Interviewing is like dating

Ask a Manager recently outlined 7 Ways Interviewing is like Dating:

1. Desperation is not attractive.
2. Give the impression that you're choosy.
3. Make your interest personal, not generic.
4. Use flattery.
5. Remember to ask if you like them, not just if they like you.
6. Don't badmouth your exes.
7. Keep your ego in check.

I totally agree – there are a couple others I’d like to point out:

If you want to see them again – follow up. The value of a well written and prompt thank you note will go far in landing a second interview or an offer

If it isn’t going to work out – don’t leave them hanging. Honest and upfront feedback from the interviewer will save the candidate many a sleepless night waiting by the phone

Appearances do matter – look and act professional in your interview and ALWAYS be on time.

(and just because I love this story) Be wary of making “the first move” – remember hugging the HR Director is not a good idea. But in all seriousness, be aware of the culture you're interviewing in; are they conservative or laid back? Respond accordingly.

More Stupid Candidate Tricks

I was out of the office last week attending a users conference for our applicant tracking software - of course being in a hotel (and yes, a bar or two) full of recruiters, there were a few more "Stupid Candidate Trick" stories to be heard.

What really surprised me is that I heard from more than one recruiter -

A candidate shows up for the interview - everything goes wonderfully and the client makes an offer, the candidate accepts the offer and agrees to start the next week. However, when the candidate shows up for work - the candidate is an entirely different person.

I know what you're thinking - people are always different in interviews - but NO, not just a different persona - but a completely different PERSON!

Can you even imagine? I'm not even sure what the purpose of that is... I mean - do they think someone isn't going to notice the difference?

Stupid Candidate Tricks

I was talking with a friend of mine that does some hiring for his organization. We started talking about what I like to call “Stupid Candidate Tricks”. This is when an interviewee does something so completely out of left field that it leaves you almost speechless.

I say almost speechless because you can still usually manage to say, “I’m sorry, I don’t think this is going to work.”

Past Stupid Candidate Tricks Include:

• Opening a meeting with the HR Director by giving her a BIG HUG! (lucky it wasn’t the Evil HR Lady!)


• Dropping numerous “F-bombs” during the interview & plant tour


• Wearing a large gold medallion (think Flava Flav and his big clock) and a light spring jacket throughout the interview


• Having false teeth fall out during the first 20 minutes of an all day interview

But I’m pretty sure this recent one takes the cake… I like to call it "A Fish Called Freakshow"

A candidate was coming to Grand Rapids for an interview. It was about an hour long drive, and the interview was scheduled to take up most of the day was to be followed by dinner. This was apparently much too long for the candidate to leave her beloved pet alone, so she arrived at the interview carrying a small glass bowl containing her goldfish. The entire department was relieved when they were able to convince the candidate that the fish would be safe in the office while the group went to dinner. (I hope they didn't go for sushi!)

The Next Generation

As I mentioned, we have two interns working with us this fall, and I would like to preface this post with a disclaimer: Both of them have been doing a fantastic job, and that the following (at least so far!) does not apply to them. Okay, that being said...

This weekend I had a conversation with a friend of mine that is a professor at large public university here in west Michigan. We were discussing the things undergraduate students do to irk him. His primary complaints? A lack of responsibility or sense of accountability, general laziness and poor quality of work combined with an expectation of high grades in return! (The "A for Effort" mentality) Of course, dishonesty and cheating really top the list, but those are not as widespread, at least we hope not!

So today when I read Rowan's post on The Next Generation of Job Hunters discussing the issues he's seen with recent graduates and their general disregard for accuracy and quality. I thought I'd put my two cents in on the topic as well:

Rowan suggests adding this little disclaimer to job advertisements:

Please remember that this application is all we have to go on - if it is careless or sloppy, we can only presume that you are careless and sloppy. Here at XXXX, we pride ourselves on providing 100% accurate service to our clients. One misplaced word or comma in a contract could leave a client vulnerable to litigation. Therefore, spelling, punctuation, grammatical or formatting errors in your application will not be tolerated. One error and you are in the bin. Don't say we didn't warn you...

(It was my turn to spray hot caffeinated beverage from my nostrils on that one!)

