Most job seekers know that making a good first impression in a job interview is crucial, but they may not realize how little time they have to do it. A new survey from CareerBuilder.ca finds that nearly half (47 per cent) of employers say they know whether a candidate is a good or bad fit for the position within the first 5 minutes of the interview. By the 15-minutes mark, 87 per cent have determined if the job seeker is a good or bad fit.
The national survey was conducted online from November 6 to December 2, 2013 by Harris Poll on behalf of Careerbuilder.ca and included a representative sample of 406 hiring managers and human resource professionals across industries and company sizes.
Memorable Blunders
When asked to share the most memorable mistakes candidates made during a job interview, employers gave the following real-life examples:
- Candidate asked interviewer out on a date
- Candidate ate a hard-boiled egg
- Candidate brought in a high school project because their mother thought the interviewer might want to look at it
- Candidate explained that they would prefer to work at another company but had not heard back from them yet, so they were applying to ours in the meantime
- Candidate fell asleep
- Candidate forgot who his current employer was
- Candidate offered to bake for the office regularly if she was hired
- Candidate untied his shoes, removed his socks, and rubbed his bare feet on the interviewer's desk
- Candidate said they wouldn't be able to work in the summer if it was sunny as they would be sailing
- Candidate got up and paced around the office while interviewer remained seated
Common Mistakes
The top most detrimental blunders employers frequently see from candidates include:
- Appearing arrogant – 54 per cent
- Appearing disinterested – 52 per cent
- Appearing uninformed about the company or role – 49 per cent
- Answering a cell phone or texting during the interview – 48 per cent
- Dressing inappropriately – 47 per cent
- Talking negatively about current or previous employers – 46 per cent
- Not providing specific examples – 43 per cent
- Not asking good questions – 31 per cent
- Asking the hiring manager personal questions – 21 per cent
- Providing too much personal information – 18 per cent
Body language can play a big role in a job interview. Employers cited the biggest non-verbal mistakes candidates commonly make:
- Failure to make eye contact – 66 per cent
- Bad posture – 39 per cent
- Failure to smile – 38 per cent
- Fidgeting too much in his/her seat – 38 per cent
- Crossing their arms over their chest – 34 per cent
- Playing with something on the table – 30 per cent
- Handshake that is too weak – 25 per cent
- Playing with hair or touching one's face – 25 per cent
- Using too many hand gestures – 10 per cent
- Handshake that is too strong – 6 per cent
"Employers want to see confidence and genuine interest in the position. The interview is not only an opportunity to showcase your skills, but also to demonstrate that you're the type of person people will want to work with," said Rosemary Haefner, Vice President of Human Resources at CareerBuilder. "Going over common interview questions, researching the company, and practicing with a friend or family member can help you feel more prepared, give you a boost in confidence, and help calm your nerves."
Survey Methodology
This survey was conducted online within Canada by Harris Poll on behalf of CareerBuilder.ca among 406 Canadian hiring managers and human resource professionals (employed full-time; not self-employed; non-government) ages 18 and over between November 6 and December 2, 2013 (percentages for some questions are based on a subset, based on their responses to certain questions). With a pure probability sample of 406 one could say with a 95 percent probability that the overall results have a sampling error of +/- 4.86 percentage points. Sampling error for data from sub-samples is higher and varies.
