They were trying to squeeze more out of our client, of course, but neither of them had bothered to remember their first lie. Not proofreading your resume. I don't apologize for deducting points for such blatant mistakes. I consider them representative of a candidate's proficiency and attention to detail. He didn't get the job.
Nothing delights interviewers more than candidates who have done their homework.
They want to know that a candidate has done a little research on the company or industry to which he is applying, and understands the challenges it is facing. As a bonus, the most heartwarming candidates have actually given a little thought to the job they are applying for. That's all it took for one candidate to impress me and delight my client when he pointed out that the client's company, which had just announced plans to expand into Asia, would benefit from his experience working with Japanese-based firms. Today, of course, this kind of research is as easy as surfing the Internet to check out a company's homepage or recent press releases. Still, less than half of the candidates I see bother to do any kind of homework.