So you mess it up in the first 5 minutes – guaranteed

A job interview is nerve-wracking for most people. If you really want a job or need it urgently, you try to do everything right: Applicants try to make a good first impression, prove their own professional competence and, of course, appear charismatic. Job seekers can also fail because of this claim. A bit of luck is also part of it, of course.

No wonder then that according to a JDP poll about 93 percent of job seekers have great respect for the interview. However, an example shows quite vividly how quickly the appointment can be ruined. A Reddit user told by an applicantwho pretty much screwed it up as soon as he entered the company – a lesson to be learned for life.

The Redditor’s post describes how one contestant “ruined his interview within the first five minutes of entering the building.” The applicant was greeted warmly by a receptionist, but the man did not respond. He ignored the woman at the counter and didn’t even make eye contact, the Reddit user said. That only changed when the applicant was invited into the interview room.

Suddenly he was friendly, open and approachable. What he didn’t know, however, was that the receptionist was the recruiter, and the greeting was already a test. And the job seeker failed at that moment. The man couldn’t put the first impression he had made in the right light, as the HR manager also let him know.

“Every person on this team is valuable and deserves respect.”

When the recruiter brought the man into the interview room, she explained to him that friendly cooperation is important to the company. “Every person on this team is valuable and deserves respect,” she told the applicant, according to the Redditor. It was understandable if eye contact was not made immediately due to excitement or an introverted nature, but he obviously behaved in a rowdy manner and gave her the feeling that the woman was below him.

“The interview is over,” the recruiter said goodbye. The post went viral with 45,200 upvotes and 2,400 comments. “Be nice to everyone in the building,” writes the Reddit user. Many of the commentators then agree and say that friendliness is a basic requirement.

However, many commentators also let it be known that this is often based on reciprocity. For example, one user tells that he once turned down a job because the HR employee was arrogant towards the receptionist. Another user reports that a department head even behaved disrespectfully towards himself during the conversation.

Just as bad applicants can be identified based on polite forms, bad managers can also be identified by them. In the absolute worst case, the manager even represents a corporate culture in which no value is placed on appreciative cooperation. People’s behavior often reflects the environment they come from.