With some of the outrageous interview behavior they’ve seen, that may not be so surprising.
Nearly half (49 percent) of employers say they know within the first five minutes of an interview if a candidate is a good or bad fit for a position; only 8 percent take a half hour or longer to decide, according to a new survey.
Employers and hiring managers who participated in the survey also shared some of the most unusual things candidates have done during the interview process — such as asking if the interviewer was qualified, wearing slippers to an interview, arriving in a Darth Vader costume and breaking into song mid-conversation.
Interviewers also said candidates had asked to taste their coffee during a job interview, requested a cocktail and offered them pumpkins because they transfer good energy.
Hiring professionals ranked lying, however, over any of those social blunders as the top interview error that will cost a candidate a position. Answering a cell phone or texts during a job interview was ranked second, followed by seeming arrogant or entitled and appearing to have a lack of accountability.
To find out what other actions hiring personnel say can be a deal breaker, view this press release about the survey, which was conducted by CareerBuilder.