Avoiding eye contact, fumbling, talking too much and bad-mouthing previous employer are among the key reasons for rejection in job interviews, says a TimesJobs study.
While both verbal and non-verbal elements contribute to the rejection of a candidate during a job interview, non- verbal elements hold more significance, it said.
About 60 per cent of the candidates surveyed attributed their failure in job interviews to non-verbal elements including weak handshake.
About 40 per cent of the people said they have been told by the recruiter that they seemed disinterested during the interview, 32 per cent said they were rejected because they were late, while 30 per cent said making no eye contact with the recruiter during the interview led to their failure.
Nearly 25 per cent candidates could not get through the process because they were not dressed properly and 10 per cent said they were told that their weak handshake and bad sitting posture made their interview a disaster.
Of the verbal factors, fumbling in the interview was the most common reason for rejection, as claimed by 40 per cent of the surveyed employees. Nearly 30 per cent said they talked too much during their interview, while the other reasons were lack of knowledge about the company and badmouthing about the previous employer.
The survey that covered 700 working professionals to understand the common factors that led to rejection in job interviews, noted that more than half of them have faced at least five rejections at job interviews in their careers. Overall, 70 per cent of those surveyed had faced rejection.
"Rejection feels bad and is particularly annoying when you know you will perform well on the job. Doing your research, and evaluating yourself and preparing in advance will minimise your chances of rejections," Times Business Solutions Head of Strategy Nilanjan Roy said.
The chances of a successful interview are increased manifold, if the candidate carries a proper investigation into the company's culture and interview methods along with a clear assessment of one's own skills and competencies.
TimesJobs' Vikas Deep Verma, Head of Product and
Marketing, explains, "The job market is highly competitive, and the best way to ensure fast career growth is to choose your battles carefully, do your research and target the company culture that best suits your attitude and the role that best suits your aptitude."
Verma continued, "TimesJobs' offerings help you chose the best-suited company with interview questions and company reviews by thousands of current and previous employees, who give candid insights into the company culture, work-life balance, career growth, interview processes, etc. To ensure you join a company whose culture fits your personality."
"Furthermore, a host of personalized self-assessment, skill enhancement and salary benchmarking tools help you to ascertain your own aptitude and set your self-development, career growth & salary expectations, to ensure you ace your interview," Verma concluded.
However, TimesJobs' study clearly shows that every job interview story does not have a happy ending. 71% of the candidates felt they were turned down as they hadn't researched the role and company and 50% felt that not appearing interested or engaged during the interview were the reasons for their rejections.
Another noteworthy highlight among the most common interview mistakes as recognized by 25% respondents was, making up answers during the interview. If not a benchmark, these data points are a strong indicator that not researching about the company, not reading reviews and frequently asked questions can take job interviews in the wrong direction.
Commenting on this, Swati Dayal, Co-Founder & Executive Director, Sagoon.Com said, "Job-seekers doing their homework before coming for an interview is not new. Everybody has been doing that. However, with the advent of social networks and the Internet, the task is now a whole lot easier. Reviews and ratings by fellow applicants and existing employees are emerging as real-time decision-making tools for job aspirants. And social and professional networks are used for gaining awareness and narrow down on preferences.
"Typically, job seekers use online mediums to know more
about the company they want to apply for. They also consult with their peers while preparing for the probable questions that could be asked. Candid reviews of existing and ex-employees help in getting a 360-degree view of the organization which in turn helps them make a more informed choice," Dayal added.
According to Rajesh Tripathi, VP & Head-HR, GHCL, the job seeker should undertake their due preparation before appearing for the interview in a very scrupulous manner. They should browse the company's website and other social networking pages of the organization to acquaint themselves with the company information.
TimesJobs has surveyed over 700 working professionals pan-India for this study.
About TimesJobs.Com:
TimesJobs.Com, the flagship business of Times Business Solutions (TBS), is a platform to help competent professionals make smarter career decisions. With over 25 million registered jobseekers across the board and more than 60 million page views every month, it is fast becoming the most preferred career portal among the candidates.
TimesJobs is leading in the recruitment and employment space with its pioneering and dynamic divisions because it successfully meets the needs of competent working professionals looking to maximize their career growth. Its major platforms include:
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