43 Interviews That Went Off The Rails Thanks To Wildly Entitled Applicants

Honestly? Practice makes perfect. It’s perfectly normal to be nervous at first. The more job interviews you attend, the better you’ll become at navigating them.

But if you want to make a good first impression, you have to get the basics right. Dress well. Take care of your hygiene. Do your research. Practice talking about your strengths and weaknesses. Show your enthusiasm for the job. Focus on having confident body language. And, above all else, be as genuine and authentic as you can be: show the best possible version of yourself to recruiters.

According to Emily Levine, the executive vice president at recruitment firm Career Group Companies, it’s vital to follow the appropriate etiquette during job interviews. For one, she told CNBC it’s important to make good eye contact. On top of that, you want to read the room to understand when it’s right for you to speak or ask questions.

Levine stressed the fact that you shouldn’t show up either too late or too early for your interview. Obviously, being late is going to leave an awful impression because you’re wasting everyone’s time and being disrespectful.

However, showing up too early is a hidden trap, too. “If you show up too early, it’s also too eager and might make the interviewer feel rushed,” Levine said. From her perspective, getting to the building for your interview 15 to 20 minutes early is best, and you should walk into your interviewer’s office 10 minutes early.

Meanwhile, you want to come off as a true professional. For example, recruitment expert Levine explained to CNBC that you shouldn’t be chewing or have your sunglasses on your head during the interview.

What’s more, you should think about how you smell. If you reek of cigarettes or wear too much perfume, it can leave a bad impression. These things can distract your interviewer from your otherwise positive qualities and awesome experience.

Of course, interviews don’t just revolve around first impressions. You need to watch what you say. A good rule of thumb to follow is not to badmouth your previous employers. Furthermore, you shouldn’t be sharing any confidential or proprietary information… especially if you’ve signed NDAs! Why would anyone trust you if you’re so quick to spill important secrets?

Harvard Business Review shares that the 4 biggest red flags that concern hiring managers are the following:

1. Dishonesty, including lying about your past work experience or coming across as inauthentic
2. Rude language or behavior, which might indicate poor interpersonal skills and low emotional intelligence
3. Criticizing past employers or coworkers, which can hurt your chances of getting the new job
4. Lack of preparation, which can lead to endless rambling in order to hide the candidate’s panic

As per HBR, a recent study by Leadership IQ found that a whopping 46% of new hires fail within the first 18 months of getting hired. A jaw-dropping 89% of them failed due to poor interpersonal skills and attitudes, not technical competence.

What do you think, Pandas? Have you ever interviewed someone for a vacant work position before? If so, what’s the very worst candidate who ever darkened the doorstep of your office?

On the flip side, what is the most awful interview you’ve ever been in while you were looking for a new job?

Let us know!