Interviewers know what they don’t want in a candidate

Forty-nine percent of hiring managers and HR pros who conduct job interviews think they know within five minutes whether or not a candidate will be a good fit, according to a new poll by CareerBuilder. Only 8% say they sometimes need a half hour or more to make that judgment.

Candidates who arrive prepared for their interviews make the best first impressions, CareerBuilder notes.

What doesn’t work? Surveyed interviewers said the following candidate missteps were deal-breakers:

There’s probably nothing that could have saved the candidates who committed these faux pas, reported by survey participants:

• Had a bag of drugs fall out of his pocket
• Asked to taste the interviewer’s coffee
• Interviewed while wearing slippers
• Wore a Darth Vader outfit
• Said “Fake it until you make it” is his personal philosophy.