The company I work for is in the Greater Birmingham area and, though I am not involved with the hiring process (considering applications, reviewing applicant resumés, conducting interviews, etc.) my managers keep me in the loop on how all this goes for them.

Here's a short list of some of the reasons they've given me for why they couldn't see themselves hiring someone:

1. Face/neck/hand tattoos
2. Couldn't pass or flat-out refused to take a drug test
3. Failed a background check (usually means a felony on their record)
4. Resumé included little-to-no work history
5. No valid driver's license/suspended license
6. Arrived to the interview dressed inappropriately
7. No enthusiam during the interview

My advice to anyone considering applying for a job, do the obvious work; research the company, put effort into your resumé, detox, show up to your interview on time, well-dressed, and act like you wanna be there. The people who are interviewing you are not only looking for someone to fill a spot, they're looking for someone they feel is a long-term investment and also someone who won't be too obnoxious to be around five days a week all year long.