Less than 7% of applicants are successful in landing that ideal job. Competition is fierce, so to avoid disappointment its useful to know what not to do in order to increase your chances of interview success. In a recent research study undertaken by Extra Sensory Perception Limited, commissioned by on-line recruitment company Ifoundwork, over 50 recruiter's from key industry sectors in the UK were questioned about the traits that they most like and dislike in an applicant. When asked about the things that made a negative impression on them during the interview process certain trends emerged. The eight traits below are the trends that most annoyed prospective employers.

Should you want to give yourself the best chance of impressing a prospective employer, review the eight traits below and avoid them like the plague! To get this things not to do in an interview list, the question that the employer was asked was Remembering back to the last time you interviewed for a position, of the people you rejected, how could you tell that they were not really suited to the job? The qualitative answers provided were then clustered into generic areas. Qualifications were excluded from the sample, so only the impression left from the interview process was counted. Its the remaining outputs from the general clusters that make up the eight traits.

The research suggests that employers dislike and will not employ applicants who:

1. A lack of real interest or enthusiasm.

2. Unkempt unsuitable or untidy personal appearance.

3. Little or no ability to communicate clearly.

4. A lack of rapport, especially little or no eye contact.

5. Poor, incomplete or sloppy application form.

6. Being late for the interview.

7. An unwillingness to start low and work up the corporate ladder.

8. Negative attitude, specifically about past employers.

Not surprisingly, if more than one of these traits that were noticed during the interview the chances of success significantly reduced. So, avoiding any of these common pitfalls will dramatically improve your chance of landing that perfect job. If you would like to see full copy of the research findings they are available as a free pdf download from www.virtual-therapist.com Either way if you avoid all of the above at least youll give yourself a chance to become one of the 6-7% of applicants who are successful. Good Luck!