Recruiters reveal ‘arrogance’ as the biggest turn off when interviewing candidates

Candidates on the hunt for new jobs are being warned by recruiters not to cross the line from confidence to arrogance in their interviews.

A survey of recruiters and employers in the UK, conducted by cloud-based online meeting platform LyteSpark found that more than two thirds (67%) find arrogance the biggest turn off when interviewing, while almost six in 10 (58%) are most impressed by a candidate’s ability to interact naturally.

The bespoke data revealed that preparation (50%) and eloquence (42%) were the other qualities that impressed recruiters and employers the most. The survey also found that there is still some reluctance to adopt video interviews; 41% of recruiters and employers do not conduct any interviews online, of which 28% said they had never considered it. Other reasons for not using video interviews include the hassle of setting up the software and the fact that recruiters still feel awkward talking to potential candidates online.

With the survey identifying that recruiters spend, on average, £200 per month on travel for meetings, almost a quarter of recruiters (23%) believe that up to four in 10 interviews could be moved online.

Alex Hunte, Co-Founder of LyteSpark commented: “Arrogance is clearly an unbecoming quality when interviewing for a new job. It is, of course, important to show confidence and charisma, but there is a very fine line and once you cross it, your chances of progressing are clearly going to be hampered.

“Cloud-based online meeting platforms are ideal for recruiters, as they are easily accessible, intuitive and require no downloads for candidates, removing the fear factor of any awkwardness or technological incompatibility in video meetings for both the interviewer and interviewee.

“The fact that recruiters admit that a significant proportion of their interviews and meetings can move online is a sign that online meetings can undoubtedly play a vital role in attracting the best talent to the right places, and in saving time and costs. Forget the days of video conferencing as an unreliable chore; simple platforms with high levels of functionality mean online meetings have the potential to be more efficient than meetings in person.”

LyteSpark is an online meeting platform that offers more than current solutions; users can edit documents in real time, discuss and brainstorm via shared whiteboards, helping to reduce costs and increase efficiency.