Want an insider tip on getting hired?

Don't shoot off at the mouth during the job interview.

Talking too much is the most common interview mistake that job candidates make, according to 36 per cent of respondents to a survey by executive staffing firm Korn/Ferry International.

Other common mistakes cited by recruiters in the quarterly Executive Recruiter Index include lack of knowledge about the company or position (22 per cent), over-inflated ego (16 per cent) and appearing overly confident (nine per cent).

More than six in ten (62 per cent) recruiters agreed that anything more than one week is too long for a candidate to consider a formal job offer, with almost a third of them (29 per cent) indicating that the appropriate amount of time is even shorter.

"Executive-level candidates are unquestionably more polished and sophisticated today than ever before, so it is remarkable how many basic interview etiquette mistakes are still made," says Charles Tseng, president of Korn/Ferry Asia Pacific.

"Although small, these mistakes can often mean the difference between getting the job and being passed over."

The survey also examined various regional differences as they relate to job tenure.

In both North America and EMEA (Europe, Middle East and Africa), recruiters agreed that two years is the minimum acceptable amount of time to stay with one employer.

In South America and Asia Pacific, however, one year is the minimum amount.

The rapid pace of growth and hiring in these emerging regions is likely responsible for this difference.

When asked why executives leave companies after short periods of employment, bad cultural fit emerged as the leading reason in both South America and Asia Pacific, whereas responses were more mixed in North America and EMEA. Finally, recruiters worldwide agreed overwhelmingly (87 per cent) that executives should disclose that they worked somewhere for a short amount of time, rather than omit the position from their CV/resume.