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Most job seekers have a pretty good idea of what a hiring manager expects from them during a job interview. Dress professionally, bring a copy of your resume, make eye contact and don't ask about salary and benefits right away. But interviewers also have some lesser-known pet peeves about job applicants, and you don't want to push those buttons, either. Human resources professionals and hiring experts shared a few candidate behaviors they see before, during and after the interview that leave a terrible impression — and that ultimately might cost you the job.
Desperate mass job applications. When candidates apply to almost every job available on the careers section of a company website, it immediately sends a "desperation" signal to the hiring manager. You might think you're showing how versatile you are by applying for every position, but a recruiter views it as a lack of focus, or nonmastery of specific skills.
"Be aware that if you are a jack-of-all-trades, you probably are a master of none," saidLuan Lam, head of HR at application performance management and monitoring company AppDynamics. "You might want to hone in on your best skill set and apply to a maximum of two positions."
Misrepresentation. Recruiters will often automatically dismiss resumes with bad grammar and spelling, and missing information. The only thing worse than a poorly written or incomplete resume is one that looks great until you realize the candidate was exaggerating or misrepresenting certain information on it. Stretching the truth about a position you held, whether by fudging the employment dates or trumping up your job duties or skills, won't do you any favors when an employer figures out that you lied.
"Nothing frustrates a hiring manager more," said Jack Hill, director of talent acquisition solutions at human capital management software company PeopleFluent. "They took the time to evaluate you and they think you have the prerequisites to do that job."
Being late to the interview. Showing up late to a scheduled interview shows recruiters that you are unreliable with your own time management, Lam said. It also implies a lack of respect and consideration for someone else's time. To avoid running late to an interview, always map out the approximate time it takes to get to your interview location. Allow an extra hour for traffic, parking or delays on public transit.
Lack of preparation and engagement. This one stems from one of the most commonly dispensed pieces of job interview advice — research the company beforehand. And yet, some candidates still walk into an interview without having done their homework, which obviously doesn't look good to a hiring manager.
"There's so much data out there," said Brigette McInnis-Day, executive vice president of human resources at enterprise software provider SAP. "If you don't come in well prepared and don't have a good reason for wanting to work here ... [it's] just lazy."
Susan Vitale, chief marketing officer of applicant tracking system iCIMS, noted that not engaging with the hiring manager with thoughtful questions about the position or company is a big red flag for many interviewers as well.
"They don't take well to [a candidate] not asking questions," Vitale said. "You don't need to ask a dozen for the sake of it, but there has to be a question ... about the company, culture, what makes a successful candidate, etc."
Arrogance or blatant name dropping. It's good to be confident in your skills and to be able to sell yourself as a potential employee. But there's a line between humble bragging and straight arrogance that shouldn't be crossed during a job interview.
"When you're describing yourself, saying 'I, I, I, I' can sound egotistical and arrogant," McInnis-Day said. "It's too much. You have to balance [it]. Say, 'The team did' [when discussing past accomplishments]."
McInnis-Day also advised against blatant or excessive name dropping, especially if the aim is to simply prove you have connections at the company. It's fine to mention that a current employee referred you to the job opening, but don't make your interview all about who you know.
Not following up. Sending a personalized thank-you note to your interviewer after you've met with them is an important step of the process. When a hiring manager doesn't receive one, it implies that you don't really care about getting the position. Vitale said that sending a polite, timely thank-you with details from the interview is the bare minimum a candidate should do to follow up.
"It goes a long way," Vitale said. "Show that you listened."
Dragging out negotiations. Once you receive a job offer, it's OK and even expected that you negotiate it once. Repeatedly going back to a company to negotiate various points will reflect poorly on you, and make a hiring manager wonder why he or she offered you the position.
"To avoid dragging out negotiations, be clear with recruiters from the beginning with the expectations you have from the company and the role," Lam told Business News Daily. "Also, recognize that everything in the contract is not necessarily negotiable, such as benefits and PTO. Be realistic."
Backing out on an accepted offer. The worst crime a candidate can commit is backing out after accepting an offer from a company, Lam said. Typically, a company halts all interviewing after an offer is accepted. Backing out on an accepted offer means that the company will have to start over again. Lam recommended having a checklist of all the 'must-haves' for the position you are looking for, and making sure a job offer fits before officially accepting.
"If the next position satisfies all criteria, you have a higher level of confidence in taking the job," Lam said.
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