Interview Pet Peeves - Part 1

“When you interview job candidates, what is one of your biggest pet peeves during the interview?

In January 2010 I decided to conduct my own informal survey on LinkedIn to see what hiring and HR professionals dislike most during an interview. I posted the above question (under the category Hiring and Human Resources) and 29 people responded.

While there were numerous pet peeves listed (about 70 in all), the most frequently mentioned pet peeve (listed by 11 of the 29 respondents) was “not being prepared for the interview/not conducting any research on the job or company.”

One individual commented, “If you want the job, do your homework.” Another person stated, “Do your homework on the firm you’ve applied to. If you don’t take the time to prepare and frame your responses into the context of how your skills, abilities, and experiences correlate into the position and what you can offer, you’re wasting your time and my time.”