In a tight labor market, you might think hiring managers would overlook résumé and interview mistakes. Not so, finds a survey conducted by staffing firm Robert Half Technology.
The survey looks at what Chief Information Officers (CIOs) consider deal breakers when evaluating technology professionals for open roles. More than 2,600 CIOs in 26 metropolitan areas in the United States shared their views.
Survey Findings
Technology executives say the biggest résumé red flags are frequent job hopping (21%); poor formatting, sloppiness or typos (17%); and too much unnecessary information (17%).
When it comes to interviews, there are also potential pitfalls. According to CIOs, the biggest blunder is speaking negatively about past employers or managers (20%), followed by poor body language (19%), and being unprepared for technical questions (16%).
In response to the question, “When reviewing résumés, which of the following would most likely cause you to remove a candidate from consideration,” CIOs indicate:
| Frequent job hopping for a nonconsultant candidate | 21% |
| Bad formatting, sloppiness, or typos | 17% |
| Too long or too much unnecessary information | 17% |
| Not highlighting strategic thinking and business knowledge | 13% |
| Overuse of technical jargon | 12% |
| Overly complicated | 11% |
| No context around prior experience | 9% |
| 101%* | |
| *Responses do not total 100% due to rounding. |
In response to the question, “When conducting an in-person interview, which of the following would most likely cause you to remove a candidate from consideration,” CIOs say:
| Speaking negatively about past employers or managers | 20% |
| Poor body language, such as no eye contact or a weak handshake | 19% |
| Unprepared for technical questions | 16% |
| No clear understanding of the business | 15% |
| Ineffective explanation of career history | 15% |
| Unprofessional dress | 13% |
| No “thank you” or follow-up after the interview | 1% |
| 99%* | |
| *Responses do not total 100% due to rounding. |
“Hiring and onboarding a new employee takes significant time and resources, and organizations want to avoid investing in someone who may jump ship if another opportunity comes along,” said Jeff Weber, executive director of Robert Half Technology.