Do you know how much time you have to impress your job interviewer? According to CareerBuilder, approximately 5 minutes. Half the decision makers in the 2,300 corporate survey said as much. And that is up slightly from last year when 49% said 5 minutes were enough.
You may have thought that your experience and credential would be enough, but body language plays a huge role in whether you get the job or not. Failure to make eye contact was cited by 67% of interviewers. Other reasons included failure to smile (39%), played with something on the table (33%), didn’t sit up straight (30%), fidgeted too much (30%), or crossed their arms over their chests (29%).
Also don’t forget about your practicing your handshake. More than a quarter of hiring managers say they’ve ruled out potential hires whose grip was either too weak (21%) or too strong (7%).
Of course, the obvious things still remain relevant. Getting caught in a lie about education or experience is a big one, mentioned by 69% of interviewers. Interrupting the conversation to answer a phone call or text (68%) and seeming “arrogant or entitled” (60%) are not so good, either. Dressing inappropriately and swearing during the interview have each made 50% of these managers decide to keep looking.
Let us know if you need to speak with a career counselor and help you get the job of your dreams.