The hiring and interviewing process for jobs can be stressful and confusing on both sides of the table, and it's hard to know what makes a successful candidate, depending on the job and position.
In an effort to demystify the hiring process, a new study from SmartRecruiters shares the behaviors of potential employees and hiring managers which resulted in a successful hire.
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One of the more interesting findings from the study has to do with the content of the conversation during an interview. Sixty-three percent of those interviewed and hired say they spent more time during the interview discussing company culture and the logistics of the job. Forty-seven percent of those rejected did not spent the majority of the interview discussing these two elements.
The study also looks into what role appearance plays when it comes to interviews. Seventy-eight percent of those who got the job consider themselves "average" or "slightly unattractive," where 66 percent of those who didn't get the job consider themselves "attractive" or "very attractive."
As for fashion, the study indicates wearing a black outfit might be the safest bet during an in-person meeting. For 70 percent of hired interviewees, a mostly black outfit did the trick, while only 33 percent of those rejected wore black outfits.
When it comes to resumes, around the same number of people who did and didn't get a job say they tailored their resume for that particular job. Forty-two percent of respondents who adjusted their resume got the job, and 45 percent did not.
Those who didn't receive a job offer also looked to their online presence as a potential factor in their job search failure. Forty-two percent of those who didn't get the job have public social media profiles and 23 percent have public photos of them drinking.
There were also some interesting takeaways for the hiring companies. Potential candidates who were hired were twice as likely to report clear communication on salary from the company early on. Forty-five percent of those hired also report timely communication during the application and interview process, compared to 26 percent of those not hired.
Those who were offered a job but turned it down say salary was the main reason for walking away (28 percent), while they weren't happy with benefits was the second most popular answer (19 percent) and receiving a better offer trailed the two. (11 percent).
The study talked with 180 job applicants who got hired and 1,800 applicants who were rejected.
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