Most employers and career HR specialists have tales to tell about job interviews gone awry or signs that the employee might not make a good hire. CareerBuilder and Harris Interactive recently surveyed more than 3,000 employers and compiled a list of the most-cringeworthy interview mistakes. Employers and would-be employees alike can learn from the most-frequently cited mistakes. There’s also some good advice for job candidates.
Here are a few of the more unusual experiences recounted:
- Candidate put the interviewer on hold during a phone interview. When she came back on the line, she told the interviewer she had a date set up for Friday.
- When a candidate interviewing for a security position wasn’t hired on the spot, he graffitied the building.
- Candidate wore a Boy Scout uniform and never told interviewers why.
- Candidate was arrested by federal authorities during the interview when a background check revealed the person had an outstanding warrant.
- On the way to the interview, candidate passed, cut-off, and flipped middle finger to driver who happened to be the interviewer.
- Candidate referred to himself in the third person.
- Candidate took off shoes during interview.
- Candidate asked for a sip of the interviewer’s coffee.
Related –
Ten Dumb Things Said During Job Interviews
Candidates Most Unusual Interview Mistakes, 2011
Employers Reveal Candidates’ Most Unusual Job Interview Behavior, 2010
Hiring people is no laughing matter, and it’s often one of the riskiest things that an employer does. ESI EAP offers discounted background checks and pre-employment screening to member employers For more information, call 800-535-4841.