7 Most powerful sales tools

The world is inundated with sales tools: worksheets, playbooks, sales scripts, software, brochures, and so forth.

But all of those sales tools put together are insignificant if you don't have the intellectual and emotional tools that truly create success.

Here are seven sales "tools" you need to develop:

1. Patience

If you're patient, you let customers decide at their own speed.  You realize that nobody ever got a plant to grow faster by pulling at the leaves of a seedling. If you lack patience, you'll be frustrated whenever things take longer than you'd like. Customers will sense your frustration and hesitate to buy.

2. Commitment

If you're truly committed to both your customer's success and your own success, you'll do whatever it takes (within legal and ethical bounds) to get the job done. You'll banish all thoughts of ever giving up. If you lack commitment, you'll consistently fail to follow through–and will often drop the ball at the worst possible moment.

3. Enthusiasm

Enthusiasm is contagious: If you're enthusiastic about yourself, your firm and your product, your customers will "pick up" your enthusiasm and believe in your ability to improve their lives.  If you lack enthusiasm, however, you'll always find yourself surrounded by naysayers and endless "objections."

4. Curiosity

Curiosity is essential to growth–and if you're growing as an individual and a professional, you'll spend time each day learning something new to better serve your customers. You'll read books, listen to audio training, take courses, and network with peers. If you're not growing, your ideas will become stale; your career will languish and your ability to compete will slowly drain away.

5. Courage

If you've got courage, you take the necessary risks to expand yourself and your business into new areas–even when you're facing enormous odds. You'll see setbacks as learning opportunities rather than failures.  But if you lack courage, you'll freeze up when things get weird, turning small failures into big ones.

6. Integrity

If you've got integrity, there's no disconnect between your stated purpose and your real motivations. Because there's no hidden agenda, customers sense the honesty and feel comfortable working with you. If you lack integrity, however, customers will have a nagging feeling that something is "not quite right"–and tend to balk rather than buy.

7. Flexibility

Life is all about change; nothing stays the same. If you've got flexibility, you can observe what's working and what's not and change your approach to match changing circumstances. If you lack flexibility, you'll pursue brittle strategies and tactics long after they've ceased to work.

Salary Break Up

Net salary is the take home salary of the emolyee while gross salary is the figure before making statutory or other deductions.

gross salary is basic+ HRA+ trnasport+ other allowance.

Gross salary minus pf contribution, ESI contribution, professional tax contribution etc. (as per applicability ) becomes net salary.

Basic: 30% of Gross Salary (CTC)

HRA: 50%/60% of Basic

Conveyances- 25% 
Medical- 10% 
Other- 5%.... 

Employers Contribution for PF (12% of Basic) 
Employees Contribution for PF (12% of Basic) 
Employees Contribution for ESIC (1.75% of Gross) 

Employers Contribution for ESIC (4.75% of Gross) 

In CTC, Salary Distribution can be 

(A) Basic Salary + HRA + DA 
(B) Conveyance + Medical + Other / Special Allowance if any 
(C) Employers Contribution for PF (12% of Basic) 
Employers Contribution for ESIC (4.75% of Gross) 
(D) Employees Contribution for PF (12% of Basic) 
Employees Contribution for ESIC (1.75% of Gross) 
Gross Salary = (A) + (B) 
CTC = (A) + (B) + (C) 
Net in Hand = (A) + (B) - (D) ... 

