The Taboo Of Interview

According to a new survey of nearly 500 human-resources professionals released by the U.S. Department of Labor, there are plenty of ways to derail a job interview and some of them may surprise you.

The basic don’ts: arriving late to an interview or trashing a previous employer. But some hiring managers say even experienced professionals have made other slip-ups.

Often, job candidates speak in a too-familiar way with hiring managers a major problem, according to 20% of survey respondents. Mary Willoughby, director of human resources at the Center for Disability Rights in Rochester, N.Y., once interviewed someone who was so comfortable, he commented on a sty she had near her eye.

For 67% of hiring managers who responded to the survey, dressing provocatively is a major deal breaker even more significant than having a typo in your application materials (58% found this to be an interview killer). Chantal Verbeek, head of enterprise talent at ING U.S. Financial Services, says she’ll forgive a typo if the applicant’s skills are extraordinary, but revealing or sloppy apparel equals an instant rejection.

From the Society for Human Resource Management survey of nearly 500 HR managers:
*30% of hiring managers will decide whether to hire you within 15 minutes.
* 40% of hiring managers say a cellphone ringing in the middle of an interview is a “deal breaker”.
* 70% prefer job candidates to have unpaid internship experience directly related to their companies’ work versus paid employment in an unrelated field.
* 39% say “chemistry” with a job applicant accounts for half of their hiring decision

Job seekers have also been blasting HR managers with questions about benefits, vacation time and schedule flexibility much too soon in the interview process, according to the survey. (Thirty percent of hiring managers say it’s okay for applicants to inquire about salary in post-interview follow-up conversations.) Some 39% of hiring managers surveyed said applicants shouldn’t bring up salary at all unless the interviewer brings it up first.
“I’ve had candidates ask if they can work part-time from home right off the bat,” Ms. Willoughby says. “Let’s figure out if you’re the right person for this job before we discuss how little you want to be in the office.”

Shawn Desgrosellier, president of Vitality Group Executive Search, coaches job candidates to go into an interview with something anything in their hands. The step maintains focus. (He suggested a pen, a notepad or your rsum.) “It’s just awkward going into an interview with nothing,” he says.

And the formal thank-you letter after the interview? More than 60% of HR managers who responded say skipping the step is not a big deal. A brief email will suffice cards and balloons are all overboard.