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Interviewer TJNTIYs are funny, informative anecdotes from recruiters and executives (hiring managers)about the things candidates say or do that ruin their chances of being hired, from the outrageous to the subtle and nuanced. Sales Candidate Couldn't Sell HimelfThe interviewee was a recent college graduate. He was interviewing for an entry level sales position. The candidate wasn’t sure of himself at all and was very tentative in his answers. I finally stopped the interview and told the young man flat out that I expected a candidate for a sales position to sell me on his candidacy. He said he understood and proceeded to answer the next question with, “Well, I guess I could definitely do that.” I ended the interview and suggested he look for a different type of position.
Candidate to Interviewer: "Uh . . What's Your Name Again?"Funnies:- Blunders:- (I had seen all of these)
Anyone of these items will be a short interview!!!1. Exaggerate or make up anything in your resume
Ooooh, Not Fair! The Questions Are Tooooo Hard!I also loved the candidate who was interviewing for a position as a staff lawyer in a legal clinic who at the end of the interview, berated me for being unfair by asking him hard questions. He told me it was unfair to ask difficult questions unless I gave the questions out in advance. A big part of his job would be to represent clients in court - which would of course require the ability to think on his feet. TJNTIY.
Candidate to Next Boss: How Long Before I Can Take Your Place?I actually did this a few years back.. The job sounded promising online, and even in the phone interview it seemed like a descent fit for me. However, when I got to the interview itself, my 'would-be' boss was very drab... wore a suit from the 70's looked like he hadn't combed his hair in a couple months, and to top it all off, was a monotone with absolutely no facial expressions to speak of. After talking for about 5 minutes I realized (not because of the boss) that this position was NOT a fit for me at all... something I had a lot of experience with, and hated every minute of it.
Loose Lips Sink CandidatesAnytime candidates bad mouth their company, be a boss or the board, it reflects poorly on them. Its always my goal to present candidates who have been successful in past roles, not those that carry baggage from getting burned. What candidate's might not realize is that when they bad mouth the boss/company it makes me wonder what the other side of the coin is and why they couldn't push through the problem for a good outcome. Great employees overcome adversity. TJNTIY.
Candidate Sends Letter From Behind BarsHmmmm.....I have a ton of stories....I was asked out on a date by one candidate. I had a candidate that sent me a letter from jail....and another candidate that complained to one of the managers about someone on the interview schedule (warning him against that person). Usually if we are not into a candidate we try to shorten the interview schedule a bit so everyone doesn't have to waste their time. The candidate might not know about this though because we might only disclose a couple of people they are meeting and tell them that they meet a couple of others, but they might figure it out.
Not a Candidate for a Toothpaste CommercialDuring an interview with another senior consultant, after offering him mine and my colleague's business cards, the gentleman proceeded to pick his teeth with both our cards, all the while talking about how his deep experience and professionalism will most definitely get him the contract. TJNTIY.
There's the Truth and Then There's The ResumeMy pet peev and the thing I now always check first when I am interviewing potential employees is that what their resume says and what they've actually done are similar. Unfortunately the practice is rampant. So don't lie on your resume kids. I also prefer much more than a 2 page summary for candidates. On the other side of the equation I find wearing a suit to an interview is usually a bad idea. Its rare that interviewers are wearing suits themselves and seems only to alienate you at the outset, at least for the roles and workplaces I tend to gravitate toward. TJNTIY.
Candidate Attire Flunks Casual FridaysSome definite no-no's: showing up in bright orange sweats with greasy hair to fill out an app, arguing with our receptionist, not filling in the app and writing "see resume" instead, and calling me every morning to see if I read his app yet when I specifically said I didn't have time and would call him if I was interested. More subtle red flags: not having an idea where they want to be in 5 years, having issues with all of their past employers, using the response "I don't know" without giving it much thought.
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Candidate TJNTIYs are anecdotes from job candidates about the things potential employers do that suggest "they're just not that into you". When You Are Alone in the Interview Location and You Talk, Is There Anyone There To Listen?This was 20 years ago. I was invited to an interview at one of the large US automakers' Research Labs in Detroit. The recruiter had set up the interview on behalf of the hiring manager and made all the travel arrangements, Excellent flight arrangements and had ordered an airport pickup with one of their Stretch Limos (they had a Stretch Limo desk just for setting uop Limo rides!). Nice trip into the office, except there wasn't anyone at the other end to interview me! No Recruiter, No Hiring Manager! The poor front office people did not have a clue as to what to do with me and I did not know what else to do except keep trying to contact the Recruiter who could not be reached by office phone or home phone! This was pre-cell phone days and those were the only options! But the return Stretch Limo to the airport was ready and the flight back was excellent also. This one is going bankrupt and am I surprised at all? Not in the least bit! What a company! TJNTIY.
If These Walls Could Talk, He'd Talk BackAt one interview with a top 100 Company here in CT, the interviewer started talking to the wall. He was annoyed that he had to take the time to interview me. I thought that was completely rude and unprofessional. TJNTIY. link:prepaid kreditkarten
Non ConformistSo as a former body piercing professional at a tattoo shop i had naturally made some modifications to my body, no visible tattoos just piercings my ears are "gauged" which means basically i have a 1/2 inch diameter hole in my earlobes. I have decided to change professions, nothing specific in mind until I complete college. It seems that even though I remove all of my piercings before submitting an application or going to an interview the holes in my ears are still very noticeable. I could take them but even then it would take a long time for the holes to close and personally i don't feel my lifestyle should have to be changed since I feel taking out the piercings for work is enough. Any ways it seems potential employers are JNTIM, I think it is a shame because if someone were in a car accident and ended up with a permanent 1/2 inch hole in their earlobe it wouldn't be discriminated against but hey if you try to be different in this world i can say as far as an employer is concerned TJNTIY
A Sick Excuse for a Candidate InterviewerSeveral years ago, I interviewed for a job. When following up, I was told that I would be scheduled for a second interview. The person was always out sick. They called me back again for the interview. When I arrived the receptionist had no idea who I was and in an odd way asked if he was expecting me. She went off, then a few minutes later someone else came out and said that he went home sick. Then the person I had the first interview with said that he tried calling me on my cell phone about 30 minutes before the interview to let me know it needed to be rescheduled. I never received that call or voice mail, I would have been in transit during that time. The interview was never rescheduled. If they are not interested, don’t string me along and make me come in a second time for something that isn’t going to happen. Very odd. Because of the long time span, a couple of months, I suspect they hired someone that didn’t work out and were calling me back. They probably filled it again right before I got there and didn’t want to say anything. Less than a month later I found my next position. TJNTIY.
Boy oh Boy, the Old Boys' Network . . .This really did happen to me...in January 2009.....I was asked by the C-suite team .....if I was married, if I had children, how old I was, and did I vote for Obama .... I told the headhunter who recruited me that she needed to do some training with her client on illegal and inappropriate questions to ask candidates. I didn't get the job and I am not disappointed---if that was how the executive team was going to behave on interviews, I could only imagine what it would be like to work with them! TJNTIY.
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