As college graduates grapple for interviews for the jobs of their dreams, they might want to look in the mirror and practice their interviewing skills. A list of top ten mistakes made on interviews might surprise even the most seasoned of interviewers. The worst interview mistakes from this year's survey conducted by careerbuilder.com are worth discussing with students ready to hit the streets (internet?) looking for work.
• Candidate answered cell phone and asked the interviewer to leave her own office because it was a "private" conversation.
• Applicant 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."
• The job seeker asked the interviewer for a ride home after the interview.
• The applicant smelled his armpits on the way to the interview room.
• Candidate said she could not provide a writing sample because all of her writing had been for the CIA and it was "classified."
• Candidate told the interviewer he was fired for beating up his last boss.
• When the applicant was offered food before the interview, he declined saying he didn't want to line his stomach with grease before going out drinking.
• An applicant said she was a "people person" not a "numbers person" -- in her interview for an accounting position.
• During a phone interview the candidate flushed the toilet while talking to hiring manager.
• The applicant took out a hair brush and brushed her hair.
On a more positive note, my son conducts interviews and informed me that his company hires candidates who possess impressive writing and speaking skills.
Writing a powerful email? Priceless. Sniffing your armpits? Ridiculous. They are what they are, dude.