This article was originally published on ComeRecommended.com.

When you’re up for a very competitive job opportunity, the choice can become quite close for employers. You might be neck and neck with another candidate who is as equally qualified as you, so what makes the difference?

CareerBuilder conducted a study to determine the factors that play a part in determining who gets hired. According to the study, having a sense of humor, being well-dressed, or even knowledge of current events and pop culture could all play some part in influencing a hiring manager’s decision. Employers were asked, if they had two equally qualified candidates, which factors would make them more likely to consider one candidate instead of another.

Their responses included:

• Having a better sense of humor (27 percent).
• Being involved in your community (26 percent).
• Being better dressed (22 percent).
• Having more in common with the employer (21 percent).
• Being more physically fit (13 percent).
• Understanding current affairs and pop culture (8 percent).
• Being more involved in social media (7 percent).
• Being more knowledgeable about sports (4 percent).

If you want to use these results to your advantage, try to make them relevant in your next job interview. Bring a little bit of your sense of humor and dress for success. You don’t have to cover all these qualities, but try to get a sense for the employer to see if these qualities might be beneficial. Maybe pop culture is important to the company culture, or maybe community service experience will make you more successful. Use your best judgement. If someone else does a better job at demonstrating these qualities, they may get the offer instead of you.

The study also looked at reasons candidates could be taken out of the running for a promotion. One-third 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 employers identified as red flags.

Their responses included:

• Saying, “that’s not my job” (71 percent).
• Being often late (69 percent).
• Having lied at work (68 percent).
• Taking credit for other people’s work (64 percent).
• Often leaving work early (55 percent).
• Taking liberties with expenses charged back to the company (55 percent).
• Gossiping (46 percent).
• Not dressing professionally (35 percent).
• Swearing (30 percent).
• Not saying anything in meetings (22 percent).
• Crying at work (9 percent).
• Dating a coworker (8 percent).

Avoid all these behaviors if you want to impress potential and current employers. To land any job or promotion, you need to have respect, integrity, and show you are capable of the responsibilities of the role. Any of these behaviors will immediately tell employers you’re not the right candidate. Someone else will get the job instead.

Take note of the most important qualities to possess and the most important behaviors to avoid. More than 2,000 employers contributed to these results, so you know they should not be taken lightly. The way you present yourself in an interview or in the workplace will make or break your chance at the job you want.

What do you think about the results of the study? Has your sense of humor or knowledge of current events helped you land a job instead of someone else?