And here is my advice to all you new grads and soon-to-be job seekers of this generation:

Before Graduation:

• Start now by taking responsibility for your academic career (translation – it wasn’t the professors fault you failed economics if you didn’t bother to read the text or even show up to class!)
• Make an effort to understand the business world before you try to join it; learn what “professional attire” is and embrace it

When seeking employment:

• Write carefully worded, clear, concise resumes, cover letters, thank you notes, etc. with zero errors and remember, spellchecking doesn’t know the difference between their vs. there, hear vs. here and [my personal favorite] inconvenience vs. incontinence
• Practice your verbal presentation skills – work hard to eliminate vocalized pauses (err, umm, ah, and the MOST irritating “like”)

When entering the workforce:

• Apply those lessons about taking responsibility to your new job
• Give your work the same attention to detail that you gave your well written, error free communications

So what am I saying? – In short, “Don’t be a slacker!”

(I really hope there are not any spelling errors here!)

Common Interview Questions

Rowan Manahan at Fortify Your Oasis is running an commentary on the Common Interview Questions. Although my posts tend to spend more time talking about Odd Interview Questions, I have some opinions on the more conventional questions as well.

Common Question #1: What are your strengths and weaknesses?

My Advice: They are going to ask you this, I almost guarantee it! So prepare a response in advance. Use a REAL example, when discussing your weaknesses, then talk about how you overcame the issue and kept it from adversely affecting your performance or how you are currently working to improve.

Do not try to “spin” something like… “Well I suppose I care just too much about my job.” That just makes you look like an idiot, at least if I were interviewing you.

When discussing strengths, do so in a way that highlights your skills and relates them to the position for which you are interviewing. Provide examples (and quantify your results if possible.

Stop short of sounding arrogant. “I can do just about anything I put my mind to!” is just blather.

See Rowan’s advice here

Common Question #2: Tell me about yourself.

My Advice: If you think this response begins with “Well, I was born in a small town in Iowa…” STOP. I don’t need to know your life story, I want to know how you chose your line of work and what brings you to this interview today. Speak briefly about your career history, how you moved from position to position, what attracted you to the company, and why you feel you’re a good fit for the job.

If you have something JOB RELEVANT to add from your personal life, for example you design engine cooling components for a living and in your spare time you build race car engines, that’s job relevant. However, my experience building off-road demo-derby race cars with Figure 8 isn’t relevant to my job. (Well, it did come up in an interview once: when I asked to “Share something about you that would surprise us.”)

See Rowan’s advice here

Of course I've always got plenty to say on this topic. Since teaching candidates to interview effectively is a major part of our jobs. See all I've got to say about interviewing here.

Job Interviews and American Idol?

I spotted this article from Yahoo! HotJobs today: 'American Idol' and Your Job Interview

Personally, I find American Idol (and most reality TV shows) offensive. This is because I firmly believe the objective of these shows is not to grant a recording contract to the most talented, or a million dollars to the one who outlasts and outwits others in silly games on an island, but instead to entertain the masses by humiliating the untalented and making fun of those that fail. But enough of my soap box...

I do have to agree with the following piece of advice from the HotJobs article:

...you don't have to be the best singer, just the most remembered decent singer. Same for the job interview. You don't always have to be the best candidate with the top skills. You do have to find a way to be the most remembered, hirable candidate.

So maybe it is possible that shows like 'Idol' can teach us important and valuable lessons about life and I should lighten up? ... Nahh...It is still rubbish.

Seven Deadly Sins Revisited

Ever since running across the “Seven Deadly Sins of Interviewing” Article (see my 3/26 Post), I’ve been trying to think of examples of our candidates committing them… After much consideration, here are a few examples:

Pride: An excessive love of self

The candidate that to hear him tell it, was an expert in all things, because he had managed the contractors and outside sources that actually did the work!

Sloth: Laziness, idleness and wastefulness

The candidate who didn’t bother to shower, change or even touch up here make-up for a morning interview after a night on the town.

Greed: An excessive quest for money and power

The candidate who suddenly decided he wanted $40,000 more a year than he’d originally stated.

Gluttony: The desire to consume more than you need

The candidate who ate with her fingers during a lunch interview

Wrath: Feelings of hatred, revenge or denial

The candidate that was very demanding, and angry that one of our recruiters would not drive to her house in order to take care of her dog while she traveled out of state for an interview.

