10 Signs of Candidates Who Are Hard to Get Hired But Are Likely To Annoy HR Managers

Many people are afraid of HR managers and often consider them to be too rigid or too intrusive. But certain candidates are not left behind: some manage to drive many recruiters crazy or simply do not establish good “chemistry”, which will reflect negatively on the chances of getting the job.

We, from awesome.club, we believe that both sides have their pros and cons, so we decided to find out which are the most irritating candidates in the eyes of hirers. In the bonus, we’ll show how there’s always the other side of the coin and how appearances can be deceiving. Check out!

In addition to grammatical errors and incorrect structure, recruiters are annoyed by a lack of objectivity. They want to see an organized list of relevant skills rather than abstract descriptions of individual traits.

If you want to increase your chances of getting a job, avoid using generalized words like “honest”, “punctual”, “good communicator”: they are clichés that do not hold significant value.

Some excerpts from real resumes. “Project Manager. Qualifications and professional background: I managed projects”. “Assistant manager. Skills: helping the manager”. “Experience: mother on maternity leave”. © Elanchik / Pikabu

A guy once sent me his resume with a huge picture of his face in the middle of the page. All around were thought bubbles saying things like “Hire me, you won’t regret it”. © LadyArtemis32 / Reddit

There were three lines on the resume and the phrase “I can tell more about myself in the interview with the director”. Where did she get that crown from?! What are such candidates waiting for? © Zmeinda / Pikabu

Imagine the following situation: you published the ad “I’m looking for a two-bedroom apartment in the center” and you started to receive offers for one-bedroom apartments in remote areas. Or, also, if you’re an HR manager: maybe it’s not pleasant to interview candidates who haven’t even read the position requirements, is it?

At the beginning of the interview, many employers ask what candidates know about the company. If a person says they didn’t have time to do their research before the date, their chances of passing are immediately reduced.

One part of the interview was learning how to make a simple product that would be a significant part of the employees’ workday. Therefore, we describe all the requirements in detail in the job description. A young woman told me: “I can’t do that, it might ruin my nails”🇧🇷 When I asked if she had understood that the job was exactly that, she said she was wasting her time and left. Later still, she complained that we were all liars. The job title was “production assistant”. © AnnualAntics / Reddit

We were looking for employees for a startup and then we indicated that we could not offer a salary in the first few months. One young man said that his “time was valuable” and that he “didn’t want to work in a startup🇧🇷 When I explained the technologies we used, he criticized them all. Finally, he said he could offer his services, which didn’t suit us, for $58 an hour. © Anonymous / Quora

One of the most recurring problems in large companies is people applying for jobs without having the necessary skills or having no idea of ​​the position’s responsibilities. Many just send their resumes in droves, hoping that somewhere will accept them.

I asked the girl if she had experience with Aloha (cash register software). She replied that she had never been to Hawaii. © ICaughtAPigeonOnce / Reddit

One woman, in the qualifications column, wrote: “Motherhood.” Almost all of the experiences listed were related to raising children. She could look for a babysitting job or something similar, but not an administrative position, as she did. © Herbert_Erpaderp / Reddit

I was looking for a manager and received the following resume: “I can write texts on the computer, I know how to use text editors and some Excel. I know the rules of spelling and punctuation, because I worked as a typist”. © mebvr / Pikabu

A girl asked, “Do you have a vacancy?” I replied: “Yes, for a shop assistant”. And she had the courage to say: “And what does work consist of?” After that, I lost the urge to read her resume. © Catarina0905 / Pikabu

Many HR managers don’t like hearing endless speeches from candidates about how “they are happy to have the chance to work at such a great company” and “what a valuable experience this will be for them”. The greatest interest is that they have concrete and useful skills for the business and can prove it.

