Surprising Factors Affect Hiring Decisions

Employers share red flags keeping employees from being promoted

A nationwide study, conducted online for CareerBuilder by Harris Interactive from May 14 to June 5, 2013, 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 included:

• The candidate with the better sense of humor–27%
• The candidate who is involved in his or her community–26%
• The candidate who is better dressed–22%
• The candidate whom I have more in common with–21%
• The candidate who is more physically fit–13%
• The candidate who is more on top of current affairs and pop culture–8%
• The candidate who is more involved in social media–7%
• The candidate who is knowledgeable about sports–4%

One third (33%) 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, including:

• Someone who says, “that’s not my job”–71%
• Someone who is often late–69%
• Someone who has lied at work–68%
• Someone who takes credit for other people’s work–64%
• Someone who often leaves work early–55%
• Someone who takes liberties with expenses charged back to the company–55%
• Someone who gossips–46%
• Someone who doesn’t dress professionally–35%
• Someone who swears–30%
• Someone who doesn’t say anything in meetings–22%
• Someone who cried at work–9%
• Someone who has dated a coworker–8%

The survey also found that promotions aren’t necessarily accompanied by higher compensation. Nearly two-thirds of employers (63%) said that a promotion at their firms doesn’t always entail a pay increase.