The small details in an interview that could cost you a job offer

Wonsulting COO Jerry Lee and career expert Julia Toothacre told B-17about interview tips beyond the firm handshake.

For many job seekers, landing a dream role has never felt so difficult.

In the US, job openings fell to 7.6 million in July, according to government data, down from a peak of 12.1 million in 2022.

Meanwhile, the US Bureau of Labor Statistics said this month that 4.1% of the American labor force was unemployed as of October 2024.

Some job seekers report applying to hundreds of jobs before landing an interview. In such situations, every opportunity counts.

Julia Toothacre and Jerry Lee at career consulting firm Wonsulting, spoke to B-17 about the tiny details things that could cost you a job offer.

Only trying to impress the boss

For in-person interviews, both Lee and Toothacre were in agreement that “the interview starts before you step into the room.”

They said candidates should try to impress everyone they meet at the company, not just the hiring manager or the boss.

Lee, who previously worked at Google, said he would usually smile at the receptionist and chat a little before every interview.

“I’ve even heard of companies where they ask the receptionist what they thought of the candidate,” he said.

“Every person you talk to, whether they do a coffee chat or show, assume they are an interviewer. It will go really, really long way.”

Toothacre said that she’s had hiring managers tell her they got cut off while driving in by the candidate they were supposed to be interviewing later.

“I would hope that everybody would be kind and nice in general, but sometimes our head is in a different place so we have to make the extra effort,” she added.

Sitting before your interviewer sits down

Once you’re in the room, Lee said it’s always a good idea to wait to sit down. “The interviewer sits first, and then you sit, or they start sitting, and then you’ll sit,” said Lee.

This is both good manners and makes sure you don’t both reach for the same seat, which could throw you off balance at the beginning of the interview, especially if you’re already nervous.

“Manners are very important, and it’s a small thing but it won’t hurt.”

Using your phone to take notes

Toothacre said it’s good to have a pad of paper and a pen with you to take notes or work things out during the interview. “If you don’t have anything, that is a signal to them that you’re not necessarily taking the interview seriously.”

However, taking notes on your phone would be an even more serious error.

“Especially with the rise of ChatGPT, I’ve heard a lot of feedback from hiring teams — especially for technical roles like software engineering — that they never know if a candidate’s work is fully theirs,” said Lee, whose company specializes in prepping candidates for tech and finance jobs.

“In that context, doing your work on or taking notes on your phone could potentially come off as you cheating.”

If you absolutely have to use technology, Toothacre suggests using an iPad instead of a phone.

Getting their extra-early

Early birds tend to get the worm, but showing up earlier than 10-15 minutes before your scheduled time could work against you.

“Being too early could even inconvenience the team, especially if they staggered interviews on purpose,” said Lee.

Toothacre added that the 10-15-minute window shouldn’t include time spent getting through security or finding the right room.

“If you have accessibility requirements, make sure to communicate with your recruiter beforehand about the building’s access points so you don’t lose time on the day.”

If you arrive early because you live far away from the interview site, Lee suggests taking walks outside to calm your nervous system down a bit before heading in.

Piling on the perfume

You definitely want to smell good when meeting with prospective employers in person, but overpowering perfume could be a turn-off.

“Perfume is a really fine line,” said Toothacre. “I would not spray anything like right before you walk in, because it’s probably not going to dissipate quickly enough, and you don’t know who could have an allergy.”

Toothacre advised finding a subtle scent or applying it an hour before the interview so there is still a hint of it but not enough to overwhelm someone in a closed space.

At the end of the day, you will never have full control of whether you get hired or not, said Lee. “My whole principle on interviewing is just to minimize as many potential red flags as possible.”