25 Thoughts Recruiters Have When You Walk Into an Interview

Ever wanted to get inside the head of your interviewer to figure out what you should and shouldn’t do during your job search?

We asked several recruiters– who will remain anonymous!–in order to get the good, the bad and the very honest impressions they’ve had of candidates during a job interview. Turns out that first impressions really do count — especially during the job search.

1. “Whoa, awkward handshake.”

2. “That’s the best answer I’ve gotten from any candidate.”

3. “Cool, I’ll just wait here while you finish texting.”

4. “What is that smell? Yikes! An hour in a room with this smell.”

5. “Confidence, eye contact and a firm handshake. Nice.”

6. “Wow, this person is abrasively loud.”

7. “I love that you have your resume out and are prepared in case I’m not.”

8. “Did you run here? Why are you so sweaty?”

9. “Did you really just sneeze and then shake my hand?”

10. “Please, for the love of God, trim your nails before going into a professional setting.”

11. “Definitely not a culture fit.”

12. “Why did you show up 20 mins early? Don’t you have better things to do?”

13. “Why did you show up 10 mins late — do you not care?”

14. “Wow, creative way to hand in a resume.” (The candidate brought in a resume shaped like the company’s logo.)

15. “Management would eat you alive.”

16. “Why are you staring at your resume when you talk?”

17. “I haven’t asked a single question yet…”

18. “Stop looking out the window.”

19. “Wow. This person just seems awesome.”

20. “Greatest weakness is ‘constructive criticism’? Hard pass.”

21. “I love that you’re ready to take notes on all the things we’ll discuss.”

22. “Seems too quiet…”

23. “Seems too cocky…”

24. “Umm, you do know this is an interview, right? Why are you dressed like you’re hanging out with friends?”

25. “No pen or paper…do you not think anything I’m about to say is something you want to remember?”

Now that you’ve gotten an inside look into a recruiter’s mind, here are a few tips to make sure you get the right type of reaction out of your interviewer.

• • Arrive early to your interview (around 15 minutes early) but not too early – you don’t want to be waiting around awkwardly in the office for too long.

• • Make sure you know exactly what to wear to your interview – it’s important to present yourself well!

• • Give a firm, confident handshake. Be confident but not too cocky.

• • Interview body language is key! Look your recruiter in the eye when you speak (but don’t stare).

• • Be prepared to answer questions like “Tell me about yourself”, “What is your greatest weakness?” and “Why should we hire you?”

• • Bring a pen and paper (you want to make sure you record all the information you need!).

• Ask questions at the end of your interview, but let the interviewer talk too! It’s important that your interview is a two-way street.

Good luck during your next interview!