Hiring managers don't want to hear a lot of things during an interview -- confessions of a violent past, a cell phone ring, a toilet flush. Yet job seekers have committed these interview gaffes and worse, according to CareerBuilder.com's annual survey of the worst interview mistakes.

Odd behavior isn't the only way to ruin your chances of landing a job.

When hiring managers were asked to name the most common and damaging interview mistakes a candidate can make, 51 percent listed dressing inappropriately.

Forty-nine percent cited badmouthing a former boss as the worst offense, while 48 percent said appearing disinterested.

Arrogance (44 percent), insufficient answers (30 percent) and not asking good questions (29 percent) were also top answers.

To ensure your interview is smooth and error-free, follow these five tips.

• Do some research: When you walk into a job interview, knowledge of the company's history, goals and current activity proves to the interviewer that you are not only prepared for the interview, but also that you want to be a part of the organization.

• Don't lie: If the conversation drifts to a topic you're not knowledgeable about, admit you don't know the answer and then explain how you would go about finding a solution. Displaying your problem-solving skills is better than babbling about something you don't understand.

• Keep it professional: Although interviewers often try to create a comfortable setting to ease the job seeker's nerves, business decorum shouldn't disappear. Avoid offering personal details that can be controversial or have no relevance to the position, such as political and religious beliefs or stories about a recent break-up.

• Know what to expect: Expect to hear staple interview questions: "What's your biggest weakness?" "Why do you want to work here?" "Tell me about yourself." "Why did you leave your last job?" These open-ended questions are harder to answer than they sound, so think about your responses before the interview.

• Put on a happy face: The interview is not the time to air your grievances about being wronged by a past boss. How you speak about a previous employer gives the hiring manager an idea of how you'll speak about him or her once you've moved on.

Unfortunately, many job seekers are not only ignoring these tips, they're making mistakes that leave unforgettable impressions for all the wrong reasons. Here are 10 real-life examples from this year's survey:

• Candidate answered cell phone and asked the interviewer to leave her own office because it was a "private" conversation.

• Applicant told the interviewer he wouldn't be able to stay with the job long because he thought he might get an inheritance if his uncle died - and his uncle wasn't "looking too good."

• The job seeker asked the interviewer for a ride home after the interview.

• The applicant smelled his armpits on the way to the interview room.

• Candidate said she could not provide a writing sample because all of her writing had been for the CIA and it was "classified."

• Candidate told the interviewer he was fired for beating up his last boss.

• When the applicant was offered food before the interview, he declined saying he didn't want to line his stomach with grease before going out drinking.

• An applicant said she was a "people person" not a "numbers person" -- in her interview for an accounting position.

• During a phone interview the candidate flushed the toilet while talking to hiring manager.

• The applicant took out a hair brush and brushed her hair

The MS walk was a total SUCCESS!  There was a huge turnout and lots of money raised!  With the support from many of the princetonites we had a really fun time, most of us finished the 4 miles within 1 hour then we went out for some food and drinks!  Hopefuly we won't have to participate next year because there will be a cure!!!!!

 Thanks to everyone that helped!

 

Please join us in Supporting and Contributing to the National Multiple Sclerosis Society. www.nationalmssociety.org/njb

Theprincetongroup.com: Fulfilling Business Demands for Technology Recruiting and Consulting

02/25/08: The Princeton Group, established in 1988, has operated and continues to do so, in order to deliver exemplary recruitment solutions across a variety of industry sectors including, Pharmaceutical, Insurance, Legal, Healthcare, Government, Prime Brokerage/Hedge Fund, Investment Banking, Entertainment/Media and Management Consulting. To cater to such an array, each being disparate from the other, there is a need to establish a thorough understanding of clients’ objectives and requirements before recommending the most effective solution from a portfolio of recruitment services.

With close to twenty years of experience in the field, Princeton Consultancy Group has been successful in the most challenging of recruitment requests. With that and the much cherished reputation for quality and integrity,  your recruitment requirements will easily be fulfilled by the tailor made recruitment programs, offered to suit the individual needs of clients- efficiently, rapidly and cost-effectively!