Lust: The desire to do what you want, not do what you should

The candidate who upon arriving for his first Face-to-Face interview walked straight to the HR manager and gave her a great big hug.

Envy: The desire for what you don't have now

The best example I can come up with here is the candidates (and yes, there are several of them) that so desire that Bachelor’s degree, that they just decide to make one up!
Of course, there was also the candidate that decided he could claim to be a Manager at company he left 6 years ago, where he worked in an entirely different role.

More odd interview questions.

Experience is a jobs site tailored to the entry level/recent graduate market. The site works closely with the number of universities to manage online job postings and resume banks.

In their recent newsletter, I noticed a link to More Weird Interview Questions.

My favorites include:

---

As a male, I was being questioned at an internship fair for a major retailer. One of the first questions that the recruiter asked me was: "So, why do you want to work with women's underwear?"

I was asked what I did in high school that was against the rules. I was told that the group's manager had done the cherry bombs in the toilets routine and that another member of the group had hacked into the school's computer system.

Are you Republican or Democrat? I'm pretty sure it was illegal to ask that, which was weird because it was a lawyer asking me.

Why do they make manholes round?

If you were a breakfast cereal what would you be and why?

Do you like pineapples? What do they mean to you?

If you were a pizza, what kind would you be and with what toppings?

---

What is with the food questions? Maybe we should stop scheduling interviews at noon? I mean really... what kind of deep meaning is there in a pinneapple?

Seven Deadly Sins

I know it's been a while since I've posted anything here, but I've been waiting for something really interesting to cross my desk, and it finally did, an article from The Ladders, The Seven Deadly Sins of Interviewing.

Following are the sins and a selection of the many examples the Ladders cites. Please check out the full article, there are lots of good laughs there.

Pride: An excessive love of self
You have years of experience, you've earned respect and accolades in your field, but any arrogrance will come back to bite you. Treat each person at the company with respect and kindness, or they might find a way to sabotage your interview.

Years before I completed two degrees, I had worked my way up the ranks within a large, successful technical firm. As we conducted our annual college hire recruiting activities, one candidate from a modest background with less than stellar grades, but a newly acquired degree raved on about how no one without a degree should ever be in a management role, that anyone without a degree just wasn't qualified to be a leader. Needless to say, the candidate did not make it to the "short list" of hires.

Sloth: Laziness, idleness and wastefulness
Don't wing it! Make sure to prepare informed questions. Be able to show knowledge of your potential employer, awareness of the industry, and the company's business strategy. The level of detail in your questions should match your experience.

I had been asked by a co-worker to consider a close relative for an open position. In the interview, I asked him about the many gaps in his resume. His answer? "For a long time, I didn't get this whole 'work' thing." Since he was in the midst of another six-month gap after only a few months at his previous employer, I was forced to conclude that he was still having trouble with the concept. Needless to say, he did not get the position.

Greed: An excessive quest for money and power
Remember, first you have to get the offer. Then, you can negotiate the terms. Never ask about salary and perks in the initial interview. Set aside those questions for later... much later.

We interviewed a candidate once (and we emphasize the once!) who, within moments of sitting down in our conference room, shared her long list of compensation requirements. She also asked to see in which office she'd reside and then told us that the desk would need to be moved because she couldn't "possibly sit facing in that direction." The interview was so derailed by her list of demands, we showed her the door!

Gluttony: The desire to consume more than you need
The interviewer is trying to learn about your skills, talents, experiences, and your ability to succeed in the job - not your whole life story

When asked what she does for fun, the response I got was this: “Drink. I like to go to the bar. My husband tells me I would live there if I could.” She then went on to say that she likes chatting with her girlfriends about other men. Did you not just tell me you were married?

Wrath: Feelings of hatred, revenge or denial
The person sitting across from you – who may be your next boss – identifies more with your past bosses than she does with you. Badmouthing old colleagues will leave a terrible taste in your potential employer's mouth.

Have you ever been fired from a job? Yeah but it wasn't my fault. See I was dating this woman at work and she made me mad. I broke her arm and the company said I couldn't do that at work. I would never do that here though, I'm still dating her and she doesn't want to work here.

