Recent TJNTIY StoriesInterviewer 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. He Could Not Answer Simple Questions1. 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.
So Sue MeI actually feel almost sorry for the candidates when I read some of these posts, for some of these things I can´t see as that important. I can´t help feel a sense of arrogance, a "he needs this job so he should shup up!" I try to be more understanding with the candidates as I´ve been in their spot myself.However, I prefer not to hire people:
A Murderer for a Candidate . . .One of my favorites is when we told a young designer to "dress professional and wear a suit". He did wear a suit... with tennis shoes and eye brow piercings. He didn't get the job. Second favorite. Early in my career I worked for a company where the local prison would send their newly released job seekers. On open interview day sitting across from me was a 6'6, 250 lb man who had marked on his application that he had committed a felony. Not quite sure how to handle it I explained to him that we needed to know what he was charged with as there were positions that he would not qualify for (my thinking was cash handling or children). He replied "no Maam, I have no problem discussing that. I killed someone"! Needless to say I was a bit frightened. Then he told me the story of a bar room fight gone bad. Believe it or not I actually placed him with a friend who was a brick mason and willing to give him a 2nd chance. Which he later messed up by getting into another brawl. Thankfully it wasn't with me! TNJTIY.
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.
Interview InterruptedOn another occasion I was interviewing a smart young lady who was graduating from college and looking for a full time job. The interview was going in her favor until she stopped and said "I expect your company pays competitive salaries because if they don't I don't want to waste my time interviewing any further." I looked her in the eyes and said "yes, we always pay competitive salaries; however, I don't want to waste your time, so we really can end the interview now." (Needless to say, her interview coach at college wasn't doing her any favor!) I'll save the one about the lady who passed out on me during an interview! TJNTIY.
Candidate Arrives With EntourageI once had a candidate for an interview. My recruiting assistant brought the candidate to meet me in a conference room. I greeted the candidate, had him sit down, and began the interview process. Into the interview for about five minutes the candidate suddenly changed subjects and asked whether his mother could come into the conference room to join him! I told the candidate I only had two or three questions that I needed to ask him and I asked those questions quickly! TJNTIY.
Not Knowing What They Want Out of LifeWhen 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. Mile High Club Member Stuck at Sea LevelAnother recent one that cracked me up: A sales candidate told me that he was looking to change jobs because in his current job he was traveling about 90% of the time. He could have left it at that but he added, "Trying to get my wife pregnant between trips is not working out - I even had her meet me at the airport one time because I was only going to be in town for a couple hours." TJNTIY
Candidate Asked Us to Hire His Wife, Too!After a five-month national search for a candidate with the right combination of skills and personality, we were in the homestretch with our final choice on his second interview. He was literally ten minutes from the offer when a member of the interview panel asked, "knowing what you learned from this exhaustive interview process, what would be the first thing you'd do in this role?" His ill-fated answer? "Well, first I'd hire my wife as an assistant because we're an unstoppable team..." Not in a publicly funded organization,sir...yikes! TJNTIY.
Monopoly Money For CompensationI have had candidates where when told the salary range think they are worth more and ask for figures so out in left field that they are higher then what I am (2 levels their superior) and higher then any of my bosses. It is great to have ambition but if you looking to double your current salary, it takes a lot more then just an interview. TJNTIY.
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