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Random TJNTIY Stories

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.

Candidate Was Wasting His Time

The interviewee was an older gentleman. He was looking for a collections position. As I was walking him back to my office for the interview he stated, “I don’t know what I’m doing here. I’m just wasting my time.” He repeated this three more times within the first five minutes at which point I stood up, stretched my arm out for a hand shake and said, “You know what? You’re right and we don’t want to waste any more of it. Thanks for coming in and have a nice day.” And I showed him the door. TJNTIY.

Loose Lips Sink Candidates

Anytime 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.

The Watch Watcher

I had a candidate, very nice and pleasant, come in to interview with me. The interview was going great she seemed to have done all of her research on the company and the position. She was energetic and excited but started talking really quickly (almost rushed) about 15mins into the interview. I noticed that she then started to look at her watch quite frequently between questions/answers. I was wondering what had caused the sudden change in her mood so I asked her. She let me know that she did not want to be late for her next interviews and I assured her that I would get her to the next one on time. I looked at her interview schedule and noticed that I was her last meeting of the day and she went on to say "Yes, you are my last interview here, but I don't want to be late for my next company interview". Needless to say, I wrapped up the interview quickly after that so as not to make her "late" for her next appointment. Yes, I gave her credit for her honesty....but we decided to hire someone else...TJNTIY

Candidate Delivers More Than Resume . . .

"She threw up on my desk, and immediately started asking questions about the job, like nothing had happened. " I think that person should get hired, or at least a serious consideration. It shows they don't get flustered by the unexpected. One time while in college, I was interviewing for an internship. I was asked if I could be an animal, what would I be. "I am an animal" was my response. TJNTIY.

Candidates That Aren't Google-icious

Some people air their former and current employers' dirty laundry on their blogs, and then wonder why they can't get interviews. Nobody wants to be next on these folks' wall-of-shame, and all it takes is a recruiter who knows how to type the candidate's name into Google. TJNTIY.

There's the Truth and Then There's The Resume

My 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.

Truth is Sometimes Too Much of a Good Thing

Why did you leave your last job?* I really wish some interviewees would think before they responded. Sure, honesty is the best policy - but telling the whole story may not get you hired! Interviewer (ME): "I am on the fence - Give me one reason why I should consider hiring you and one reason why someone else would be a better candidate" Bad Answer: You could only imagine some of the answers I got with this question!! If my interviews were a sitcom .. would anyone watch? When I ask this question - my ratings would go UP! TJNTIY

Not Knowing What They Want Out of Life

When they don't know who they are and what they want out of life. A candidate knows the interview isn't going well when they find my interview questions novel, meaning they haven't thought about these questions before. In reality, I'm just trying to get to know them, but they don't know themselves, so the questions make them very uncomfortable. Candidates typically get the picture virtually immediately, though, since I simply communicate to them that the fact that they don't know the answers to the fundamental questions I ask them poses a serious risk to everyone on the team.

Candidate to President of Company: "I Want Your Job."

We've had a candidate on an interview for a manager's position reporting to the President of the company. The President was a fairly young/early in his career, (mid 40s), and no intention of retiring anytime soon. The candidate who was interviewing had a stellar twenty plus year career and was more senior than the President.

He Could Not Answer Simple Questions

1. In a group interview setting where each person had a series of questions designed to elicit different characteristics of the role, the candidate aced the first 2 sections. When he came to me, my questions were far more abstract and asked for some application of his experience. He wasn't able to cope, and what seemed to have been leaning his way suddenly eliminated him from consideration.