The worst blunders candidates can make in a job interview

Ever felt annoyed by a candidate during an interview?

If so, you’re not alone! In fact, 79.3% of employers admit to feeling infuriated by a candidate’s actions when conducting an interview. That’s according to the latest research from CV-Library, the UK’s leading independent job board.

What’s more, the study, which surveyed over 300 UK employers, found that just 9.7% of employers have then gone on to hire the candidate in question.

Alongside this, when asked what annoys them the most 68.5% of employers agree that lying in an interview is the worst mistake a candidate can make. This is closely followed by turning up late (65.3%), and being arrogant (45.1%).

Lying- 68.5%

Turning up late – 65.3%

Being arrogant – 45.1%

Not being hygienic – 29.6%

Boasting about other interviews/offers - 17.8%

Avoiding eye contact – 16.9%

Turning up under-dressed – 15.5%

Being sarcastic – 14.6%

Being too shy – 4.7%

Not shaking the interviewer’s hand – 4.7%

“The cost of making a bad hire can have a hugely negative effect on your business, especially for start-ups and organisations with thin profit margins. And that’s why it’s so important to filter and find the very best candidates throughout your interview process.

"Understandably, interview etiquette is important and should play a major part in evaluating a candidate. Of course, it’s only natural for a candidate to feel nervous or be a little rusty, but this doesn’t excuse taboos such as lying or turning up late without a justifiable excuse. If either of these happen during an interview, this should without doubt be a major red flag.

“Interestingly, our latest job market data revealed that employers have hiked up pay dramatically to entice candidates who aren’t interested in applying for jobs right now. If this is the case for your company, make sure you keep an eye out for these interview blunders before offering a bumper salary to a new hire who could turn out to be a bad one!”