Theprincetongroup.com acts as the meeting ground for employers, as well as, candidates. Both may register at the website and log in to search for jobs and the right resources, respectively. To make it easier for candidates to find their dream job, the website allows them to post their resumes directly in the “Post your Resume” section.  Registered employers will be able to view the same. 

Just like any other service provider offers products and services, The Princeton Consulting Group specializes in offering their product: candidates, who are interviewed thoroughly to assess their skills in detail. The in-depth interviews focus on apprising technology prowess, ability to make valuable additions to a culture, and the ability to adapt into any organization.

To directly contact recruiters, their names and e-mails have been provided on the website. The aim is to make the hiring process as simple as possible for both employers and candidates. Go through the current openings and you might just spot the job that's perfect for you. Read career related blog articles to enhance your knowledge.

The Princeton Consulting Group now offers real-time video interviewing, powered by their partner LiveHire.com, that adds an all-together new dimension to the process of conducting interviews online.

Visit www.theprincetongroup.com and see how they employ the power of the web to hire top talent for all high-growth and emerging markets.

Crucial to a successful job search campaign is knowing how to research potential employers. The more you know about a company, their business objectives and goals, the better able you will be to communicate your value to them. You may wish to convey your understanding of their needs in a tailored resume and cover letter and you will definitely want to communicate this during your interview. The hard work that you put into your research will almost always pay off by reflecting your interest and enthusiasm to employers.

Begin by trying to locate general information about each company you are interested in. Focus on details that will relate to your skills, knowledge, and qualifications. You may wish to develop a filing system to organize the information that you obtain.

Here are some ideas to get you started:

• What is the age of the company?
• What is their location? How long have they been established there?
• How many locations are there?
• What are the services and products that they sell?
• What is the size of the company?
• How many employees do they have?
• What are their sales? assets? earnings?
• What has their growth pattern been like?
• What are the various divisions and subsidiaries?
• Who are their competitors?
• What are the names of key executives?
• What is the general reputation of the company?
• Is the company publicly or privately owned?
• Is the company foreign owned?
• How successful is the company? What has been their major achievements?
• Have there been any major issues or events in the recent history of the company?
• What are the objectives and philosophy of the company?
• What is their forecast of anticipated growth?
You may also want to gather several other items on each company whenever possible:
• Brochures and sales flyers.
• Magazine and newspaper articles about the company.
• Trade journal articles.
• Press releases.
• Reports from Dunn and Bradstreet and the Better Business Bureau.
• Employer recruitment brochures.

Although the Internet will be invaluable research resource, your college, university, or local library is still one of the best places to locate information. The reference librarian should be able to point you in the direction of many useful directories and indexes.

All work and no play can make anyone dull, unhealthy and stressed out. But what would you call a person who chooses to be that way? You guessed it - a Workaholic!

Who is a Workaholic?

To put it simply, a workaholic is someone who is obsessed with and addicted to work. Such a person tends to spend too many hours at work and feels odd when he/she is not able to do so. With the increase of stress in our lives, most of us showcase obvious traits of being a workaholic without even being aware of it.

Go through the following common traits of workaholics and find out if you are one or not -

Work, Work and More Work: Is work constantly on your mind? Do you spend extra hours in the office in an attempt to get more done? Do you carry work back home and start following up on your mails and other pending work even at home?

Workaholics find it impossible to get work off their minds and often miss out on other important aspects of their lives such spending time with family, socializing etc.

No One But Me: Do you feel as though you are the only one who can handle the job really well? The need to complete every job themselves often makes workaholics slog over time, allowing them little time for themselves and an over busy work schedule.

What More Can I do?: Do you find yourself constantly thinking about what more it is that you can do? Maybe start a new business, collaborate with someone and expand your work? Workaholics often don't know where to draw the line.