30 Technical Interview questions for IT Recruiters

General Technical questions
Q1. What is an operating system ? Where is this used ? Name some operating systems that you have come across? 
Q2. What are the components of an OS ? Name at least 3 components
Q3 . What is GUI stands for ?
Q4. Do you understand the difference between Platform and Framework ? Is it different or same ?
Q5. Give me some examples of IT Software Products .
Q6. Do you understand the different between IT services and IT Product based companies ? Name few companies in these categories. 
Q7. Why Customers prefer to develop their applications using Java or Dot net frame work . Give your answers with Business / commercial perspective.
Q8. What do you understand by Embedded systems ? Do you use any of these in your day to day life.
Q9. Have you ever worked on Testing Requirement ? If yes, what are the types of Testing Tools that you know. 
Q10. Your thoughts on Data warehousing - what it is ? Name some tools associated with DW.
Q11. What does ERP stands for and what does it do in an Enterprise. 
Q12. What is Open Source Technology  ? Your understanding about this .
Q13. Do you understand Real Time Operating System ? Give Some examples. Which are all the companies in this domain?
Q14.What is 3 Tier architecture's concept? 
Q15. Your understanding about GSM, CDMA, 3G, 4G, VOIP, in Telecom domain ?
Q16. What is the expansion of SDLC ? 2 lines about SDLC
Q17. Do you understand the role of Business Analyst , Technical Architect, System Architect, Data Architect, Database Administrator, Product Manager, Project Manager, Program Manager in an IT company? 
Q18. If you have ever done SAP hiring, can you name the Modules that you have worked ? 
Q19. What is the expansion of ABAP , Where is this used ? 
Q20.What are the certification courses available in the field of Networking ? 
Q21. Are you aware of PMP ? Who is the certifying authority ? 
Q22. Is there any certifications for Product Managers ? 
Q23. What is the expansion of CRM? Give some examples of CRM Product .
Q24. What is SCM ? Example of SCM software 
Q25. Can you tell me recent Mergers and Acquisition that happened in IT industry ?
Q26. Do you have Linkedin contacts ? With how many are you connected ? 
Q27. Have you heard of the term Web 2.0 ? 
Q28. What is Cloud Computing ? Is it a Product or Service ? Who are all the major players ?
Q29. Have you heard of SOA and SOAP ? 
Q30. Name the Banking product developed by Infosys & I-flex respectively.

Company

A company is a business organization. It is an association or collection of individual real persons and/or other companies, who each provide some form of capital.

There are various types of company that can be formed in different jurisdictions, but the most common forms of company (generally formed by registration under applicable companies legislation) are:

§  A company limited by guarantee. Commonly used where companies are formed for non-commercial purposes, such as clubs or charities. The members guarantee the payment of certain (usually nominal) amounts if the company goes into insolvent liquidation, but otherwise they have no economic rights in relation to the company. This type of company is common in England. A company limited by guarantee may be with or without having share capital.

§  A company limited by shares. The most common form of company used for business ventures. Specifically, a limited company is a "company in which the liability of each shareholder is limited to the amount individually invested" with corporations being "the most common example of a limited company. This can be a public company or private company."^[1] This type of company is common in England.

§  A company limited by guarantee with a share capital. A hybrid entity, usually used where the company is formed for non-commercial purposes, but the activities of the company are partly funded by investors who expect a return. This type of company may no longer be formed in the UK, although provisions still exist in law for them to exist.^[6]

§  A limited-liability company. "A company—statutorily authorized in certain states—that is characterized by limited liability, management by members or managers, and limitations on ownership transfer", i.e., L.L.C.^[1]

§  An unlimited company with or without a share capital. A hybrid entity, a company where the liability of members or shareholders for the debts (if any) of the company are not limited. In this case doctrine of veil of incorporation does not apply.

Less commonly seen types of companies are:

§  Companies formed by letters patent. Most corporations by letters patent are corporations sole and not companies as the term is commonly understood today.

§  charter corporations. Before the passing of modern companies legislation, these were the only types of companies. Now they are relatively rare, except for very old companies that still survive (of which there are still many, particularly many British banks), or modern societies that fulfil a quasi regulatory function (for example, the Bank of England is a corporation formed by a modern charter).

§  Statutory Companies. Relatively rare today, certain companies have been formed by a private statute passed in the relevant jurisdiction.

Private Limited Companies (Ltd)

A private limited company is owned privately by a small group of people such as a family. A private limited company can not trade its shares on the stock market. Private limited companies can operate through just one director but it must have at least 2 shareholders.

The share capital for a private limited company has to be £50 000 or less (there is no minimum). A private limited company has to use the letters Ltd after its name so that people dealing with the company know that they are dealing with a private limited company.

Although private limited companies are usually small in size, they have to produce accounts and send them to registrar of companies annually. Furthermore unlike a sole trader, private limited companies have to pay auditors, hold meetings as stipulated in the Companies Act and share profits between all of the shareholders.