Lust: The desire to do what you want, not do what you should
Don't dress for your comfort, dress for the situation. Always wear a suit to an interview, even if the dress code is business casual. You might stick out like a sore thumb while you're in the lobby, but you'll never lose points for being dressed professionally (or acting appropriately!)

I interviewed a number of candidates to be a personal assistant to me. At the outset of the interview one woman told me she knew exactly what I was looking for, a "job wife". Unfamiliar with the term, but suspecting the response I would get, I asked her to further describe. In great detail she went into EXACTLY what benefits would be mine if hired. No, she didn't get the position, but I'm confident she found one (or more) to her liking

Envy: The desire for what you don't have now
Your "dream job" should the one you're interviewing for right now. If it's clear you really want to do something else, it's tough for an interviewer to believe that you'll bring all your capabilities and focus to the demands of this job.

We interviewed a recent MBA grad from a top tier business school for a marketing manager position. Not only did the candidate not research our company before hand but she also showed up for the interview wearing a tank top, torn jeans and flip-flops. After 10 min. in the interview, she managed to say that her dream job would be to open one day a little retail shop in Virginia. We sent her home in record time.

I wish we had such fun examples here... perhaps I'll ask a few of my coworkers what they can come up with?

Odd Interview Questions...

Today's odd interview question:

Considering a fast paced environment, which of these 3 options would you think is the most related to a fast paced environment? A baby turtle crawling from its nest to the ocean, a bird building a nest or a dog jumping up to catch a Frisbee?

Preparing (too much?) for an Interview

I received an interesting article from ERE today: Trying To Put Lipstick on A Pig?

In it, Jerry Land offers some great advice to recruiters about effectively preparing candidates for interviews and how over-preparing a candidate might actually be detrimental to the interview process and ultimately the candidate’s career.

One entertaining example:

---

I once had a client who asked each of the candidates I recruited the same question, "How can you get exactly four gallons of water using only a five-gallon jug and a three-gallon jug to measure?"

I don't believe the interviewer was expecting an answer; instead, he wanted to see the response to this difficult question. If the candidates were prepared, the interviewer would not have been able to evaluate the candidates for who they really are.

---

(More of my thoughts on Odd Interview Questions)

I think the author makes some valid points about providing an unfair advantage by sharing too much in the interview prep, and I agree with him that providing general advice is the best way to go.

Here is some of what we tell candidates when preparing for an interview:
The purpose of any interview, from the candidate’s perspective, should be to determine what is missing while the position is unfilled or what problems the company is looking to solve by filling this position. Throughout the interview, candidates should pay close attention to clues what’s missing and then address how he or she can provide the solutions.

There are common themes in all interviews, and it is wise to think in advance about how to answer these basic interview questions:

Why are you interested in the job?

What can you tell me about yourself?

What are your strengths and weaknesses?

Describe major accomplishments and discuss responsibilities in previous jobs.

What questions do you have?

Amusing Interview Stories

I spotted an article on Monster recently about some entertaining interviewing and hiring stories including the following:

---

I was hiring for a collector position and received a resume with the following as the candidate's Goals and Objectives:

"I want to be successful as everyone does, but I want to kick it up a knotch (his misspell) and be VERY successful and become #1 in everything when it comes to professional, family, and personal way of life."

You want to be VERY successful? Why didn't you tell me before? What a novel goal in life. Does Emeril know you are using his phrase? Thanks for your time -- next!

---

I know my coworkers have a number of stories like this and they are the highlights of our days.

Interview Questions

I’ve written before about some odd questions candidates have asked… but of course, it is sometimes the interviewer that comes up with the off-the-wall question.

Odd interview questions I’ve been asked include:
If you were fruit (or an animal, a tree, a color, etc), what would you be, and why?
If you could have dinner with any one person, living or dead, who would it be?
If you could be granted superpowers, what superpower would you like to receive?

Most of these I answered without too much of a problem. The one question that that really tripped me up was “What is your favorite word?”