I was looking for a programming intern. What was required of him? At least logical thinking and high level of concentration. 70% of candidates cannot solve school-level problems, do not know how to maintain a dialogue and forget things they have just said. © AnnaBelaya / Pikabu

Our vacancy indicated a large salary range, as we were looking for two specialists — one beginner and one experienced. I informed the candidate that we could offer X salary. The young man was indignant, because on the website it said X to Y. I explained that, due to the unsatisfactory results of the test, we could not accept him for the most advanced position. His answer was: “If they give me at least 30 minutes to use Google, I answer any questions they have.” © GenBardak / Pikabu

A few years ago I was looking for an administrator for the office. I received a blank request: no resume or cover letter, just name and phone number. I called the person and said I needed more data. The answer was: “Ask Professor X who I am. When can we schedule the interview?” I explained that it didn’t matter and I would only invite applicants who could prove their qualifications. The person then sent an e-mail saying that he knew this professor and that he had worked with him for 25 years. But what does that tell me about her professional skills? © Quora User / Quora

About 63% of applicants lie on resumes. They embellish experiences, add non-existent jobs, shamelessly lie about knowledge of foreign languages, and for some reason change the real age.

To filter out the “impostors”, just ask a question that requires a deeper answer or request data from previous work. Many companies check candidates’ social media and look for alternative ways to confirm their qualifications.

“Hablas español?” – “What is it? German?” – “Not Spanish. You indicated on your CV that you spoke the language.” – “Oh yes. I only put it on because my boyfriend said it would be a differential”. © babayagastrikesback / Reddit My friend is an HR manager at a large company. This is what she told me. “I received an excellent IT technician resume and called the candidate for an interview. He couldn’t answer any questions and seemed to be in a bad mood. I thought he was more of a liar, that he had made everything up on his resume. These cases are not rare. But I still asked, ‘Why should I hire you?’ His face lit up and he said, ‘Because I know you guys offer a $1,500 salary, and I want that!’ Possibly the toughest candidate I’ve ever seen.”

A recruiter’s workday is quite busy, so when someone is late, the entire schedule can be broken. Those who like to arrive an hour in advance also cause problems: they will need to occupy themselves with something so as not to be asked every 5 minutes if they can enter now.

Ideally, arrive 10-15 minutes before the scheduled time. If your plans have changed or something unforeseen has arisen, let the person in charge know as soon as possible.

I interviewed a girl for a job in marketing. Great resume, great phone interview, and apparently everything was perfect until… it was 30 minutes late. After that time, he still called to ask how to get to the office. In the 21st century, age of electronics and technology, even the most outdated phone has a map. Marketers, by the way, should know how to use Google and the browser. Well, that turned out to be her final test. © Val419 / Pikabu Do you know the strangest and most absurd excuse I’ve ever heard to justify being late? “Sorry I can’t attend because I died”. © nikalolly / Pikabu

The tip is to focus on a neutral style, which is close to social. You should avoid wearing very vibrant colors, deep necklines, skirts with lots of decorative elements, shoes with high heels, and patterned tights. With such choices, you can give the impression that you are not serious.

Another negative point is when the resume photo is very different from the person in real life. Interviewers like to recognize the candidate immediately upon seeing them.

A girl appeared from leggings in skin color and looked like he wasn’t wearing anything. On top, a kind of sweater open in the front and pulled to the side, so that her bra strap was visible. He applied for a therapist vacancy, but evidently didn’t get it. © ConneryFTW / Reddit

I had a candidate for a customer service job: she was wearing pajama bottoms with the Hello Kitty symbol, a pink sweatshirt, and slippers. © ADamnInAK / Reddit

I was interviewing a woman for the position of office manager. All right with the resume and the phone conversation, but in person… She was wearing a translucent blouse, looked like she hadn’t washed and brushed her hair in like three weeks, and smelled like she hadn’t showered. The conversation was good, but everything has a limit. Everyone in the office would need to interact with her on a daily basis, and her desk would be right at the entrance, that is, it would practically be the “face” of the company. © Val419 / Pikabu

Not only is the candidate’s level of professionalism assessed, but also their way of communicating. It’s also important to worry about how to talk about your last jobs: even if your boss was terrible in every way, it’s not worth expressing your negativity, as that won’t make anyone feel good.

In addition, it is advisable to thank the person in charge for the time allocated in a short email. This must be done within 24 hours of the interview….