Public Limited companies (PLC)

A public limited company is able to trade on the stock market but in order to gain plc status the company must achieve the following;

Minimum share capital of £50000,
Minimum of two directors,
Its name must contain “plc” or “private limited company”
Secure a trading certificate from the Companies House

The ability to offer shares on the stock market makes it easier to raise capital; however the accounts of the company are in the public domain. All financial records, including the director's reports must be audited and available to the Registrar of Companies at the Companies House and to all who want to scrutinise them. Furthermore the company is vulnerable to take-overs as rivals have the option to purchase shares.

Ltd company is otherwise known as public limited company and pvt ltd company is a private limited company. Under public limited there are private sector company and public sector company.

The Public Sector Public sector’s organizations are budgeted and run by state. They are often called as state organizations. The primary objective of these organizations is to serve the public not to earn profit. Finances are offered freely for the uplift of society. In other words, they involve in social welfare. Organizations of public sector include educational institutes, health services, security providing organizations, national defence, financing etc.

The Private Sector 

Private sector encompasses organizations with primary objective of profit earning and further divided in to two kinds:

Non-Limited CompaniesNon-limited companies do not involve complicated business concepts. There are few formalities found in this type of company, which can be set at the start of business. These formalities are opted by the selection of owner, like, be either a sole trader or start business with partners on partnership basis and the owner  will be personally liable for all of the debts if the business fails. Non-limited companies are free of legal bounding. There is no legal requirement for non-limited companies to make any of their financial information public. Non-limited companies are commonly termed as "businesses".

Limited Companies Limited companies can be either privately owned when they are referred to as Limited (often abbreviated to Ltd) or publicly owned. Some publicly owned can sell shares to members of the public on the stock exchange, unlike Ltd's that cannot do in the same way. The liability for both limited and publicly owned companies is restricted. This means that incase of failure of any company, the liability of the company's shareholders is limited to the value of the shares and not to the personal funds or assets of the business owners. Or, in the case of companies limited by guarantee in which no share capital is involved, the liability of its members is limited up to a specific level that their members wish to contribute to the assets of a company in the event of it being wound up. Please note here that for limited companies, generally used term is “Company” so people automatically understand the nature of company existence. All Limited companies are legally required to submit Company Accounts and Annual Returns every year. These documents are filed at an executive agency of the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) called Companies House. This information is available to the public. A limited company has similar rights to a person; for example it can buy assets, own property, and it can sue or be sued independently of its directors. It can have detrimental information registered against it too.

The difference between pvt ltd and public ltd company is in the no. of shareholders and transferability of shares. In pvt ltd the minimum no. of shareholders is 2 and maximum is 50 excluding the past and present employees who holds shares . Whereas in public limited the minimum no. of shareholders is 7 and there is no maximum limit.

In the case of public limited co., the shares are freely transferable but it is not so in private limited company.

Some of the strigent requirements which are applicable to public limited companies are not there in the case of private limited companies.

Public sector company is a company where the central govt or state govt or both of them combined together holds the majority of shares. But in Private sector companies the private individuals or business houses holds the majority of shares.

Industry

Industry is often classified into three sectors: primary or extractive, secondary or manufacturing, and tertiary or services

Industries can be classified on the basis of raw materials, size and ownership.

• Raw Materials: Industries may be agriculture based, Marine based, Mineral based, Forest based.
• Size: It refers to the amount of capital invested, number of people employed and the volume of production.
• Ownership: Industries can be classified into private sector, state owned or public sector, joint sector and co-operative sector

Industry is divided into four sectors. They are:

Sector	Definition
Primary	This involves the extraction of resources directly from the Earth, this includes farming, mining and logging. They do not process the products at all. They send it off to factories to make a profit.
Secondary	This group is involved in the processing products from primary industries. This includes all factories—those that refine metals, produce furniture, or pack farm products such as meat.
Tertiary	This group is involved in the provision of services. They include teachers, managers and other service providers.
Quaternary	This group is involved in the research of science and technology. They include scientists.
Quinary Sector	Some consider there to be a branch of the quaternary sector called the quinary sector, which includes the highest levels of decision making in a society or economy. This sector would include the top executives or officials in such fields as government, science, universities, nonprofit, healthcare, culture, and the media.

