Chicago — Aug. 28
While strong skills and experience are essential to getting a job, many employers take other factors into account as well.
A new CareerBuilder study finds that a sense of humor, an eye for fashion or even knowledge of current affairs and pop culture could also play some part in influencing a hiring manager’s decision.
The nationwide study, conducted online by Harris Interactive from May 14 to June 5 included 2,076 hiring managers and human resource professionals across industries.
Employers were asked: if they had two equally qualified candidates, which factors would make them more likely to consider one candidate over another.
Their responses:
The candidate with the better sense of humor — 27 percent.
The candidate who is involved in his or her community — 26 percent.
The candidate who is better dressed — 22 percent.
The candidate whom I have more in common with — 21 percent.
The candidate who is more physically fit — 13 percent.
The candidate who is more on top of current affairs and pop culture — 8 percent.
The candidate who is more involved in social media — 7 percent.
The candidate who is knowledgeable about sports — 4 percent.
Behaviors That Can Take You Out of the Running for a Promotion
One-third of employers said they are more likely to promote an employee who has been vocal about asking for a promotion in the past. However, there are also several behaviors other than subpar or average performance that employers identified as red flags, keeping employees from promotions.
These include:
Someone who says, “That’s not my job” — 71 percent.
Someone who is often late — 69 percent.
Someone who has lied at work — 68 percent.
Someone who takes credit for other people’s work — 64 percent.
Someone who often leaves work early — 55 percent.
Someone who takes liberties with expenses charged back to the company — 55 percent.
Someone who gossips — 46 percent.
Someone who doesn’t dress professionally — 35 percent.
Someone who swears — 30 percent.
Someone who doesn’t say anything in meetings — 22 percent.
Someone who cried at work — 9 percent.
Someone who has dated a co-worker — 8 percent.
The survey also found that promotions aren’t necessarily accompanied by higher compensation. Nearly two-thirds of employers said that a promotion at their firms doesn’t always entail a pay increase.
Source: Career Builder Inc.
