Could be a rude/annoying/unprofessional voice mail greeting, the way they answered the phone or refusal to talk to someone over the phone (text/email only demands), showing up with food and coffee, giving an off-putting attitude, speaking with a constant, purposeful vocal fry, etc.
Of course there are positions that don’t require too much from employees, but what are some things that maybe acceptable under normal circumstances that you wish people would not do when they’re job seeking and that may backfire on an applicant?
#1
I’ve had several applicants who were rude to our admin staff / gate staff / assistants. But when I showed up, the applicants were all smiles and charm. Fortunately, I always ask everyone who interacted with the applicants what they thought. EVERYONE. If you’re rude to even one person, you won’t get the job. Period.
#2
Applicant checking their phone at any time during an interview, tour, or other evaluation activity. A) it shows applicant doesn’t want the job, so why are they wasting people’s time? That’s flat out disrespectful. B) it displays a total lack of discipline / focus on the applicant. Applicant cant put their phone down for a whole hour to get a job? What’s wrong with them? That’s not healthy behavior.
#3
Excessive smell, even the most delightful perfume smells like bin juice if you put too much on.
#4
More than a pet peeve and not acceptable but understandable, maybe. We had an applicant come in for an interview in our conference room with a dark walnut table. He was very nervous. So much so that for the next 45 minutes, he continuously picked at the dead skin around his nails, peeling it off and dropping it on the table in front of him. A colleague left the room to grab a bottle of water to offer him, hoping to redirect his energy, but it didn’t work. Honestly, I couldn’t concentrate on his responses; I was so memorized and horrified by the growing pile of epidermis he was flaking off. He peeled debris from all ten fingers; it looked like mouse droppings. He didn’t even knock it to the floor when the interview concluded. He just strolled off and left it like a creepy calling card. We tried to view him somewhat, but he didn’t get the job. So I guess if there’s a moral to the story, lotion your hands before an interview.
#5
Applying for a job with heavy equipment operation (ie: forklifts) or driving then asking what’s the drug (and/or alcohol) testing policy…like dude just GTFO. On what planet, in what universe does an applicant think they can operate heavy equipment that can potentially kill someone in an accident and not expect to be drug/alcohol tested?
#6
I may get some heat for some of these but here we go:
– People who have gone through a lot of jobs in a short amount of time with no explanation or the explanation was, in my opinion, not reasonable enough to me to take the risk in hiring them. While everyone may have one or two rough exits in their broader history and some exits are justified because of a toxic workplace or bad management, 5 jobs in a year or a bunch of small gaps could indicate that *they* are the source of the problem. Lacking self-awareness about the role they played in their own ‘bad experience’ is something I notice a lot.
I don’t want to go through 2 months of training with someone only to have them call out constantly because they have ‘personal issues’ or quit because ‘I need to take some mental health time’. Well then you shouldn’t be looking for full time work. Look for a temp job where you can work for 6 weeks and then go take some mental health time or get something part time that isn’t so stressful to you.
– Basic language skills. I don’t mean speaking another language or having an accent. I mean I don’t want to hire someone who talks to me or a potential customer unprofessionally because they sound ignorant or uneducated. I could care less if you dropped out of school in the 3rd grade, it doesn’t mean you have to sound like a moron.
– People who lived really far from the job. Not that it was an immediate dealbreaker but the job was state-exempt because we provided gas to emergency vehicles in bad weather so I had to be really clear that they needed to be okay with driving in snow and working until midnight in bad conditions. If people lived too far away, no matter what they said I sometimes wouldn’t consider them because I’d had so many issue in the past with people just saying whatever they have to to get the job but when it comes down to it, they call out when they know it will be bad weather.
– Anyone who makes political/religious comments that seem out of line. I could care less who you vote for or what you believe in even if it isn’t my own personal beliefs. I honestly do. not. care. But if you can’t control yourself enough to keep that kind of stuff out of a job interview, I don’t want you around.