ISIC (Rev.4) stands for International Standard Industrial Classification of all economic activities, the most complete and systematic industrial classification made by United Nations Statistics Division.

ISO 9000

The ISO 9000 family of standards are related to quality management systems and designed to help organizations ensure that they meet the needs of customers and other stakeholders.^[1] The standards are published by ISO, the International Organization for Standardization, and available through National standards bodies while meeting statutory and regulatory requirements. ISO 9000 deals with the fundamentals of quality management systems,^[2] including the eight management principles^[3][2] on which the family of standards is based. ISO 9001 deals with the requirements that organizations wishing to meet the standard have to fulfill.^[4]

Third party certification bodies provide independent confirmation that organizations meet the requirements of ISO 9001. Over a million organizations worldwide^[5] are independently certified, making ISO 9001 one of the most widely used management tools in the world today. Despite widespread use, however, the ISO certification process has been criticized^[6][7] as being wasteful and not being useful for all organizations

ISO Versions:

ISO 9001:1987 Model for quality assurance in design, development, production, installation, and servicing was for companies and organizations whose activities included the creation of new products.

ISO 9000:1994 emphasized quality assurance via preventive actions, instead of just checking final product, and continued to require evidence of compliance with documented procedures

ISO 9001:2000 combined the three standards—9001, 9002, and 9003—into one, called 9001.  The 2000 version also demanded involvement by upper executives in order to integrate quality into the business system and avoid delegation of quality functions to junior administrators. Another goal was to improve effectiveness via process performance metrics.

ISO 9001:2008 basically renarrates ISO 9001:2000. The 2008 version only introduced clarifications to the existing requirements of ISO 9001:2000 and some changes intended to improve consistency with ISO 14001:2004.

Audit:

Two types of auditing are required to become registered to the standard: auditing by an external certification body (external audit) and audits by internal staff trained for this process (internal audits). The aim is a continual process of review and assessment to verify that the system is working as it is supposed to; to find out where it can improve; and to correct or prevent problems identified. It is considered healthier for internal auditors to audit outside their usual management line, so as to bring a degree of independence to their judgments.

NASSCOM

The National Association of Software and Services Companies (NASSCOM) is a trade association of Indian Information Technology (IT) andBusiness Process Outsourcing (BPO) industry.^[1] Established in 1988, NASSCOM is a non-profit organization focused on promoting sustainable growth for the industry and to harness IT and Communications technologies for inclusive and balanced growth.

• Encourage members to provide world-class quality products, services and solutions in India and overseas and help build brand equity for the Indian IT software and services industry.
• Taking effective steps to campaign against software piracy.
• Provide an ideal forum for overseas and domestic companies to explore the vast potential available for Joint Ventures, Strategic Alliances, Marketing Alliances, Joint Product Development, etc., by organising Business Meets with delegations of various countries.
• Work actively with Overseas Governments, Embassies to make the Visa and Work Permit Rules more "India Industry Friendly".
• Disseminate various policies, market information and other relevant statistics by sending more than 200 circulars (annually) to all members.
• Involve membership participation in various forums of Nasscom on subjects such as HRD, Technology, Exports, Domestic Market, E-Governance, IT Enabled Services, IPR, Finance, Government Policies, Quality, etc.

NASDAQ

The NASDAQ Exchange is a limited liability company and a corporation that provides a means for traders to execute stock orders for stock brokers, institutional investors and on-line stock purchasers. The NASDAQ Exchange was formed in 1971 by the National Association of Securities Dealer to fill a need for reporting stocks that were not a good fit in the regular stock exchange. The NASDAQ reports on over the counter stocks for thousands of stocks not listed on the other exchanges. By the 1990s NASDAQ surpassed in terms of listings the AMEX Exchange.

In order to trade on the NASDAQ the trader and members must be certified and agree to the by laws of NASDAQ Inc. In 1999 NASDAQ merged with AMEX to form the NASDAQ-Amex Group. By 2000 the National Association of Securities Dealers sold their interest in NASDAQ to private investors. See: NASDAQ Corporate Filings.

