17 annoying things job candidates do that make hiring managers not like them

Reddit user creaoiumm — a lawyer — says they are tired of seeing applications from law school students who are over 26 years old and have no job experience (not even babysitting!).

Instead, he says their résumés tend to be filled with different hobbies or trips they took during the summer. "As someone who started working at age 16, I'll admit I think less of someone in their late 20s who has never held any kind of job, however small."

ScarinasVault — a middleman between candidates and HR — says they've seen a marked increase in the number of parents asking for jobs on behalf of their kids or even asking for help with their child's résumé.

While these actions may come from a good place, the commenter says, "if you can't bother to show up to ask then we can't be bothered to take you seriously."

Gibberish_talk says if they see a misspelled word on a résumé, it gets thrown out.

"We obviously all make mistakes, but if you can't take the time to proofread something so important then I don't need you," the Reddit user says.

A few commenters say lying is one of the biggest mistake candidates make.

Some say you don't have to be 100% honest 100% of the time — but they advise you to give answers that are mostly truthful and maybe slightly edited to be more socially acceptable.

I_think_things says if they find you on social media and you have racist or "idiotic" postings, then they will likely pass over you.

Even if your social media pages are clean, you may want to consider setting them to private mode.

Redditor -eDgAR- says he is dumbfounded by people who show up late to interviews and wonder why they didn't get the job.

On the flips side, SpoopsThePalindrome points out that if the employer is late or unaware that an interview is even happening, then you should be wary of a company or boss who can't manage their schedule.

Commenter Marginbuilder is prejudiced against people who don't dress appropriately for the interview because "if you can't dress appropriately for an interview then you can't dress appropriately for work."

Koeikan says they are immediately turned off of a candidate who freezes up mid-interview. They say they'd rather the candidate ask questions or work through the question out loud.

To be clear, they don't mind someone taking a moment to think through their answer, as long as they don't give that deer in the headlights look — and it's very easy to tell the two apart, Koeikan explains.

"For me, it's less important that everyone gets 100% of the answers right ... I want to be able to see their thought process as they work through the problems."

Koeikan also says you should never make up or exaggerate your credentials because "anyone with seniority in your industry will smell through that within the first 90 seconds of the interview."

A number of users say if your email address is inappropriate or if you still use Hotmail or AOL, then you will be seen as out of date or not very smart.

Your best bet is to use some combination of your name with a Gmail account because it's professional and up-to-date.

TheWorldHatesPaul says if a job candidate brings up religion either in-person or on their application, he won't hire them. "There is a time and place for everything."

If you were president of a religious group in college or work for a religious charity, you should list that on your résumé, but emphasize the organization and leadership skills it required rather than the religious ones. "It shows you're willing to work hard and you have experience doing whatever that is," writes zombiepatches.

Redditor Alienthere says if someone talks badly about a previous boss, then he won't hire them because they're usually people who "struggle with authority or dealing with coworkers."

A few examples of the inappropriate comments that candidates have made during an interview include "my manager was incompetent," "my boss played favorites," "my boss wouldn't give me the days off I requested," or "there was a lot of drama with coworkers."

These complaints may sound tame, but they still constitute as bad-mouthing past employers, which is the ultimate professional faux-pas.

Musicalrapture says they are always confused with people who apply to a job with their current company email address because it implies that they're at work and using company time to apply to jobs.

In addition, if you leave that company, they will have no way of contacting you.

Ya_Zakon says you should always turn your phone off during an interview — unless you're dealing with a life-or-death emergency (and if you are, you should probably reschedule the interview so you're not distracted).

ConstableBlimeyChips adds that if you are dealing with a potential emergency – like your wife going into labor – you should make sure your ringtone is generic and let the interviewer know ahead of time that you're expecting an emergency call.

You don't want someone's first impression of you to be, "Wow, this person smells horrible."

FiatMortem suggests taking precautions before a job interview, like not using too much perfume, popping a breath mint, and not consuming smelly foods for breakfast.

If your odor is too distracting, "you're not going to get the in-depth interview that you might need to get the job."

If you are smart and arrive early for your interview, don't spend those few extra minutes taking Snapchats or selfies in the lobby, writes angela_bee.

She says playing on your phone while you wait does not give off a good first impression. Instead, you should be looking over your résumé, making polite small talk with the receptionist, or just quietly watching other people come and go.