Such addiction to work can have serious consequences on a person's health and well being. Such people suffer from headaches, anxiety and experience difficulty in sleeping. If you feel that you to are a workaholic, its time to step back and take it easy. Learn to relax and take care of your self.

The fear of the unknown is all pervasive and present in each one of us. This is probably the reason why many of us prefer to continue doing what we have been doing professionally even if we are unhappy and miserable doing it!

When was the last time you sat down and acknowledged the fact that your present job is not keeping you as happy and satisfied as your would like to be?

The tendency to avoid change often pushes us into a vicious cycle in which we continue to deal with a career full of monotony, unhappiness and dissatisfaction.

If you are finding your present job boring, restrictive and monotonous, it is time to consider a job change or a career move. It has been seen that a lack of happiness and contentment can tremendously bring down your overall performance and motivation to excel. This can eventually lead to job loss. Isn't it wise to consider a career change while you still have a job in hand?

First Things First -

    *      Analyze your level of satisfaction in your present job and cite possible reasons for your dissatisfaction.
    *      Consider a career move - find out what it is that you would prefer to do or how would you like to improve what you are doing right now?
    *      Talk to people in different fields and find out what they consider positive and negative in their respective careers.
    *      Brush up your present skills and consider further studies if that can help you in expanding your horizons.

If you are unhappy in the way your career is progressing, take steps to improve it now!

Do you spend time thinking about where your career is headed, or do you wish you even had time to think about your career?

Time to think about your career is crucial. Without it, you go along, more often than not, without difficulty, until the day that something happens. Then, you are left without direction or a plan.

Your career is something that you need to think about, plan for, and work on regularly, not just when you are looking for a new job, and you need an updated resume. If you think about your career now, on your timetable, when it works for you, decisions you make about your future will be easier for you.

So, How Do You Make Time To Think About Your Career? Follow These Four Steps Below:

1. Don�t Let Being Busy Win

One of the reasons your career may not be where you want it to be is because you are busy. We all have bills to pay, and that requires having a job, and putting in the time and effort necessary to keep it. As a result, your career aspirations could become secondary to your paycheck. But, that doesn�t mean that you have to abandon them completely. If I said to you, think about your career over the next seven days and I will give you a million dollars, I bet that you would find the time to think about your career. You would do what you have to do, because you wanted the money. Why not have the same intensity about your career without money pushing you, because having a career you love is worth the effort.

2. Commit To The Process

Time to think about your career will not be given to you; so you have to commit to taking it. This does not mean that you have to allocate days or weeks with nothing else to think about except your career, but taking an hour here, or half an hour there, on a regular basis will make a tremendous difference. Without a commitment to yourself and your career, this time will not materialize.

I have many clients that ask me what they should do next in their career. I ask them to think about the answer. What you are supposed to do next in your career becomes apparent once you give yourself the time to let the answer appear. Time is what allows you to get in touch with yourself and what�s important to you. Time is the foundation for career success.

3. Schedule Time To Think

Ask yourself, "When will I think about my career?" Knowing your body and your schedule, when�s the best time for you to think? If you get your best thinking done earlier in the day, get up 15 minutes earlier to think. If you are not a morning person, what time is good for you? Lunchtime? After work? The weekends? Choose a time that is right for you.

Open your calendar and put this time into it. Look at your calendar in the morning and in the evening before you go to bed. This will keep the schedule alive in your mind.

4. Think

Once you have made the time to think, find a quiet place. Take deep breaths, as many as you need to calm your mind. Your mind will want to wander. Bring yourself back. Remind yourself why you are doing this. Your goal is to be able to visualize what you should do next in your career. Focus on the importance of this goal and refocus your thinking.

As you are thinking, have something nearby to capture your thoughts. You�ll want to remember what you have described in your mind, so you can ponder now, as well as later. If you routinely follow your thinking schedule, your career plan will begin to surface. Once you can see your next move clearly, (or at least some of the elements that are important to you), you are on your way to making it happen.