NASDAQ operates similarly to all corporations, it has Articles of Incorporation, Corporate Officers, By Laws and holds meetings. The NASDAQ LLC. has a governing board and in turn has rules and regulations it operates under. Given the quasi-governmental status of NASDAQ the Securities and Exchange Commission has a role in making sure NASDAQ operates according to good practices and regulations. If a company engages in inside trading, fraudulent reporting of corporate earnings and assets or the many areas of bad practices governed by the Securities Act of 1934, the Commission can provide sanctions and remedies for these acts. Likewise, state attorney generals and the U.S. Attorney may bring actions in court to cease and desist these bad acts and also provide for criminal sanctions.

What notable stocks are traded on NASDAQ?

As an investor you may invest in NASDAQ, it is listed under the ticker QQQQ. The stock value goes up and down depending on the overall health of the NASDAQ Top 100 Trust Funds. Currently NASDAQ QQQ, traded under ticker QQQQ is priced at around $48 a share. It has a market capitalization of $19 billion dollars and over the past three years has a 11.56 percent return on investments. The top holdings in QQQQ are: Apple, Cisco, Comcast, Gilead Sciences, Google, Intel, Microsoft, Oracle, Qualcomm, and Research in Motion. A impressive group to be associated with in one stock. There are however, some stocks among the fund that are not as illustrious in their performance. The fund is weighted heavily in the hardware sector. The others sectors with a significant impact are software, business services, customer service and healthcare.

NASDAQ provides soup to nuts in investment opportunities:

NASDAQ offers literally thousands of opportunities to invest in individuals stocks, indexes, real estate investment trusts, options and other means to make an investment. The investor has an cornucopia of types of stocks choose among from semiconductors, energy, finance, components, retail, in all 3113 components make up NASDAQ. Each company listed must meet capitalization and reporting standards. The investor has the opportunity to review each quarters reported earnings and debts. A company is required to report any significant issues that may effect the investor and the company. There are news services and financial advisor services who actively stay in top of company news. All in all it is surprising why a company would even try to fool investors or governmental watch dogs.

NASDAQ notables:

Apple Inc. is the darling of NASDAQ. It trades under the stock ticker AAPL. If you have been living on a remote island somewhere in a cave, Apple is the designer, manufacturer and marketer of iMAC computers, software, iphones and through its subsidiaries a range of products that support Apple main line of products. In September, 2005 Apple shares were in the vicinity of $48. As of the close of business on August 31, Apple is worth in the range of $138 a share. The unique aspect of Apple is just when you think it has topped out and is dawdling it comes up with some surprise and it is off and running again. It is a darling because it has resilience and innovation.

Never to be forgotten is Miscrosoft. It trades under the stock ticker MSFT. What can you say about a company that brought information and technology to middle America, Africa, South America and the world. It is a stock that sells currently in the $28 range. It has controversy in all corners particularly with law suits challenging this grand daddy of the Internet, but it is a tried and true long performer. It is the company that people love and hate. If there is innovation out there, Microsoft will find it.

A personal favorite of mine is Intel. In part because it is a work horse in the technology sector and in part because I read and enjoyed Tom Wolfe’s book on the company structure in Hooking Up. It was not a biography, but it did parallel the formation of this egalitarian work place. The stock sells in the range of $25 and sells under the ticker INTC.

Mapping

Industry Mapping:
Mapping an industry can be done by starting with an SIC Code (Standard Industrial Code) that describes what industry a particular company is in. This is very broad, so you then need to identify the acual players in your field. Any good search engine (acually Yahoo is pretty good at that in their financial section,) can get you a tighter, although still pretty large list of a sub-sector of an industry. 

Now take that list and google for conferences/events/news releases, etc., to identify the top players, the mid-tier players and finally the start-ups. 

Now you have mapped the physical of the industry. Take things a bit deeper, and identify the finaical health of each company, their top clients, the targets, etc. and now you have a sourcing target list. 

Next using Linked In, Hoovers, and any/all networking & talent idenfifcation tools you have, a list of PEOPLE to contact, source, network, etc. will emerge.