#7
When they don’t want to fill out the full application paper. Front and Back. Usually because they have “I already sent in my resume” or “I have my resume with me”. There is a reason for having to fill out the application. To see how lazy you are, if you can read and follow simple directions, if you do as you are asked, if your handwriting is legible, etc. If they don’t fill it all out or they give an excuse like above, they are thanked for coming and the application goes in the round file.
#8
When I had a summer placement at an insurance company, I did the first round of interviews of co-op students for the next season (most of the summer students did intership admin things but I finished 3 months worth of work in a few weeks so they decided to show me the managerial side and I essentially managed the other summer students).
The immediate pet peeves for me were…
1. If they put down other fields of study when I asked them about school (ie. Say I should hire them because they were business or financial students and not something like english or archeology– I myself was majoring in neuropsych (with an additional focus on business psychology) , bio and english literature and clearly capable enough to be there and allowed to do first round interviews). I found the behaviour elitist and not great for working within a team if they are so quick to judge.
2. They spoke over me at any time in the interview (like people who “yeah yeah yeah” over my question clarifications or people who would interrupt me to respond to a statement as I say it without allowingme to finish the sentence). Some people do this to assert power and display strength– things they think will prove they are natual born leaders and while some may appreciate that– I see it as someone unwilling to listen to another person which would make them a poor management choice in the future should they get hired after co-op- given the high post-co-op hire rate I was told to keep that in mind.
3. If their clothes were disheveled. Their clothes didn’t need to be expensive and unlike others I did not immediately dismiss someone if they wore more casual clothes because I could understand that students live on shoestring budgets at times. However they still did need to be appropriate for any given casual friday (literally one woman came in looking like she had been clubbing all night in a low v-neck silver glitter bodycon dress that only barely covered her lady bits and bright red panties (I know because when she sat down it rode up and no longer covered those aforementioned bits when she stood up). Clothes which are wrinkled, stained or not appropriate were set aside unless they offered an explanation on their own at some point.
4. If they had no questions for me about the business or myself. I specifically left many things out to ensure they asked questions. The company was all about being thorough so if within the week between in interview conclusion and the call back they never reached out for info regarding what they even would be doing or what the scheduling is like… then they were not moved forward. They didn’t even have to ask specific questions just any question. Something that showed they had taken in information and wanted to find out more for their own deliberation process.
5. My final one is if they were too informal. If they saw me as a fellow student rather than an interviewer. Joking around is okay provided it stays professional. Some people would immediately hear I was a student, feel less pressure, more relaxed (both of which are fine) and then get so comfortable that they swear in their answers, use excessive slang, speak much more informally, talk about drugs and alcohol, do a sort of nudge nudge wink wink thing when they would admit to not having qualifications but hoping they could just bs through. One guy wanted my number. It’s amazing how casual people could get. Casual when you work there is okay but it is still an interview and I was still an interviewer there still was a power dynamic. Feeling too comfortable and failing to act professional at an interview translated to me as unable to read cues, unsble to distinguish between professional and social engagements and someone who probably would not work well with a younger manager and would be detrimental to a team of other co-op students.
#9
When the interviewee interrupts me, for no reason. If I’m explaining something, it’s like they get to decide when they’ve heard enough, and either make their response or ask me a different question. It isn’t hard to wait until I’m finished, and all candidates know that there is time allocated to questions. I tell them this at the start, but if they want to weave in a question with their response, I don’t really mind that.
But if you interrupt me mid sentence, it shows me that either: a) you’re not really listening; or b) if you are really listening, you don’t care about the other people in a conversation. I work in a business where clear, respectful communication is an absolute must. If you can’t do that in the interview, you aren’t getting hired.
Also, I can’t abide cockiness. There’s confidence, which is great, but arrogance is massive red flag. Confidence should be accompanied by at least a bit of humility, and an awareness that there are areas where you can improve on yourself.
#10
If they laugh or giggle after they make a statement. It’s like nails on a chalkboard to me and I could not deal with it on the daily.
#11
Talking on their phone while waiting for the interview. (If the call is on speaker I will cancel the interview on the spot.)
Whistling while waiting for the interview.
Eating food. This interview is only 20 minutes and you can’t wait to eat until after???
Follow Us
