If you've applied for a job and are lucky enough to score an interview, don't let one mistake ruin your chances of getting the job.
A LinkedIn survey of more than 550 hiring managers found that when it comes to a job interview, even small mistakes can put a candidate out of the running.
Here are four things you should never be caught doing, according to the survey:
4. Checking your phoneEven the slightest glance at your phone during a job interview could cost you. More than one out of every three hiring managers polled said they would eliminate a candidate for looking at his or her cell.
Checking your phone gives the impression that you're not totally there mentally and don't respect the person sitting right in front of you.
Be safe and before the interview, turn your phone, and it's thousands of notifications, off.
3. Looking disheveled
Nearly half of interviewers — 46 percent, to be exact — said they had eliminated a candidate because of unprofessional attire.
If you're worried that your shirt is too casual, your pants are too wrinkled or your dress is too short, be safe and skip it. Better yet, have an interview outfit in your closet that you try on before the morning of your interview, so you don't have any last minute surprises like rips, stains or wrinkles.
2. Lying or stretching the facts
Sure, you're eager to impress the hiring manager, but make sure you're not lying. Before a company's talent team hires you, they almost always consult your references, ask people in your network about you or run a background check.
Some 52 percent of hiring managers have scrapped a candidate after learning he or she lied about their previous work. If there's something on your resume or in your work experience you're worried about, address it in a truthful and compelling way.
And whatever you do, don't brag about lying on your resume, as your company will probably find out.
1. Arriving late
Traffic, getting lost, spilling coffee on your shirt — there are a million reasons why you could arrive late for a job interview. Unfortunately, hiring managers don't usually care. More than 60 percent of interviewers eliminated a candidate for arriving late, making it the biggest mistake you should avoid.
Here's a simple way to avoid it: When you map out how long it will take you to get to the company's building, budget an extra 30 or 40 minutes of wiggle room to be safe. Others will even do a test run of driving to the new location or locating the office building in advance.
Job seekers wait to speak to a representative during a Coast-to-Coast Career Fair in Chicago, Illinois. But here's another catch: Don't check in too early.
As CNBC Make It's managing editor Jenna Goudreau writes in her roundup of top interview advice, "Arriving too early can also irritate a hiring manager, since it is equally disruptive to their schedule."
If you end up arriving more than 20 minutes early, you can double check with the front desk that you're in the right place without officially checking in. You can tell the receptionist that that you'll officially check in closer to you appointment time, say, 15 minutes before.
In that time, you can make sure you look professional, turn off your phone and do something to relax yourself such as deep breathing. You could even borrow a mental strategy one Olympic gold medalist uses and give yourself an inspiring pep talk.
Source: LinkedIn
A LinkedIn survey of more than 550 hiring managers found that when it comes to a job interview, even small mistakes can put a candidate out of the running.
Here are four things you should never be caught doing, according to the survey:
4. Checking your phoneEven the slightest glance at your phone during a job interview could cost you. More than one out of every three hiring managers polled said they would eliminate a candidate for looking at his or her cell.
Checking your phone gives the impression that you're not totally there mentally and don't respect the person sitting right in front of you.
Be safe and before the interview, turn your phone, and it's thousands of notifications, off.
3. Looking disheveled
Nearly half of interviewers — 46 percent, to be exact — said they had eliminated a candidate because of unprofessional attire.
If you're worried that your shirt is too casual, your pants are too wrinkled or your dress is too short, be safe and skip it. Better yet, have an interview outfit in your closet that you try on before the morning of your interview, so you don't have any last minute surprises like rips, stains or wrinkles.
2. Lying or stretching the facts
Sure, you're eager to impress the hiring manager, but make sure you're not lying. Before a company's talent team hires you, they almost always consult your references, ask people in your network about you or run a background check.
Some 52 percent of hiring managers have scrapped a candidate after learning he or she lied about their previous work. If there's something on your resume or in your work experience you're worried about, address it in a truthful and compelling way.
And whatever you do, don't brag about lying on your resume, as your company will probably find out.
1. Arriving late
Traffic, getting lost, spilling coffee on your shirt — there are a million reasons why you could arrive late for a job interview. Unfortunately, hiring managers don't usually care. More than 60 percent of interviewers eliminated a candidate for arriving late, making it the biggest mistake you should avoid.
Here's a simple way to avoid it: When you map out how long it will take you to get to the company's building, budget an extra 30 or 40 minutes of wiggle room to be safe. Others will even do a test run of driving to the new location or locating the office building in advance.
Job seekers wait to speak to a representative during a Coast-to-Coast Career Fair in Chicago, Illinois. But here's another catch: Don't check in too early.
As CNBC Make It's managing editor Jenna Goudreau writes in her roundup of top interview advice, "Arriving too early can also irritate a hiring manager, since it is equally disruptive to their schedule."
If you end up arriving more than 20 minutes early, you can double check with the front desk that you're in the right place without officially checking in. You can tell the receptionist that that you'll officially check in closer to you appointment time, say, 15 minutes before.
In that time, you can make sure you look professional, turn off your phone and do something to relax yourself such as deep breathing. You could even borrow a mental strategy one Olympic gold medalist uses and give yourself an inspiring pep talk.
Source: LinkedIn