Job seekers are turning down offers from UK companies because of the poor standards of many interviewers.

A survey released by T-Mobile found that 56% of people who had suffered a bad interview laid the blame on the interviewer, accusing some of lateness, rudeness, sexism and even drunkenness.

Around 40% of interviewees said they were asked questions completely unrelated to the job, while a third felt the interviewer was unprepared for the meeting and one in five said they didn’t like the company culture and values.

Over 40% of the people who'd had a bad experience said they had subsequently turned down a job offer from the company.

What candidates are looking for is a pleasant working environment and to be asked intelligent questions during the interview, according to the study. Around half also said they wanted to see clear evidence of career progression opportunities.

But UK companies need to feel a bit of pressure to create a good first impression, T-Mobile HR director Mark Martin warned. "Candidates are beginning to place a company's culture and values at the top of their agenda, so businesses need to think about how these are expressed in an interview situation or their reputation and brand could be on the line," he said.