While I’d love to be the type of person who just jumps out of bed alert and perky every day, it just doesn’t work for me that way.  Take this morning:

When I heard my favorite DJ through my alarm at sunrise, I hit my snooze several times in an attempt to squeeze as much time out of my slumber as possible. This is my typical M.O. — not very good for someone who actually read an article yesterday about how to become a morning person.

But, despite my tendencies to linger in bed as long as possible, I have to say I am fairly punctual arriving to the office … most of the time.

Seems I’m not alone. A new CareerBuilder survey reveals that 16 percent of workers said they arrive late to work at least once a week, but that’s down from 20 percent in last year’s survey. Another 8 percent said they are late at least twice a week, down from 12 percent last year. What’s the cause of the decline in job tardiness? Could it be the economy?

“Some workers may be more concerned with the nuances of their on-the-job performance these days, resulting in fewer late arrivals,” said Rosemary Haefner, vice president of human resources for CareerBuilder. “Regardless of the economy, though, getting to work on time can be more of a priority in some work places than in others. It’s important for workers to be aware of their company’s tardiness policies and make sure to be honest with their manager if they are going to be late.”

In the survey, workers shared a variety of reasons for being tardy, led by traffic (32 percent) and lack of sleep (24 percent). Seven percent said getting their kids ready for school or day care was the cause of their lateness, while the same amount (7 percent) said bad weather was the culprit. Other common reasons included public transportation, wardrobe issues or dealing with pets. All of these reasons seem legitimate and I’ll bet all workers have fallen victim to at least one.

In my defense, I’d have to say that not waking up on time — once in awhile – is a fairly typical (and acceptable) reason for being late to work. So is adjusting to daylight saving time. (Note: This is only legit in springtime when we lose an hour from the time change.) But then there are the excuses. It seems people will use any excuse for being late for work. Here are some of the real-life excuses hiring managers have heard from their employees explaining their tardiness:

• I got mugged and was tied to the steering wheel of my car.
• My deodorant was frozen to the window sill.
• My car door fell off.
• It was too windy.
• I dreamt I was already at work.
• I had to go to the hospital because I drank antifreeze.
• I had an early morning gig as a clown.
• A roach crawled in my ear.
• I saw an elderly lady at a bus stop and decided to pick her up.
• My dog swallowed my cell phone.

A final word of caution to those of you who are punctuality challenged: While some employers are more lenient with worker tardiness, others have stricter policies. More than one-third (34 percent) of employers said they have terminated an employee for being late.

What’s the best excuse you’ve heard or used? Tell us below!

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On a three-month moving average basis, the job index (including jobs added and jobs refreshed) moved up by 0.5 per cent, it added. India Inc’s hiring activity witnessed a slowdown in December, a fall of 6 per cent compared to the previous month, mainly due to year-end holiday season impacting employers’ recruitment plans, says a survey by job portal naukri.com.

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India Inc’s hiring activity witnessed a slowdown in December, a fall of 6 per cent compared to the previous month, mainly due to year-end holiday season impacting employers’ recruitment plans, says a survey by job portal naukri.com.

Also Read Related Stories News Now - India Inc's hiring activity drops 6% in December - India Inc condoles Basu's death - 72% employers see new jobs in 2010: Naukri.Com - Slowdown hits India Inc's overseas investments - Office space demand picking up: CBRE - India Inc still cautious on hiring; TeamLease Also Read Related Stories News Now - Markets slump on L&T nos, global cues - 'Inflation to exceed 9% by March end' - ONGC profit rises 23% to Rs 3,053 cr in Q3 - Exim Bank of India gives LOC of $60 mn to Rwanda govt - India plans intact despite likely Chinese takeover: Volvo Cars More

The naukri.com's monthly job index -- JobSpeak -- fell to 713 points in December 2009, from 760 in November.

Familiar Haldiram's Tower in Manesar

Mauruti plans to increase production out of the Manesar plant in 2010. Already, 1 in 2 new vehicles purchase in India is a Maruti product, and the increase is expected to help Maruti keep things that way.

Maruti Suzuki MD Shinzo Nakanishi said: “Starting this year, there will be very high pressure on us from all sides, including pressure from (commodity) prices and from competition. But, we will do everything to defend our 50 per cent market share. We will try to absorb the price increase as much as possible.”

Meanwhile, Business Standard reports that engineers are now working on a new entirely Indian Built compact vehicle. It is reported to be constructed on an existing compact vehicle platform.

The internal metro service being proposed by a consortium of IL&FS and DLF will connect with the Delhi Metro, and service DLF’s residential communitites and business centers. It is being rumored that a common ticketing platform may be in place making it easier for commuters to connect with Delhi Metro Rail.

While this is an exciting development, concern continues to mount in Gurgaon over the lack of a quality public transportation option. While many are confident the Metro connection with Delhi will alleviate some of the traffic, concerns remain over the sorry state of many main roads throughout Gurgaon.

Anyway,  as I was saying, we’ve all had embarrassing moments. For some people, it unfortunately happened in the worst place possible: the interview.

If you’re sick of recounting your embarrassing interview moment in exchange for nothing more than a bunch of laughs from your friends and family, now you can tell it for a good reason: You might be able to win an 8-GB iPod Nano with built-in video camera.

BriteTab, a resume writing service, just launched InterviewFollies.com, a site that encourages users to post their embarrassing or funny job interview moment that they may have experienced, seen or heard about. Just by sharing your story, you’ll have the chance to win an iPod Nano with built-in video camera. Plus, you can promote your story however you want — through your Facebook page, Twitter account or your personal blog.

Visitors to the site will be able to vote for their favorite stories; the person behind the story that received the most votes win. There is a winner every two weeks for six weeks, which means you can submit your story up to three times for a chance to win.

From all of the things I’ve heard from hiring managers, I have about 100 stories I could enter in this contest. But, I’ll leave it you guys.

Before you share your embarrassing interview moment on InterviewFollies, share with us here. You won’t win an iPod Nano, but maybe if you’re story is funny enough, we can use it an upcoming article.

In the meantime, here is some reading on interviewing to keep you busy:

The Worst Interview Faux Pas
7 Ways to Wreck Your Interview
10 Signs Your Interview Went Well
You Said What?!