Technical Skills required to become a IT Recruiter

IT recruitments is a vast field, basics are list down:

1- A Basic understanding of the IT domain, eg Process flows from getting a requirement to designing a software package, the components that go into it .
to simplify - If you were asked to recruit a SAP consultant....you would need to know first if you had to recruit a Technical or a Functional consultant.

2- Technical Jargons - understand what is the software lingo all about what is programming / development / Support maintainence /Front-end technologies/ Backend Technolgoies etc .To start with any recruitment person with a non-Tech background needs to atleast understand the basic flow of technological process .

3- Atleast attempt to get familiar with most of the technlogies in the market - Eg Microsoft / Embedded / Mobile Apps/ ERP etc (depending on the kind of IT Vertical you would like to handle.

4- Hierarchial structures i an IT designation and Job profiling is different from a Non- IT set up. Hypothetical example - An AM-HR in a Manufacturing company would be a very senior experienced person with atleast 10 yrs minimum of experience on the contrary , in the IT world it could be a person with 3-4 yrs exp. 

5- With a little hands on experience a recruitment person will be able to understand the market , the business cylces , the salary parity etc 

6- Ability to communicate(Verbal/Non verbal) effectively is a must for a good recruitment proffessional .

In addition to the above a lot of Softskills are equally important as this profession deals with getting the Right man for the Right Job.

Corporate Recruiter Evaluation Factor

1. Delivers Top Candidates On-time and with in Budget
2. Understand/Uses Performance Requirements of Position
3. Use High Volume and The Sourcing Tools to Find Candidates.
4- Uses High-touch Direct Sourcing and Networking Techniques to Find Top Candidates
5-Efficiently Manages All Search Activities
6-Use Job/Market Expertise to Improve Results
7-Works Directly with Hiring Manger to Influence Process Results
8-Manages Candidate's Needs Throughout Process
9-Accurately Interview and Assesses Candidate Competency
10-Wok with Team to Coordinate All Search and Process Activities

How to Work the Phone: 6 Tricks

The telephone has been in existence for 136 years, but the way some people use it, you'd think it was invented yesterday.

With business travel at an all-time low, there is simply no skill more important to business success (especially in sales) than the ability to build rapport during a telephone conversation. When you can't shake hands or look somebody in the eye, your voice (and your voice alone) must be able to communicate "I am capable and trustworthy."

Unfortunately, many people in business have no idea that they sound like idiots, hustlers or robots when they're talking on the phone. They talk too fast, they mumble, they blather, they make remarks that would only make sense with an accompanying hand gesture.

It's crazy. You wouldn't believe the stuff I've heard. And that's just the negative, sales-killing stuff. Very few people use their voice and word choice actively to create a better connection with the person at the other end of the line.

Here's a quick primer how to do this:

1. Expunge your verbal weaknesses.

Record some conversations (with the other person's agreement, natch) and see if you're doing something annoying–saying "uh ..." in the middle of every sentence, for instance, or slapping a "you know ..." at the end.

Important: Never, ever turn a statement into a question by putting a little uptick at the end; it's a huge credibility killer. Same goes for regional accents that carry a stigma in other regions. If necessary, hire a vocal coach.

2. Always have an agenda.

Never have a business conversation, especially on the phone, without knowing exactly what you're trying to accomplish. This is also a good idea when meeting face to face or emailing, but it's even more important during a phone call. Two key reasons:

• You may not have the other person's full attention.
• Unlike email, it's real time–which means you can't craft a message and then edit it before hitting "send."

3. Listen (really) to the other person.

When in a conversation, most people barely hear what the other person is saying; instead, they're thinking about what they're going to say next. That's really stupid during a phone conversation because nuances are much harder to catch than if you're face to face.

It takes a bit of practice, but what you need to do is suspend your "what do I say next?" until after the other person is done speaking.

4. Take a second before each response.

When you pause before responding, the other person knows that you've listened. If, by contrast, you jump right in immediately with your response (or worse, cut the other person off), you've just communicated that you think your own thoughts are far more important than anything the other person could have said.

5. Listen (really) to your own voice.

This is the flip side of listening to the other person. When in a conversation, most people, as they talk, are thinking about what the other person is going to say next. That almost guarantees you'll communicate poorly.

