What are small things in a job interview that many recruiters consider dealbreakers when hiring?

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A new survey of hundreds of employers has revealed what candidate job interview behaviours bother hiring professionals the most.

Your job interview begins before you even start answering questions. The time you arrive and how you comport yourself even before meeting with the employer are all fair game. (That’s why the most important sentence you’ll say in an interview sometimes happens before you’ve even sat down.)

The vast majority (86%) of the over 800 recruiters surveyed by recruitment software firm Jobvite agreed that a candidate being rude or dismissive to the receptionist or other support staff was their top job interview deal breaker.

Even if it wasn’t going to help your chances of getting hired, you should just be polite and friendly with everyone you meet. You’ll have a happier life and make more friends. However, apparently some candidates act demanding, condescending, or simply indifferent to people they consider underlings at offices where they interview. They don’t seem to realize that their interviewer will ask the receptionist what their opinion of the candidate was and that this opinion carries a lot of weight.

Another top job interview deal-breaker for the recruiters surveyed is candidates checking their phone during the interview. Seventy-one per cent of employers will immediately reject an applicant who looks at their mobile device.

Showing up late for the job interview and having bad hygiene also top the list of employers’ top reasons to quickly disqualify a candidate during an interview.

The good news about all of these ‘deal-breakers’ is that they have nothing to do with your qualifications, and they can be easily avoided with a little preparation.

Map out the route – or try a dry run – in advance so that you can be on time. Shower and shave before heading out, be friendly with everyone you meet, and turn off your phone. Just like that you’ve avoided some of the top things that bother potential employers.

Here are employers’ top job interview deal-breakers, ranked

Being rude to the receptionist or other support staff – 86%

Checking their phone – 71%

Showing up late – 58%

Having bad hygiene – 52%

Interrupting the interviewer – 39%

Bringing food – 38%

Dressing too casually – 24%

Bringing a beverage – 14%

Bad handshake – 6%

Wearing too much makeup – 5%

Having poor fashion – 4%

Wearing not enough makeup – 1%

While few recruiters say that they will automatically disqualify you for wearing too much makeup or bad fashion — it turns out that dressing too casually for an interview can be a deal-breaker for nearly 1 in 4 recruiters.

The survey noted that male recruiters are more likely to disqualify a candidate for dressing too informally. So, if you know that you will be interviewed by a man, pay particular attention to wearing professional attire. (Although this is just good strategy no matter who you are meeting. Dressing up for a job interview is a sign of respect.)

That same survey also revealed that male recruiters are much more swayed by appearance than females and are more likely to look up photos of candidates online before meeting them in order to form a first impression.

Job interview coming up? Here's what 400 creative executives said not to do.

You've spent hours researching your dream employer, and crafting a clear and concise resume and compelling cover letter. A few weeks after submitting them, you find out your hard work paid off: You get called in for an interview. Before the big day, you role-play how you'll respond to common interview questions and invest in a stylish tablet case so you can display your portfolio in style. During the meeting, you answer every query without skipping a beat; you even manage to update your friends with a quick tweet from your phone.

A few days later, you learn you didn't get the job. Unfortunate? Yes. Unusual? Research says no. Nearly eight in 10 (77 percent) advertising and marketing executives surveyed by The Creative Group said it's likely they'd remove a candidate from consideration if he or she checked or answered the phone during an interview.

Here's a look at some other job interview deal breakers, according to the poll:

Read the infographic text.

5 JOB INTERVIEW DEAL BREAKERS

When interviewing candidates for creative roles, what do you consider to be deal breakers*?

Source: The Creative Group survey of 400 advertising and marketing executives in the United States.

Multiple responses were permitted.

*Something a candidate says or does that will likely discount him/her from consideration.

© 2015 The Creative Group. A Robert Half Company. An Equal Opportunity Employer M/F/Disability/Vet.

Don't let this happen to you

If you're fortunate to be called into a job interview, don't ruin your chances of landing the gig by making a mistake that's easily avoidable. "Hiring managers typically assume candidates are putting their best foot forward during job interviews, so any sign of unprofessional or unproductive behavior makes a big impact, no matter how qualified the person may be for the position," said Diane Domeyer, executive director of The Creative Group. "Job seekers should do everything they can to tip the scales in their favor, including paying attention to the smallest details."

The Creative Group offers tips to avoid the top five missteps that can ruin a job interview:

1. Pulling out your phone. Before entering the building, make sure your smartphone is turned off and put away. While you may be tempted to surf the Web or check social media while waiting in the lobby, it's better to sit patiently and peruse company literature that's available. When the interview begins, give the person you're meeting with your undivided attention.

2. Being tardy. Showing up even a few minutes late could signal to the hiring manager that you have little regard for his or her schedule; worse, it could cause you to miss the meeting altogether. Plan for any traffic and arrive about 10 minutes early for your job interview – this also will give you time to calm any jitters. If you think you will be late, call ahead and explain the reason for the delay.

3. Arriving empty-handed. Don't assume hiring managers will have all of your application materials with them. Print extra copies of your resume and bring a laptop or tablet with your online portfolio saved to the desktop so you can easily present it without an Internet connection.

4. Dressing too casually. Even if the company you're meeting with is laid-back, it's usually not a good idea to wear flip-flops and board shorts, unless you're interviewing with a surf board company. Do some research to find out the company's dress code and choose an outfit that's slightly more formal.

5. Complaining about a past job. Badmouthing former employers, colleagues or clients may lead hiring managers to question your professionalism and attitude. Although it's OK – and often necessary – to discuss work-related challenges, show tact during these conversations. The ability to describe difficult situations diplomatically can turn the tables in your favor.

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