I’m in HR – this is what makes me instantly reject a candidate during a job interview

Human resources professionals at top companies have revealed the details that make them instantly reject a candidate – and it goes deeper than CV typos.

Several recruiters took to Reddit to list the bizarre interview experiences they’ve had, including job seekers actively using artificial intelligence like ChaatGPT to answer the questions.

Others cited poor hygiene, having a distinct body odor and bragging about drinking on night outs as undesirable traits.

Recruiters also rejected candidates who brought their parents to interviews because it showed a lack of independence.

It was also previously found that a third of recruiters rejected candidates after looking at their social media profiles – despite the act being frowned upon.

One shared a ‘wild’ experience with someone using AI.

“I did a video interview with a lady who after a few questions made it painfully clear that she was just loading the questions into ChatGPT and reading back the answers,” he said.

‘Her answers were floating essays that defined a key word in the question rather than answering it. I asked her about her proudest achievement and she said “psome things that people often feel a sense of accomplishment about include…”

“This told me she either knew nothing about the position or had so little confidence in her skills that she wanted to be constantly shadowed instead of eventually being able to work independently. Both are instant nos.’

Besides not using AI to answer questions, proper etiquette during Zoom interviews is also important.

‘My boss once had someone show up to a Zoom interview shirtless. How on earth do you manage in life if you’re the type to go shirtless for an interview?’ asked a man.

Others shared that a strong odor—whether positive or negative—also influenced their hiring decisions.

“If you stink from across the table, that’s an instant ‘no’ from me,” said one.

‘One woman had an extremely strong rose perfume. It hit like a ton of bricks when you were within five feet of her. I couldn’t focus on the interview,’ shared another.

While a boss revealed an incident that caused her to dismiss an intern.

‘A young intern candidate came in, didn’t realize there was a desk behind a short wall where one of us spotted how much he’d been partying, drugging and drinking all weekend and faking being sick to get out of work,’ she said.

Another said a candidate pulled a flask out of their briefcase and took a long swig during the interview.

“Any level of parental involvement in the interview, especially someone bringing their parent to an interview, is a no-no,” said one recruiter. Are parents calling to schedule or reschedule the interview? Pass by. Does the parent come along to the interview? Pass instantly.’

Several others shared relatively standard reasons for rejecting candidates, such as empty CVs, not meeting the minimum requirements and not having the right to work or needing visa sponsorship.