Building on my previous post of how not to get an interview, if you are
unsuccessful and get called in to meet live humans I thought I would share a
few helpful tips on how to make sure you do not get a second interview or hired
for that matter! In general the theme is
to not prepare. At all.
Do not review your resume.
It’s much more interesting when I ask you a question about a previous
accomplishment and you can’t remember the details. This is an easy way to start blowing the
interview when you can’t explain the bullets on your own resume. Waste my time while you look at the ceiling
trying to remember your responsibilities from a few years ago. I start to doubt what you wrote is the truth
and look for ways to end the interview as quickly as possible.
Do not research the company.
I once had a position open for an Internet marketer and one of the key
responsibilities in the job posting was to lead our web strategy and a complete
redesign of our web site. I asked the
candidate if she had reviewed our site and what suggestions she might have for
short-term improvements. She told me she
did not look at our site and the interview ended a few minutes later. She blew
it so easily!
Another real-life example is when I worked for a communications
(cable) company and a candidate told us she hated cable. I assume she did not research the company or
what our main products were and she blew that interview in the opening chit
chat! Seriously!
Do not take notes
This is especially true if I am explaining anything about our process
or who key players are. The interview
could be the beginning of your training and make your first days easier but if
you don’t write anything down you can blow the interview and not have to worry
about that. When I see you not taking
notes it's clear that you don’t care and lack initiative.
Do not ask questions
You are considering making a life-changing decision to leave your
current job and work with me and my team. Of course you won’t have any
questions like what’s my leadership style, how I define success for this
position or how you will be evaluated.
Now this is not always a deal-breaker but it helps me see how much
initiative you lack or how little information you gather when making
decisions.
Why would you want to know why the position is open? Or what the top priorities
are? Or why I enjoy working here? If you
really don’t care, then don’t ask. People
who don’t care blow interviews every day.
Do not ask for the job
This is related to not asking questions. Don’t end the interview by asking me if I see
any gaps in your experience or reasons I may hesitate to hire you. This question
is a great segue to ask for the job.
Definitely do not ask for the job.
Leave me unsure of your interest. Your apathy and indifference will make it easier for me to assume you’re
not interested. Let another candidate
who displays not only interest but enthusiasm for the job get the offer.
Do not write thank you notes
It’s so much easier to not write thank you notes when you have no notes
from all of the people you met. Why
would we want to hire someone who has manners and respect? You
could use the thank you notes to build relationships with your future
co-workers and reiterate reasons why you are qualified but these are tips to
blow the interview not rock! This is not
necessarily a deal breaker but it’s a great strategy to blow the interview days
later! This is not a big deal for most
people. It’s one of my pet peeves.
These are all examples from real candidates. Each time I go through the hiring process I
am shocked at the poor performance of the candidates. Adults, not just kids, whose families rely on
the income from a job I have to fill. I imagine this is why you hear stories of
people being laid off for 6-12 months.
It’s a shame. You may really be
the best candidate for the job but it’s very easy to blow the interview. Just follow these easy tips.
