responsive and flexible in suggesting other times.”
Showing up too early or too late:
Whilst some may think this is a good quality, or at least a marker of keenness, Giangrande insists that being overly early (30 minutes to an hour) is rude and off-putting. That shows you are a time waster. Simple and short.
He suggests telling candidates to be around 10 minutes early, anything more than that and they should sit in a coffee shop or do some more research on the role.
He also warned of the opposite: “More than five minutes late and there isn’t a phone call before [they] were late with some explanation about…the tardiness — that’s a killer.”
Acting like “a jerk” in the reception area
Giangrande admitted that quite a few applicants forget their manners while they wait at the reception for interviews. Being kind or polite to the receptionist shows good behavior but acting like a gangster in the hall, talking loud on phone or walking up and down isn’t.
An interview could be conducted while applicants wait in the hall without them knowing.
There are stories of employers who watched candidates from a live feed video in the hall, and in the end, selection was made even without direct (face-to-face) interviews.
He explained how many candidates “could walk in and be cheerful [to the receptionist] and then act like an idiot, talking on the phone loudly with friends and slouching … that’s going to make a very poor impression.”
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