Here’s what went through my head in the next 1.2 seconds:

A favorite word? Are you serious? I mean ask me about my favorite movie (The Shawshank Redemption), my favorite book (Strange Universe) my favorite song (I am a Rock), or my favorite color (clear)! But a favorite word? Geez, can’t we go back to that question about what dead person I’d want to chat with over fettuccini? I mean really, a favorite word? There are lots of great words! Tintinnabulation (it’s just fun to say), thixotropicity (because no one knows what it means), gibbous (again, just fun to say), and multifunctional words like “stuff” and “smurf”. (And a more few you can't say in polite company!) Is this really relevant to job? Oh no, what am I going to say? I’m taking way too long! Wait! Wait! I’ve got it! I’ll give them something career related, something business savvy, something… something… something like...

In the end, I babbled something semi-coherent about “synergy” or some other meaningless buzzword. Needless to say, I was not offered that job.

Why on earth would someone ask this? This was a copywriting job, and so I can see a vague relevance, but it still rattled me. It wasn’t until later I learned that these odd questions are designed to do just that.

One of the most popular odd-ball interview questions is “Why is a manhole cover round?” Rumor has it this is a standard at Microsoft. A hiring manager I know often asked this question as a way to find candidates that could problem solve and think on their feet. He admits the best response to this question was “I don’t know, but you’ll have the answer in your e-mail by the end of the day”.

The answer, by the way, is that a circle is the only geometric shape that cannot fit through itself and therefore the cover cannot fall down the hole.

Have I mentioned I love trivia?

My Nightmare Interview...

Happy Holidays to everyone!

After yesterday’s post, I thought I might take a moment today to share one of the worst interview stories I know. Of course the reason it’s one of the worst: it happened to me!

Shortly after graduating from Eastern Michigan University, I had the opportunity to interview for an Admissions Representative position here in Grand Rapids. I breezed through the phone screen, met with a couple of people in a face to face interview, and finally was asked to prepare a short presentation which I would present to the entire admissions staff for my final interview. I spent a day or so madly editing and rehearsing the presentation I’d made to hundreds of students while recruiting for EMU. Finally I felt I had the presentation down (I was no longer saying “Eastern” throughout it anyway…)

I managed to have a good night’s sleep before the interview, and was reciting my pitch in the shower and as I dressed for the interview. I chose a chocolate brown suit over a black blouse, (very professional looking I thought) and after a moment of deliberation over which shoes to wear, I was off.

I walked into a conference room full of potential colleagues, answered a few brief questions about my background, and then stood and paced around the table while telling them all about “The 5 P’s of Choosing a College” (Programs, Preparation, People, Place, and Price).

I nailed it! I was great; they were interested and attentive, nodding and smiling. I was awesome!

We closed the interview, and I was feeling euphoric; they told me they’d be in touch by the end of the day. Still on cloud nine, I headed for my car, tripped and nearly fell face first onto the ground. I thought, “Wow, this parking lot is awfully uneven” and looked down at what I thought would be cracked pavement.

Instead I discovered my inability to walk was the result of wearing two shoes not even REMOTELY similar; one black 1½” heel, and one brown 2” heel,

I was horrified, embarrassed, and feeling totally stupid. Flashbacks to the conference room…were they smiling at my presentation or laughing at my shoes? Oh god, what have I done!

I went home, all my excitement and positive energy gone, and waited for the phone to ring. I started to rationalize, like… maybe they hadn’t noticed, maybe they thought I always walked with a slight limp, maybe they thought I was color blind, maybe they thought I knew and just didn’t let it phase me…

To my surprise, I was offered the job! I guess you really can recover from anything!

Nightmare interviews...

Because my firm works nationally, we don’t always have the luxury of meeting every candidate, we’ve had some surprises as result… few as good as this selection of “strange questions candidates have asked in interviews”

From the “That’s odd ” category:
"What is the company motto?"
"Will the company move my rock collection from California to Maryland?"
"Will the company pay to relocate my horse?"
"Does your health insurance cover pets?"

To the “Why are you here again?” category:
"What is it that you people do at this company?"
"Why aren't you in a more interesting business?"
"Why do you want references?"

To the “I think we’re done here” category:
"Would it be a problem if I'm angry most of the time?"
"Does your company have a policy regarding concealed weapons?"

And finally… the “Did you forget your medication” category:
"What are the zodiac signs of all the board members?"
"Do I have to dress for the next interview?"
"I know this is off the subject, but will you marry me?"

Find these and more great stuff (including useful information) at the Recruiter’s Network.