Would you hire a prospective employee who brought 50 ink pens to the first interview, and spread them out on the table before him?

How about a hot prospect who brought a dog, concealed in a duffle bag, to the interview?

While first impressions aren't always indicative of the future of a relationship, you probably wouldn't want the doggie bagger on your team, unless you're the Humane Society.

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But perhaps the pen man would be an asset, if the job's main requirements are organization, preparedness, and hand-written thank-you letters.

These are but two of the first interview "most unusual behaviors" reported by 2,100-plus respondents to a CareerBuilder survey that focused on the interview process. The report says that 49 percent of those in the survey said they knew within five minutes of that first interview whether someone could cut the mustard or not. After 15 minutes, that number jumped to 90 percent.

But the fun stuff from the survey came in the responses to the question about unusual behaviors encountered during an interview. Here's a sample:

  • The candidate sat in a yoga pose during the interview.
  • The candidate tried to Google the answer to a question.
  • The candidate asked if his wife, who worked at the company for which he was interviewing, was cheating on him.
  • In answer to a question about diversity, the candidate used the term "off the boat."
  • The candidate asked if he could offer religious advice to the employees.
  • The candidate asked how much money everyone else makes.
  • The candidate gave the reason for leaving the previous position as "kicking someone's butt that really needed it."

CareerBuilder asked these respondents to check the boxes next to body language actions that weren't helpful to the candidate's cause. Here are the responses:

  • Failing to make eye contact: 65 percent
  • Failing to smile: 36 percent
  • Playing with something on the table: 33 percent
  • Having bad posture: 30 percent
  • Fidgeting too much in their seat: 29 percent
  • Crossing their arms over their chest: 26 percent
  • Playing with their hair or touching their face: 25 percent
  • Having a weak handshake: 22 percent
  • Using too many hand gestures: 11 percent
  • Having a handshake that is too strong: 7 percent
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Dan Cook

Dan Cook is a journalist and communications consultant based in Portland, OR. During his journalism career he has been a reporter and editor for a variety of media companies, including American Lawyer Media, BusinessWeek, Newhouse Newspapers, Knight-Ridder, Time Inc., and Reuters. He specializes in health care and insurance related coverage for BenefitsPRO.