Odd interview tidbits and mistakes job-seekers make

WASHINGTON — “Call me Tigger! That is the nickname I gave myself.” Can I offer religious advice to my co-workers? Is my wife cheating on me?

Human resource managers say these are some of the more unusual things they’ve heard from job-seekers during interviews.

In an online Harris poll conducted in November and December 2014, CareerBuilder asked more than 2,100  hiring managers about the most unusual interview behaviors they’ve seen.

In addition to the Tigger nickname, the offer for religious advice and a candidate who asked if his wife, who worked at the company was cheating, here are some of the other odd things managers say they’ve encountered during interviews:

• An interviewee spreads out 50 ink pens on a table.
• A candidate fidgets and plays with a duffel bag. He had a dog in the bag.
• Asked about diversity, someone used the term “off the boat.”
• Why did one candidate leave his last job?  Reason: “kicking someone’s butt that really needed it.”
• An interviewee tried to use Google to answer a question.
• One person asked how much everybody else makes.
• Another sat in a yoga pose during the interview.

How quickly do hiring managers know if a candidate is a good fit? Forty nine percent say they know within 5 minutes. Within 15 minutes, 90 percent know.

Hiring managers cited these 10 things as the biggest body language mistakes job-seekers make:

1. Failing to make eye contact: 65 percent
2. Failing to smile: 36 percent
3. Playing with something on the table: 33 percent
4. Having bad posture: 30 percent
5. Fidgeting too much in their seat: 29 percent
6. Crossing their arms over their chest: 26 percent
7. Playing with their hair or touching their face: 25 percent
8. Having a weak handshake: 22 percent
9. Using too many hand gestures: 11 percent
10. Having a handshake that is too strong: 7 percent

Their advice: Rehearse; record a video of yourself answering common interview questions; answer why you are best for the position in 30 seconds; research the company; breathe deeply before the interview.

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