In a job interview, make your case fast and be sure your suit is pressed, too.
Employers assess candidates quickly based on what they’re wearing and their non-verbal cues. Three of the most common interview mistakes were: lack of eye contact, inappropriate clothing, and appearing disinterested, according to a new CareerBuilder survey. Great candidates who forget to make eye contact or smile may be ruled out of a friendly, outgoing workplace.
The other common interview mistake was arrogance, cited by 53% of managers. Other candidates jump into crazy interview blunders: When an interviewer told the job seeker to “Impress me,” the candidate took a newspaper started reading it and lit it on fire. Another person brought mom along to the interview. And a more confident candidate asked for an advance on her paycheck—before she’d been offered a position.
Nearly half of 2,201 hiring managers and human resources surveyed said they know within five minutes whether a candidate is a good fit for the job opening. And 87% know within 15 minutes of the first handshake whether they’re likely to hire the person sitting across from them.
Hiring in a hurry has taken off since 2012, as employers compete for talent, especially in engineering and executive jobs. Intel revamped its recruiting so it could make job offers on the spot, for customer service, software engineer and some HR jobs in Poland, Russia, Latin America and the US, where it started. A few companies, including medical records MediConnect Global, give potential hires just one minute to pitch themselves.