Instead, listen to your own voice as if you were listening to another person. (By the way, this is much easier if you're following rules 1 and 3.)

6. Adapt your tonality to match.

As you speak, gradually take on the least obvious elements of other person's voice. The key here is to make it subtle, not obvious–lest the changes fall flat or, worse, seem mocking.

For example, if you're talking with somebody with a Mississippi accent, draw out your vowels ever so slightly–but don't cram "y'all" into your normal speaking pattern. Believe it or not, this trick really does build rapport quickly.

One final note: I probably don't need to say that the rules above also apply to face-to-face conversations. However, the rules are not quite as important in person, when your body language and appearance create enough interference that things like voice tonality can get lost in the mix. This is especially true for people who are very attractive. Back when I was single, I was often amazed at how a woman who wasfascinating in person could be annoying over the phone.

In fact, if I can make a non-scientific observation, it often seems that there's an inverse relationship between physical attractiveness and good phone skills. It's almost as if the "beautiful people" have become dependent upon their looks to smooth over their character flaws–flaws that emerge, big time, when they're on the phone.

Some unusual Interview Mistakes

Most of us can recall an embarrassing moment in our lives that was caused by nerves. Whether it was drawing a blank at a crucial time, spilling a drink on a first date or stuttering through a presentation at work, at one point or another, anxiety has gotten the best of all of us.

One of life's most notoriously nerve-racking events, the job interview, is perfect for these sorts of foot-in-mouth moments. The combination of excitement and pressure can cloud our judgment and lead us to make mistakes, decisions and comments that we wouldn't normally make.

Making mistakes is part of being human, and most hiring managers will let the occasional blank stare or fumbled sentence slide during an interview. But there are some slip-ups that you just can't recover from, mistakes so ridiculous that they'll completely eclipse any potential you may have in the mind of your interviewer.

What kind of mistakes, you ask? Well, mistakes like the ones below, which hiring managers reported to CareerBuilder as the most unusual interview mishaps they'd ever seen. (Though we're not certain all of these mistakes were caused by nerves, we're going to give everyone the benefit of the doubt here -- mostly because we can't bear to think otherwise.)

• Candidate brought a "how to interview book" with him to the interview.
• Candidate asked, "What company is this again?
• Candidate put the interviewer on hold during a phone interview. When she came back on the line, she told the interviewer that she had a date set up for Friday.
• Candidate wore a Boy Scout uniform and never told interviewers why.
• Candidate talked about promptness as one of her strengths after showing up 10 minutes late.
• On the way to the interview, candidate passed, cut off and flipped the middle finger to a driver who happened to be the interviewer.
• Candidate referred to himself in the third person.
• Candidate took off his shoes during interview.
• Candidate asked for a sip of the interviewer's coffee.
• A mature candidate told the interviewer she wasn't sure if the job offered was worth "starting the car for."

How's that for some third-party embarrassment?

But before you ask, "What kind of idiot would ask a stranger for a sip of his coffee?" know that it doesn't take a mistake as bizarre as the examples above to kill a perfectly good interview. There are a plenty of less ridiculous but equally detrimental interview gaffes that job candidates -- even smart ones -- make all the time.

According to the CareerBuilder survey, the following are the errors job seekers make most often:

• Answering cell phone or texting: 77 percent
• Appearing disinterested: 75 percent
• Dressing inappropriately: 72 percent
• Appearing arrogant: 72 percent
• Talking negatively about current or previous employers: 67 percent
• Chewing gum: 63 percent

So how can you avoid making mistakes -- outrageous or otherwise -- in your next job interview?

Be prepared, says Rosemary Haefner, vice president of human resources at CareerBuilder. "With preparation and practice, candidates can greatly improve their interview skills," she says. Well-prepared job seekers are more confident, articulate and relaxed -- and therefore less susceptible to error -- than those who aren't.

Before your interview, research the company, conduct mock interviews with friends and practice telling anecdotes that highlight your accomplishments, Haefner suggests.

Kaitlin Madden is a writer and blogger for CareerBuilder.com and its job blog, The Work Buzz. She researches and writes about job search strategy, career management, hiring trends and workplace issues.