Don't be a Fool: Job Seeker Blunders

Don't be a Fool: Job Seeker Blunders

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In light of April Fool's Day, we want to share some of our favorite interview and résumé “blunders.” Don't be a fool like these folks were.

According to forbes.com, some of the most common deal-breakers for hiring managers include:

  • Answering a call or texting
  • Appearing uninterested
  • Dressing inappropriately
  • Appearing arrogant
  • Talking negatively about current or previous employers
  • Chewing gum

These common interview mishaps seem like no-brainers when it comes to “what-not-to-do” during an interview. These actions are nothing compared to the ones reported on careerbuilder.com after its annual survey of the most outrageous interview mistakes candidates have made, according to over 3,000 hiring managers and HR professionals nationwide.

The Top 10 List includes:

  • Candidate answered cell phone and asked the interviewer to leave her own office because it was a “private” conversation.
  • Candidate told the interviewer he wouldn't be able to stay with the job long because he thought he might get an inheritance if his uncle died � and his uncle “wasn't looking too good.”
  • Candidate asked the interviewer for a ride home after the interview.
  • Candidate smelled his armpits on the way into the interview room.
  • Candidate said she could not provide a writing sample because all of her writing had been for the CIA and it was “classified.”
  • Candidate told the interviewer he was fired for beating up his last boss.
  • When applicant was offered food before the interview he declined, saying that he didn't want to line his stomach with grease before going out drinking.
  • A candidate for an accounting position said she was a “people person,” not a “numbers person.”
  • Candidate flushed the toilet while talking to the interviewer during a phone interview.
  • Candidate took out a hairbrush and brushed her hair mid-interview.

These antics do not stop at interviews; some résumés have proven to be quite unbelievable as well. Hiring managers have seen a lot of résumés come across their desks. “Unless you're applying for a job at a pizzeria, your résumé objective shouldn't say, “to make dough.” Nor should it be decorated with pink rabbits or include texting slang like “LOL” (forbes.com).

What are people thinking? Is it just nerves or do some job seekers think it is okay to act this way? Have you heard of another interview blunder? Share it with us on our Facebook page.

For some more realistic interview mistakes to avoid check out this video from The Wall Street Journal: 

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T5xVKFgsYNk?rel=0]

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