- NEW YORK (Reuters
Life!) - Hear the one about the job candidate who brushed her hair during
an interview? Or the man who sniffed his armpits on the way into the interview
room?
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- They may sound like jokes but these are two of the top
10 gaffes to feature in an annual survey of the most outrageous interview
mistakes by candidates compiled by online job site CareerBuilder.com.
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- The list, based on a survey of 3,061 U.S. hiring managers
and human resources professionals by research company Harris Interactive,
found the top 10 most outrageous mistakes were:
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- - Candidate answered cell phone and asked the interviewer
to leave her own office because it was a "private" conversation.
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- - Candidate told the interviewer he wouldn't be able
to stay with the job long because he thought he might get an inheritance
if his uncle died -- and his uncle wasn't "looking too good."
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- - Candidate asked the interviewer for a ride home after
the interview.
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- - Candidate smelled his armpits on the way to the interview
room.
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- - Candidate said she could not provide a writing sample
because all of her writing had been for the CIA and it was "classified."
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- - Candidate told the interviewer he was fired for beating
up his last boss.
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- - When an applicant was offered food before the interview,
he declined saying he didn't want to line his stomach with grease before
going out drinking.
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- - A candidate for an accounting position said she was
a "people person" not a "numbers person."
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- - Candidate flushed the toilet while talking to interviewer
during phone interview.
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- - Candidate took out a hair brush and brushed her hair.
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- As well as asking about the most unusual blunders, employers
were also asked about the most common and detrimental mistakes candidates
made during an interview.
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- More than half -- 51 percent -- said dressing inappropriately
was the biggest mistake a candidate could make in an interview.
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- Talking negatively about a current or previous employer
came in second at 49 percent and third in the list at 48 percent was appearing
disinterested.
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- Other mistakes included appearing arrogant, not providing
specific answers, and not asking good questions.
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- "If a candidate is overly negative, plays the blame
game, is easily frazzled or doesn't come prepared, it usually sends up
a red flag for employers, " said Career Builder.com spokeswoman Rosemary
Haefner.
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- Writing by Belinda Goldsmith, Editing by Patricia Reaney
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