These days, it can be quite difficult to get a job that suits our needs, but it can be so easy to guarantee failure. It takes one wrong move to spell disaster in your job hunt. So you better be careful and be mindful of the possible outcome of your actions.

Here are 5 things that annoy recruiters and hiring managers the most:

Arriving too early
You may be too eager to get the job, however, arriving an hour before a scheduled interview can be annoying. Recruiters would feel a need to entertain you and rush whatever they’re doing just to accommodate you. Arriving 5-10 minutes prior to schedule is just right. If you’re too early, kill some time at a nearby coffee shop instead of going straight to the receptionist announcing your arrival.

Being late
Sometimes you get a series of interviews in a day and the recruitment officer will set a schedule that squeezes in between everyone else who’s going to meet up with you. If you arrive late, the sequence of interview schedule will be disrupted. You’d be wasting a manager’s precious time and if you miss an interview with a person who has other appointments, you may just as well have lost your chance of getting the job.

Saying I can’t
Recruiters and hiring managers are mostly interested in what you can do. So telling them what you can’t or are not willing to do can be just annoying. You would have to adjust to the company’s needs, not yours. It’s not your place to say, I can’t do overtime on Fridays, or I can’t start work yet on this date due to… Catch my drift?

Questions about salary and benefits
Unless initiated, don’t ask about salary and benefits. It’s a negotiation, so don’t put the recruiter on the spot asking about all these details. Whatever you do don’t even think of comparing them out loud to your previous employment. It can be so annoying to hear an applicant saying, you know in my previous job we get certificates for free spa treatments on weekends. Save it.

You’re acting too casual
Remember that small things count too. So whenever you get called for an interview, make sure you dress appropriately. Don’t chew gum while you’re in an interview. Don’t slouch on your seat. Don’t keep fidgeting or looking at your watch or your cellphone as if you just can’t wait to get out of there.

You may be the best candidate but attitude and behavior are also considered when hiring applicants. So always be the best you can be whenever you present yourself for a job. Good luck with your search!

Tags: career change, Interview, interview advice, interview focus, interviews, job, job duties, job history, job hunt, job interview, Job Search, job skills, jobs, new job, Personal Branding, professional, what to wear to an interview

This entry was posted on Tuesday, August 17th, 2010 at 9:46 am and is filed under Applying for a Job, Career Changes, Free Advice, Job & Interview Questions, Job Search Tips. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.