Hellobee Boards

I also don't understand people that come to interviews empty handed. What if you need to jot down a note or a place to put a business card? Plus its really comforting to at least have something in front of you rather than just sitting there with nothing

We had someone who had their sunglasses on their head.

@T.H.O.U.: sunglasses on their head. That would be something my husband would do.

I dressed unprofessionally (but not necessarily inappropriately) at my job interview last month. We are moving across the country and we were in our new province looking for a house. I came across an amazing job opportunity while we were there and ended up having an impromptu job interview. I had NO appropriate business attire so I ended up wearing bright royal blue skinny jeans and a polka dot chambray blouse. I had only packed Toms and Sorel boots so I had to go to the nearest store (Walmart) and pick up shoes. The only ones I was willing to pay money for (I.e. wear more than once) were black flats with silver studs!

I probably looked a hot mess but I still got the job :).

I remember once I did not get a job but the interviewer really liked me and referred me to a friend who was hiring at another company. It was a great opportunity at the first place - when I interviewed it was clear I had somehow snuck through and didn't have the necessary experience, etc. Anyway when I went to interview with the 2nd company, it went great. I was prepared, professional, etc. One interviewer asked about how they found out about me and the other explained her friend, etc. I elabored and then said- "I couldn't believe I actually even got that interview" or something like that, basically totally underselling myself and making myself sound really stupid. I was trying to show that it wasn't a BAD thing that I didn't get that job, but it totally backfired and I never got called back for that job. WHOOPS!

I can look past all of that, but I can not stand people being unprepared. I expect that people have done some research and understand at least where the company is based, what kind of work they do.

My biggest peeve is when people mistake the bank I work for as a Swedish bank. Drives me bonkers. Sometimes it is nerves and people mess up, but still.

@Honeybee: The lesson there: less is more, don't talk yourself out of a job. During my company's recent reinterviews HR keep out pounding that in- less is more, simply answer the question and move on.

I would say that I definitely fidget way too much. Other than that I've always been really professional in my interviews. When I would feel extra fidgety though, I would just put my hands in my lap or under the desk/table and play with my nails

Not knowing your own work is bad, too! I interviewed an intern once who had a stellar resume but couldn't tell me anything detailed about the research she supposedly led and worked on for a semester. It was so obvious her resume was worked over for her and she didn't know jack!

One big thing for me is not having any questions for the interviewer. You need to show that you are engaged in the process and not just blindly responding to questions!

I think I've said I'm nervous before...oops.

@mamabolt: And, don't let the only question you ask be about salary and benefits!

I know that is one of my boss's biggest pet peeves - the only thing the candidate seems interested in is the pay. Or when a candidate asks that question right at the beginning of the interview. Then it seems like they're only interested in the job for the money and don't care about the actual work/company.

Eh, i think there are worse things you can do during an interview. I don't really think fidgeting is that big of a deal, unless it becomes super distracting.

One thing i used to do as a recruiter was be very friendly and get them to relax. Unfortunately for a lot of the candidates, this would cause them to let their guard down and act so unprofessional. Like telling me stuff i didn't need to know!

One guy needed some time off because of his physiotherapy sessions...due to a gunshot wound!!

@T.H.O.U.: This one guy was wearing a fedora, and as i approached him all i could think was, "please take off your hat before you shake my hand, please take off your hat!" Well, he didn't take off his hat, and kept it on during the intervew!!

@Sammyfab: (congrats on the job!) I find that unless it's for a really buttoned up firm, or in the corporate field, people are lax about interview attire. I'm sure you looked great, anyway!

@Mrs. Pen: Agreed re: no jeans or midriff-revealing shirts. It isn't usually too hard to figure out what to wear and there are some items that just aren't appropriate pretty much ever. But I recall seeing a video clip a few weeks ago (I think it was on WSJ) about an office that was really hipster-casual 4 days out of the week, and then all the guys wore three-piece suits and ties on "Formal Fridays" (and the women also got dressed up). They said some poor guy showed up in his otherwise-appropriate, carefully-selected casual outfit for a Friday interview and found them all wearing their serious business attire. He must have wanted to melt into the floor!

I was always told not to be the one to bring up salary or vacation policy.

The "I'm nervous!" statement would not be a definite negative for me. I've sat on interview panels before where people share this, and most everyone just tells them not to be. More off-putting to me would be someone who comes across as over-confident or too familiar.

My favorite so far is a residency candidate (i.e. medical student looking for a position to train in their chosen specialty) that listed "napping" under hobbies. She definitely picked the wrong career! lol

I'm a recruiter in HR so I do 5-10 interviews a day. A lot of the people I hire are nursing staff so it's pretty common to have them show up in scrubs. The nurses who show up dressed professionally and with a resume in hand 99.9% of the time get the job. Not to say those who are in scrubs don't, but the people dressed nice certainly stand out more. It's sad, we hire HS students for our dining room and they're usually dressed and act more professionally than the people who have bachelors/masters degrees...

I've had someone tell me that they wanted to work for the company "to make lots of Benjamins". Wow, just wow.

I break the "no jeans" rule all the time. But I work in tech and we're very, very casual....

When I interview people, my biggest problem with them is if they can't speak to something on their resume. That is a huge no-no. In tech, we typically put a laundry list of technologies we work with... if you don't know C++, don't put C++ on your resume!