CALGARY- Hunting for a new gig? It turns out you could derail your chance of getting hired before the interview even starts.
Staffing company Express Employment Professionals has released a list of the top five interview mistakes that people make. They include lying about experience, checking a cell phone, arriving late, answering a phone call and acting arrogant.
“It takes a great deal of effort to secure an interview for most jobs, so it baffles me that anyone would throw away that opportunity by lying or arriving late,” says Bob Funk, the CEO of Express Employment Professionals. “But believe it or not, these things happen.
“Applicants must do their best to get it right the first time.”
He adds that there are simple steps that every interviewee should take.
“My advice is don’t even think about answering your phone, texting on your phone, or even looking at your phone,” Funk says. “In fact, turn your phone off before entering the building. If an employer sees you can’t take an interview seriously, I promise he or she won’t trust that you can take the job seriously.”
The following list outlines the worst things an applicant can do during a job interview:
- Lie about experience- 79%
- Check phone- 63%
- Arrive late- 58%
- Act arrogant- 53%
- Answer a phone call- 53%
- Drink (alcohol)- 47%
- Badmouth boss or co-worker- 47%
- Not do homework/research- 16%
- Smoke- 16%
- Bad eye contact- 16%
- Bring a friend or relative- 16%
- Text message- 5%
- Dress inappropriately- 5%
- Use improper language or slang- 5%
- Chew gum- 5%
- Act nervous- 5%
- Not know weaknesses- 5%
Comments